What a Group 1 Race We Have To Savour

We have a fantastic day’s racing in store today, the second day of Betfair weekend, with the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (sponsored by Betfair) the headline race and due off at 4.35pm.

It is a race that is looking as though it will not only one of the Group 1 races of this year’s British Flat season, but also of the international racing calendar with many of the world’s leading middle-distance turf horses in the line up.

Of the 10-runner field, six have travelled to Ascot from abroad, with the furthest jet setter being the Japanese-trained runner Deep Brillant; the mileage the horse has had to travel has not been listed in the Racing Post’s “furthest travellers to Ascot” slot.

A case can be made for so many of the runners. Race favourite Nathaniel is bidding to make it back-to-back wins in the race and was impressive last time out when winning the Eclipse Stakes (G1); the improving Sea Moon, second in the Breeders’ Cup (G1) to St Nicholas Abbey last year, beat Dunaden when taking the Hardwicke Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot; St Nicholas Abbey is coming here in the peak of form after winning the Coronation Stakes (G1) at Epsom and finishing second to the top performer Cirrus Des Aigles at Meydan in March.

The hard-knocking Dunaden, the Melbourne Cup (G1) winner last November, put in his best race so far when second to Sea Moon here, and while this season Danedream has not rediscovered her winning Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) form, she is a high class filly and the winner of three Group 1s.

The Japanese raider could be anything. Winner of the Tokyo Yushun (the Japanese Derby), he gets a serious three-year-olds weight allowance and is by Deep Impact, who is developing into one of the most exciting young stallions in the world.

Making up the rest of the field is last year’s Prix du Jockey-Club (G1) (French Derby) winner Reliable Man, who was fourth in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (G1) at the Royal meeting; the Michael Owen-owned Brown Panther, winner at last year’s Royal Ascot, a runner-up in the St Leger (G1) and a Listed winner in June; Masked Marvel, winner of last year’s St Leger (G1) and, finally, Robin Hood, who is fulfilling pace making duties.
In total, the field has already won an amazing 14 Group 1 races between them.

Which horse will be the one to make it 15?

With the sun having at last appeared and the ground turning good, there will be no excuses for any runner and we are guaranteed a thrilling race. If looking to steer away from the race favourite, then St Nicholas Abbey, a 9-2 chance at writing, might be a bet worth having.

Whatever your fancy, this is going to be a race to savour.

#AscotAsks Sally Duckett, the Live Reporter on the New Ascot Racecourse App

In a special edtion of our #AscotAsks series, we chat to Sally Duckett the Live Reporter on our new Ascot Racecourse App, launched at Royal Ascot this year. Sally will report live from the Parade Ring on every raceday including the Betfair Weekend starting this Friday.

Sally’s wealth of horseracing knowledge, which we found out after chatting to her this week, is perfect for the live reporter.

Racing Background

She initially worked for National Hunt trainer, Robin Dickin and had a few rides under Rules for him and then, throughout her degree and after, she spent much of her time riding racehorses and in point-to-points.

After this, Sally worked for a couple of trainers including Mick Channon, and Charles Egerton, whom she became secretary for but decided she wasn’t organised enough to be a trainer’s secretary (the toughest job in racing!).

She then decided to enter the editing world and became a sub-editor at Raceform. From there, she went onto work at Darley Stud in its marketing department and then the Racing Post with its bloodstock advertising team. After three years she moved onto becoming editor of the Pacemaker magazine.

Sally was then lucky enough to be given the opportunity to run her own business, Thoroughbred Publishing and develop its magazine, International Thoroughbred which to this day is going from strength to strength.


To follow Sally and her up-to-date news from the Parade Ring plus

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Download the Ascot App FREE today by Clicking Here for the iPhone version or Clicking Here for the Android version.

The Stars from the Here & Now 1980s Concert on Saturday 11th August

In 4 weeks time 7 stars from the 1980s will perform their classic hits at the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup and ‘80s Concert on Saturday 11th August. Over the coming weeks we’ll reveal how these artists became so popular.

Today we’re starting with Howard Jones and lead singer of Katrina and the Waves, Katrina Leskanich.

Howard Jones

There are few artists who came to prominence in the eighties who are as prolific and hard working as Howard Jones. He seems to be constantly out on tour or creating diverse and superbly crafted albums in his Somerset studio.

In the early ‘80s Howard met David Stopps, promoter of the Friars Club in Aylesbury. Stopps became his manager and he secured a residency at the legendary Marquee Club in London. The rest, as they say, is history. Howard had a string of hits including “New Song”, “What Is Love”, “Hide And Seek” and “Like To Get To Know You Well”. To date, Howard has sold a whopping eight million albums.

