St James’s Palace Stakes (Group 1)

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Royal Ascot kicks off with three Group 1’s on the opening day, with the feature being the St James’s Palace Stakes over a mile for three-year-olds colts. Worldwide, it’s the 122nd Group/Grade 1 of the year. It will be run on good to firm ground.

A field of six goes to post led by 2000 Guineas winner Bow Echo. George Boughey’s colt was scintillating under Billy Loughnane at Newmarket, where he won going away from Gstaad and Distant Storm. He’ll be looking to bring his record to five from five.

Aidan O’Brien’s Gstaad, the choice of Ryan Moore, advertised the form in no uncertain terms, taking the Irish 2000 Guineas with Distant Storm second, further upgrading the Newmarket form. He’s a top-class colt who won the Coventry Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last year.

Ballydoyle are double-handed with Puerto Rico, renewing his partnership with Christophe Smouillon. The pair bagged two Group 1’s in Paris last year, the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and Criterium International, both on soft ground. Before that, he’d won on good ground at Doncaster, taking the G2  Champagne Stakes. He made his comeback, again in Paris, running fourth in the French 2000 Guineas, the Poule d’Essai des Poulains.

Charlie Appleby runs Talk Of New York, the mount of William Buick. He was hyped early in the year as a Guineas type but was beaten at Meydan in the Jumeirah 2000 Guineas, running third to Title Role and Pacific Avenue. The form was boosted with the former taking the German 2000 Guineas and the latter finishing third in the Irish 2000 Guineas. Talk Of New York won a Conditions Stakes at Newmarket, then bypassed the 2000 Guineas, reappearing in the Heron Stakes at Sandown, where he bolted up.

Robson De Aguiar sends Power Blue back into action with David Egan once again in the saddle. He ran in both Guineas, in England and Ireland, finishing seventh and fourth, closing the gap at the Curragh to 4¼L behind Gstaad. He has some notable juvenile form to his name; he took the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh, beating True Love, the subsequent 1000 Guineas winner and Irish 1000 Guineas second.

Ismail Mohammed & Jose Santos ask Lord Brittan to find 20L, the margin by which he was beaten in the 2000 Guineas. He’s since won a handicap at Kempton. He’ll have Benoit De La Sayette in the plate.

Conclusion

The times of both the English Guineas -1m 35.59s (fast by 0.51s) and Irish Guineas -1m 35.69s (fast by 1.01s) are interesting, not a lot between them, and the clock suggests Gstaad improved from Newmarket to the Curragh; both times were fast.

Puerto Rico is entitled to come on from Paris, and Talk Of New York is intriguing after his win at Sandown, while Power Blue’s run at the Curragh says he’s no mug.

It’s a fascinating contest. Fast ground is a plus for all.

Expect Power Blue to set a high tempo with Puerto Rico and Talk Of New York to sit off him. Gstaad and Bow Echo will be played late.

Frankel set the standard as a three-year-old. Comparisons have been made with Bow Echo after his exciting seasonal debut at Newmarket. His last piece of work was reportedly awesome.

He may well come on from Newmarket; however, Gstaad could also make further progress. He was hard to pull up at the Curragh; he’d loads left. We are in for a treat. When they go toe to toe down the Ascot straight, Gstaad’s improvement might just be enough to hold off the improvement in Bow Echo.

In the Coventry Stakes, Donnacha O’Brien’s High King is an attractive proposition at 40/1 each way.

Recommendation

Gstaad 11/4 win

High King 40/1 ew

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