The very handsome Estate who broke his maiden at Salisbury

By Harry Herbert

I love this time of year with Royal Ascot looming on the horizon and the Highclere string being readied for some really important races here and abroad. There are always so many imponderables when considering the Royal Meeting especially ground conditions which can play havoc with plans!

We have had some wonderful days there over the years and looking back 2010 had to be the year of all years as we managed to win the Hardwicke (Gr 2) with Harbinger, the Norfolk (Gr 2) with Approve and the Albany (Gr 3) with Memory. And we were second with Theatre in the Queen’s Vase (Gr 3)! It’s been such a happy hunting ground over the years and races like the King George V Handicap have been especially fruitful with four winners since 1997. Heritage won that race and was our first winner at the Royal Meeting, trained by John Gosden and ridden by Frankie who performed one of his magnificent flying dismounts!

**A flying dismount from Frankie after Heritage wins the 1997 King George V Handicap - Our first Royal Meeting Winner!**

This year we could have a busy Friday with Soprano in the Albany (Gr3) and with both Pastiche and Eximious in The Sandringham. Believing is a possible for the Commonwealth Cup on the same day. Atrium might have a dart at the Royal Hunt Cup on the Wednesday if the ground’s not too quick.

*George Boughey’s Soprano will head straight for The Albany Stakes (Group 3) on the Friday of Royal Ascot*

It’s all been happening in Australia since our last newsletter with Naval College winning again and looking very much a potential star in the making there over middle distances. Melbourne Cup 2024? Here’s hoping! Korolev also won well and was then just beaten a short head this week - so another improving rapidly.

At the Magic Millions sale John and Carolyn Warren’s Piping Hot, the dam of sprint star Coolangatta sold for a staggering AU$3,000,000. Coolangatta heads to Royal Ascot where she hopes to emulate last years winner Nature Strip by taking the Kings Stand (Gr 1).

*Highclere Stud’s Piping Hot sold for AU$3,000,000 at the Magic Millions*

The two year olds continue to run well and others are now closing on their debuts including Quantum Force, trained by George Boughey. He is a son of first season sire Land Force who stands at Highclere Stud. Land force has already had two highly impressive debut winners in Serried Ranks ( HM The King, Ralph Beckett) and Natural Force trained by James Tate. We have a share available in this colt who is in our only two horse syndicate with Tonight (a beautiful Waldgeist filly with Nicolas Clement in Chantilly) so do get in touch if you are interested.

James Ferguson mentioned two juveniles in his AtTheRaces stable tour one of which was our own Drama. This strong son of Havana Grey will shortly be moving into fast work and with a share available at only £4,850 + VAT this offers tremendous value so, again, do call me or any of the team if you are interested.

Good luck with all your upcoming runners!

On The Track

By Frances Howard

The flat season is now in full swing and we have had an exciting month or so with some promising 2yo debuts and 3yo victories, including a dazzling Group 3 triumph in Chantilly.

Truthful more than rewarded the patience of her shareowners with the perfect start to her career at Salisbury last month. This gorgeous big 3yo filly by the great Sea The Stars has taken time to come to hand but she got the job done in good style on her debut over 1m2f. She travelled powerfully through the race under Tom Marquand and then battled hard in the closing stages, fending off the challenges of two well-bred fillies either side. Truthful boasts a lovely pedigree and with the engine to boot, she could be anything! She runs at Haydock next Wednesday the 14th June in a valuable Novice race .

The 3yo fillies kept the winning streak rolling for HTR as Believing followed up her Listed victory with an emphatic performance to win the Prix Texanita, a 6f Group 3 in Chantilly the next day. She then returned to the track last Sunday, favourite for the Group 2 Gros-Chene but unfortunately messed around in the stalls and missed the break by many lengths, agony!

**Believing winning the Prix Texanita (Gr 3)**

Estate got a big cheer from his share owners at Salisbury last month where he finally got off the mark on the 8th attempt. This 3yo gelding trained by Andrew Balding has finished in the frame many times without winning so it was a well deserved success. His trainer then launched him into the new 3yo ‘Dash’ at Epsom for which he started favourite, it was needless to say a very competitive affair and he ran a commendable race beaten just 4 lengths.

Yet more excitement from the 3yo fillies to report as both Pastiche and Eximious have thrown their hats into the Royal Ascot ring following their respective seasonal debuts this month. George Boughey sent Pastiche to Windsor for a fillies novice over an inadequate trip of 6f – she ran with great credit finishing second behind a smart filly of William Haggas’. The handicapper has given her a mark of 80 which will hopefully see her sneak into the Sandringham on the Friday of Ascot. The Roger Varian trained Eximious is another who targets the Sandringham – she ran a cracking race on her return at Newbury yesterday and with a mark of 87, one would be very confident of her getting a ticket to the Royal meeting.

In the 2yo camp – George Boughey sent new breeze-up addition Mantra to Yarmouth a fortnight ago for her debut. She totally missed the break unfortunately giving herself no chance of being competitive but absolutely flew home from the clouds in the final furlong, showing bags of speed. She returned to action at Nottingham yesterday with hopes high all round of running a big race but for one reason or another, she got upset in the stalls and ran no sort of race whatsoever – back to the drawing board!