Katrina Leskanich

Former lead singer of Katrina and the Waves, Katrina is one of the few women from the 80s who is still performing and recording. Born in Kansas, U.S.A., Katrina Leskanich moved to England in 1976.  Growing up with the West Coast sound (Fleetwood Mac, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Heart) she, together with fellow American and future Wave, Vince de la Cruz, formed the band Mama’s Cookin’.

In 1983, Katrina and Vince joined The Waves and she picked up on some of their musical influences such as Etta James, Velvet Underground and the Stones. The band became Katrina and the Waves and they had their first break in 1984 when The Bangles covered their song “Going Down To Liverpool”.  This drew attention to the group and lead to an international deal with Capitol Records. 

Their first single signed to Capitol was “Walking on Sunshine” and it was an international smash hit in 1985 and has become a feel good classic which is one of the UK’s most played summertime radio tracks.  Incredibly it’s been played over 2 million times in the U.S.A.

To see these artists perform at the Here & Now Concert on Saturday 11th August plus watch some thrilling horseracing action from Britains premier jockey competition, call 0844 346 3000 or visit ascot.co.uk. Tickets from £26. Generous group discounts available.

Don't forget children under 18 and all entertainment is included in the ticket price!

Frankie Dettori to Carry Olympic Torch

It’s been confirmed that one of horseracing’s most loved personalities will be carrying the Olympic Flame when it reaches the world-famous Ascot Racecourse, tomorrow afternoon (10th July).

 

Frankie Dettori, who is best known for his magnificent seven winners in one day at Ascot, will be passed the Torch as it makes its way from Ascot High Street, into the racecourse for a circuit of the Parade Ring.

As ambassador of the prestigious QIPCO British Champions Series, Frankie will be further adding to the spectacle on the day by carrying the Torch on horseback. He will be riding former top-class racehorse, Monsignor, on loan from racehorse rehoming charity HEROS.

Speaking of his Olympic Torchbearing challenge, Dettori said: “It is an honour and a privilege to be invited to carry the Olympic Flame, especially at a track that holds such happy memories for me. I’ll be watching when the Flame reaches its final destination and the Olympic Games can begin.”

Members of the public can also share in the special moment at the racecourse, which will be opening its gates to the public for free from 3pm, with the Torch expected to arrive in Ascot at 4.26pm and at the racecourse itself at 4.35pm.

Gates will remain open until 7.30pm and there will be a range of additional activities taking place on the course, including a fun-fair – with rides charged at a modest cost – and live music from the band, Ascot Brass. There will also be stalls offering a variety of refreshment options.

Aaron Gryder, Matthew Chadwick and Cristian Demuro Set To Make Their Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Debuts

Japanese superstar Yutaka Take and three-time German champion Andreas Suborics return for world's premier international jockeys' competition

 
Californian ace Aaron Gryder, best known internationally for his victory on Well Armed in the 2009 Dubai World Cup, rising Hong Kong star Matthew Chadwick and reigning Italian champion Cristian Demuro will all make their Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup debuts at Ascot on Saturday, August 11.

The line-up for the Rest of the World team of male jockeys is confirmed today as Yutaka Take (Captain, Japan), Aaron Gryder (USA) and Matthew Chadwick (Hong Kong).

The line-up for the European team of male jockeys will be Frankie Dettori (Captain, Italy), if he is available to ride, with his team-mates Andreas Suborics (Germany) and Cristian Demuro (Italy).

The line-up for the Great Britain & Ireland male team will be announced closer to the event.

The three male teams will go against the first ever all-female team to take part in an international jockeys' competition, made of up of arguably the world's three top female riders, Hayley Turner (Captain, UK), Chantal Sutherland (Canada/USA) and Emma-Jayne Wilson (Canada). This line-up was announced in April.

Yutaka Take, 43, the legendary Japanese superstar who has been crowned champion jockey in his homeland no less than 18 times and who has ridden four Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup winners in his five appearances in the competition to date, will captain the Rest of the World Team.

The highly experienced Aaron Gryder, 42, will fly in from San Francisco to have his first experience of riding in Britain since 1992. He has won titles at Churchill Downs, Arlington Park and Aqueduct and also had a successful stint in Hong Kong, but is best known for his Dubai World Cup win which was achieved by a stunning margin of a 14 lengths, a record for the world's richest horse race.