Delicacy a lovely 2yo filly by Saxon Warrior, trained by Richard Hannon made a highly promising debut in a 6f fillies maiden at Kempton last night, where she was beaten just over 2L into 5th place by some very smart types. Whilst we reflect on the 2yo’s all eyes are on Soprano as George puts the finishing touches on for Royal Ascot – she remains prominent in the ante-post betting for the Albany on Friday of Ascot and at this stage, she must represent our biggest chance of a Royal victory!

Highclere’s Royal Ascot Runners

By Lachie Pethica

How quickly the season has flown and we find ourselves just twelve days out from the 2023 renewal of Royal Ascot. The Highclere Office is a buoyant locale at present, with some very exciting prospects heading towards the meeting. We preview each of Highclere’s potential runners as their owners nervously anticipate the most wonderful week of the year.

Wednesday 21st June

Atrium (Charlie Fellowes)

Should this lovely recent run of weather deteriorate, Atrium may head towards the Royal Hunt Cup over a mile at Royal Ascot. He is yet to get conditions completely in his favour this season, running in some highly competitive handicaps. He has been provided some welcome weight relief by the handicapper after his last start at Newbury where he started favourite. As ever at Royal Ascot, this will be a highly competitive event, however with some additional cut in the ground Atrium will be better served and can give a bold showing for his shareowners.

Friday 23rd June

Soprano (George Boughey)

Following her impressive debut win at Newmarket, George Boughey opted to go directly to Royal Ascot, rather than giving the daughter of Starspangledbanner another start. Soprano heads to the Albany Stakes (Gr 3) over six furlongs where she is currently the 6-1 second favourite. Heading the market is Jabaara (Roger Varian), who was also a Newmarket debut winner. She found significant traffic on that occasion before showing a strong turn of foot in a barnstorming finish. Soprano has thrived physically in her training and there is rightful excitement about her prospects over the next fortnight.

**Soprano breaks her maiden at Newmarket**

Pastiche (George Boughey)

A winner over seven furlongs last season, Pastiche is destined for a berth in the Sandringham Stakes over a mile. She made her seasonal reappearance last month over six furlongs where she carried a penalty, led the field before finishing second to what appears to be a smart, William Haggas-trained prospect in Nine Tenths. George has trained Pastiche with Royal Ascot in mind this season and after a promising return and being assigned a handicap mark of 80, the step up to a mile is an exciting proposition for the emerging daughter of Zoustar. She is set to feature lowly in the weights, giving her every opportunity to show her wares. Fingers crossed she gets in!

**Pastiche winning last year at Southwell**

Eximious (Roger Varian)

Eximious made her seasonal return this week, finishing second at Newbury over seven furlongs. She will no doubt take great benefit from that outing, as will her owners in the confidence that she has maintained her upward trajectory into her three-year-old season. All being well, Eximious joins Pastiche in the Sandringham Stakes over a mile at Royal Ascot where she can hopefully feature in the finish. The daughter of Exceed And Excel’s fitness likely gave out in the latter stages at Newbury and will have her primed for a bold showing at the Royal Meeting. Roger Varian has targeted this race right throughout her preparation for the season and we now eagerly anticipate his plan coming to fruition.

**Eximious storming to victory at Salisbury**

Believing (George Boughey)

Believing has enjoyed a prosperous season thus far, winning twice at stakes level, most recently in the Group 3 Prix Texanita at Chantilly. Her most recent outing was thwarted at the start by her familiar stall antics, yet she heads to Royal Ascot in good form. She holds an entry for the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup where she is set to take on Europe’s leading three-year-old sprinters. Heading the market is the year’s top rated three-year-old thus far in Little Big Bear, who made a statement when winning the Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock last month. This will be the greatest challenge of Believing’s career thus far, but she goes into the race in good form and provided she breaks better from the stalls should run with great credit.

**Believing wins the Chelmers’ Listed Fillies’ Stakes at Chelmsford**

Saturday 24th June

Spycatcher (Karl Burke)

Spycatcher won very gamely on seasonal debut at Thirsk in a hotly contested conditions race before coming a gallant fourth in the Victoria Cup at Ascot. In that event, he carried top weight and hung towards his combatants who raced on the opposite side of the track causing him to lose precious ground. He is currently a 20-1 chance for the Wokingham, a market which is headed by Orazio (Charlie Hills), who has progressed through the handicap quickly this season.

Rolf’s Rambling’s

By Rolf Johnson

BALLYDOYLE’S SEASON BEARS FRUIT – RYAN MOORE’S PEACH OF A DERBY RIDE

“All animals are created equal” – somebody should tell Aidan O’Brien

**Auguste Rodin bounced back from the 2,000 Guineas to win the Betfred Derby**

Aidan O’Brien thieved my intended opening line. The 244th Derby was threatened by the Animal Rising troupe who are dedicated to stopping ‘the exploitation of animals’. They let it be known they were going to disrupt proceedings. They sport pink vests - to distinguish themselves from Just Stop Oil, an ‘environmental protection group’ whose choice of colour is orange garb. Mix the two colours and you get peach,

I would have described Ryan Moore as giving the Derby winner Auguste Rodin “a peach of a ride” - if trainer O’Brien hadn’t got there first.