Matthew Chadwick, who turns 22 next week, promises to be the best ever home-grown jockey in Hong Kong. He will have his first taste of racing in Britain when he spends a few weeks with trainer Charlie Hills in Lambourn later this month, with agent Laura Way booking his rides. He started as an apprentice in Hong Kong well into the 2008/9 season, yet still won the champion apprentice title with 43 winners and rode out his claim in January, 2010, in a Hong Kong record of one year and three weeks.

Frankie Dettori, 41, has not been able to take part in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup since 2008, but with three retained jockeys now riding for Godolphin, the hope is that the three-time UK champion jockey may be free to ride this year.

Andreas Suborics, three times champion jockey in Germany, took part in one previous Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup, back in 2007. Ironically that was the last time August 11 was the date for the Shergar Cup - it is Suborics' birthday which he will once again celebrate at Ascot, this time bringing his family over with him as he turns 41.

Cristian Demuro, Mirco's younger brother, won the Italian championship last year at the age of just 19 after riding 222 winners during the season. He partnered 153 winners in 2010 to finish second in the table and has also ridden winners in Japan, where he has spent two successful stints, and Dubai. The young Italian phenomenon will turn 20 this Sunday.

Nick Smith, Head of Communications for Ascot Racecourse, said: "This promises to be the most exciting Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup in the event's history, with the first all-female team and more international jockeys taking part than ever before, some legends in their own countries and some who are rapidly rising young stars."

Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman, Colm McLoughlin, commented: "The international aspect is one of the most attractive elements of the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup to us as a global brand.

"We are thrilled to be helping to create an opportunity for racegoers in the UK to see so many of horseracing's top international stars in action at one of the world's most famous sporting venues."

Caviar To Savour

It’s here – perhaps the most widely anticipated Saturday of Royal Ascot ever. Black Caviar, the highest-rated filly in the world, behind only Frankel on ratings, runs in the Group 1 6f Diamond Jubilee Stakes, the third race on today’s card.

It is going to be such a treat to see the great filly run as she aims to make it an amazing 22 wins from 22 starts and there is no reason at all to think that the speed she has produced to such devastating effect in Australia cannot be reproduced here.

With 1,000s of Australian supporters expected to be here to cheer her home, the atmosphere will be electric in the run-up to the race.

Opposition? Well, they are hard to find, but Krypton Factor produced a Group 1 win in Dubai in the spring, proving that he has true international-class ability. He had valid excuses for defeat last time in Singapore and looks a nice price, albeit that his recent form has been on a tapeta surface.

The French-trained Moonlight Cloud would have finished second to Deacon Blues in the Champions Sprint Stakes here at the Champions meeting last October but for trouble in running. Owned by yesterday’s winning owner George Strawbridge, she put in an impressive performance at the beginning of the month on her seasonal debut when winning the Prix du Palais-Royal (G3) over 7f.

Last year’s winner Society Rock is back again after a fitting outing at York over 6f. He always goes well at Ascot, but looks outclassed here today

So what’s the bet? A one-two for the fillies to lead home the boys.

21 Facts About The Aussie Sensation, Black Caviar

Black Caviar is the extraordinary Australian mare who has won all 21 races that she has contested, setting a new modern-day international record for the top level of Flat racing.

Here are 21 facts about her, one for each of her victories:

1. She is the greatest sprinter in the world and the second highest-rated horse on the planet behind the British-trained miler, Frankel. Both horses are set to race in QIPCO British Champions Series races during Royal Ascot, with Frankel targeting the Queen Anne Stakes over a mile on the first day, Tuesday 19 June, and Black Caviar the Diamond Jubilee Stakes over six furlongs on the final day, Saturday 23 June. Black Caviar is then expected to contest the Darley July Cup at Newmarket on Saturday 14 July.

2. The undisputed queen of the turf collected her 20th straight victory in the Sportingbet Classic at Morphetville on 28 April 2012, beating the previous Australasian record of 19 straight wins set by both Desert Gold (1915-1917) and Gloaming (1919-1921) almost 100 years ago.

3. That 20th victory also broke the modern day international record for the top level of thoroughbred racing set by the brilliant USA-trained mare, Zenyatta, who scored 19 consecutive wins before tasting defeat in her 20th and final start. Black Caviar subsequently made it 21 out of 21 in the Distinctive Homes Goodwood at Morphetville on 12 May.

4. Her fastest 200m (one furlong) split is 9.98sec between the 600m & 400m in the 2012 Lightning Stakes (her 19th win). She’s the first horse in Australia to break 10secs for a furlong in an official thoroughbred race, giving her a top speed of 72.14km/h or 45.09mph.

5. Eleven of her 21 victories have been in Group 1 races, the highest class of thoroughbred race, and she has won over five furlongs (1,000 metres) five times, six furlongs (1,200 metres) 15 times and seven furlongs (1,400 metres) once. However, she has never run outside Australia before, so testing herself against the best in Europe on her next start at Royal Ascot is a very brave step to take for her connections and will secure her international superstar status forever if she is successful.

6. Black Caviar cost 210,000 Australian dollars (about £132,000 at today’s rates) and she has now won over £3.6 million in prize money with a potentially very lucrative breeding career ahead of her once she retires. To illustrate this, her half-sister (by the sire Redoute’s Choice) just sold for 2.6 million Australian dollars (£1.64m) at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale – a record price for a yearling filly in Australia.

7. She has won her 21 races by a combined total of exactly 70 lengths – about 560 feet or 170 metres, or the equivalent of about 13 London buses!

8. She has started odds-on favourite in the betting on every occasion except her first ever race on 18 April 2009 at Flemington in Melbourne. The shortest price she started at was 1/33 meaning that if you had put £33 on her to win, your return would have been just £34! The local totalisator has taken numerous $100,000+ bets on her, the biggest being $200,000 at $1.04 when she won the Sportingbet Classic to record her 20th win – the punter’s profit was just $8,000. She is currently available with British bookmakers at 4/9 for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes and a huge number of Australians are expected to back her.

9. She is trained by Peter Moody at his stable at Caulfield racecourse in Victoria, Australia.

10. Luke Nolen has been her jockey in 18 of her 21 races, missing only her first two starts (when she was ridden by 16-year-old apprentice Jarrad Noske) and her first Group 1 victory in the Patinack Farm Classic in November 2010 (when Ben Melham was in the saddle as Nolen was suspended).

11. Black Caviar is owned by a group of life-long friends, Colin and Jannene Madden, Gary and Kerryn Wilkie and Neil Werrett, several of whom go right back to nursery school. They came up with the idea of buying a racehorse when enjoying their annual holiday together on a houseboat on the Murray river, not far from Adelaide. Neil Werrett knew Peter Moody, who, as it happens, had just come back from the sales with a big black yearling filly. They agreed to buy her, adding two others to their syndicate to spread the costs – Jannene Madden’s sister, Pam Hawkes, and another friend, David Taylor.

12. The wife of part-owner, David Taylor, was dead against her husband buying a share of the horse, so he had to do it behind her back – a brave move that paid off big-time and all is forgiven now!

13. Aussie Rules football star, Dale Thomas, who plays for top AFL team Collingwood, had a bet with David Taylor that Black Caviar wouldn’t win 20 consecutive races. Thomas has now fulfilled the terms of the bet by having an image of Black Caviar tattoed on his backside!

14. It was part-owner Pam Hawkes who came up with the Black Caviar’s name. The seafood lover explained: “Black Caviar’s grandmother was called Scandanavia. Helsinge, the name of her mother, is in Scandanavia and that’s where the salmon live. It made sense.” She added: “Besides my husband and children, Black Caviar is the best thing that has ever happened to me. It is a dream come true to have this beautiful horse.”

15. It was Gary and Kerryn Wilkie’s daughter who came up with the jockey’s very appropriate colours – salmon pink with black dots to represent the caviar! Gary said about Black Caviar: “You can’t imagine it. It’s a little surreal. You see the way she affects people, this animal we have equity in, and you just think, ‘How lucky am I’?”

16. When Black Caviar is running, racedays become something of a logistics challenge. The owners, their families and extended friends regularly push the number of attendees up to over 60, but that’s nothing compared with the party that will be at Royal Ascot on 23 June when she is due to contest her next race, the Diamond Jubilee Stakes.  It will number over 150 people!

17. Black Caviar, who was bottle fed as a foal, was born on 18 August 2006 – her sire (father) is Bel Esprit and her dam (mother) Helsinge. She is known in her stable as Nelly.

18. Her height is 16.2 hands (5 foot 4.8 inches or 164.6 centimetres).

19.  She loves swimming and going to the beach.

20. She has a massive fan base in Australia, where she is revered as the greatest racehorse since the legendary Phar Lap died 80 years ago, and her own range of merchandise, from T shirts and baseball caps to ties and key rings. One of her fans made a 30+ hour round trip from Chicago to see her record her 18th victory at Caulfield, staying in Australia for only 24 hours, while thousands of Australians are expected to go racing when she runs in the UK.

21. After her British foray, she will return to Australia to be prepared for the all-important Spring Carnival in Melbourne, where her legions of fans will be looking forward to welcoming “The Wonder from Down Under” back to Australian racing.