Words you’ll never hear from the master trainer: “I told you so”. Repeatedly he had insisted, unequivocally, that Auguste Rodin was a “special horse”, or even a “very special horse”. I wouldn’t have the temerity to contradict but I couldn’t understand how even O’Brien could be so confident about his colt bouncing back from the dismal performance he served up in the Two Thousand Guineas. Then again, as another great trainer once chided, “If you have to ask, you’ll never know.”

This was hardly the first occasion O’Brien has employed the word “special” and those who beg to differ, rejecting the apparent hyperbole as meretricious hype, are constantly confounded. ‘Control’ is the operative word for the Coolmore operation and O’Brien admitted, “There were a lot of factors there (at Newmarket) we couldn’t control.”

“Ground”, “travel problems” were given as pardonable reasons for Auguste Rodin at Newmarket. But it was a big black line the trainer was asking us to put through the consecutive defeats of the ‘special one’ and Little Big Bear and Meditate and Luxembourg. We were warned: they bounced back.

“But it was a big black line the trainer was asking us to put through the consecutive defeats of the ‘special one’ and Little Big Bear and Meditate and Luxembourg. We were warned: they bounced back.”

And so did Auguste Rodin. ‘Victory has a hundred fathers, defeat an orphan’ – but when that ‘orphan’, that lone voice, belongs to Aidan O’Brien you can bet actions will speak louder than words. This was his ninth Derby success.

I was prepared (you always dream up varied scenarios beforehand) to disdain the outcome of this year’s great race. There was no outstanding favourite - 4-1 the field - and threats, brandished by braying vigilantes, to stop the race even taking place excited the media rather than the runners. “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others” was the substance of George Orwell’s Animal Farm where the boot, in this famous satire of the interaction of animals and humans, is on the other foot – the animals dispense with the humans. Animal Rising may be in sympathy with this polemic – and missing the point. There is a mutual dependency between humans and animals – and the latter are no better at dictating progress than we are.

In past years you could guarantee the Epsom ‘demonstrator’ would be a ‘streaker’ – an individual most often, but not invariably, of the male variety tearing, in the ‘buff’, down the track to the roars and guffaws of the crowd. All we got this time was a lone drunk cocking a leg over the heavily-guarded running rail only to be pounced upon by security guards – hardly a revolution.

Done and dusted

The defensive measures at Epsom worked, though miles of extra fencing and a huge police presence cost a fortune. Many of the ring leaders had the ‘knock on the door’ the night before. The last time I saw so many sub-machine guns on a racecourse was when Vijay Mallya’s bodyguard took the stand at Mahalaxmi (Mumbai) racecourse when the former brewing tycoon, the sponsor, presented his Kingfisher Ultra Indian Derby trophy. I detected a bulge in the pocket of the Betfred Derby’s bookmaker-sponsor Fred Done as he presented the silver to ‘the lads’ of Coolmore – but it was surely a wad from punters who had ‘done’ their money.

Having promoted a string of stallions to replace the unsurpassed Galileo, Coolmore now have a long coveted son of Deep Impact – and in the nick of time since the nine-time champion sire in Japan produced just nine offspring in his final season. One of them was Auguste Rodin.

The Coolmore mare chosen to mate with Deep Impact, Lockinge heroine Rhododendron, was obliged to race against the champion filly Enable who overwhelmed her in the 2018 Oaks. Rhododendron, her first foal a Derby winner, has matched Enable’s immortality.

*“Rhododendron, her first foal a Derby winner, has matched Enable’s immortality.”*

Rouget makes a monster Impact

And so to the next day’s French Derby, the Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly. Big Rock, the strong favourite was another “unusual horse” – unusually not trained by Aidan O’Brien – but he had to give best to Jean-Claude Rouget’s Ace Impact. With a name like that he could have been by Deep Impact but Ace Impact is by the comparatively unheralded Cracksman. If France has a mercurial equivalent of O’Brien it is Rouget whose sixth French Derby this was. Rouget trains at the French resort of Deauville. He debuted Ace Impact on another playground of the rich, Cagnes-sur-Mer on the French Riviera. The last time a French Derby winner emerged from this unlikely seaside track (think Yarmouth or a flattened Brighton) was Policeman back in 1980.

*“Trois” Prix Du Jockey Club victories for jockey Cristian Demuro and Nine for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget*

The last time I saw a Derby winner come from last place round Tattenham Corner was Psidium in 1961. Finishing a gallant third to Auguste Rodin, White Birch couldn’t quite manage the feat this year – but Ace Impact could at Chantilly. He gave Big Rock, the favourite, a long start but even as the English and Irish challengers cracked, Ace Impact came thundering past the field. The form has a more exalted look than that at Epsom though many reputable assessors gave both winners a rating of around 124.

The Jockey Club winner is by far the best son of Cracksman to date. Dettori helped John Gosden make Cracksman into a ten-furlong champion – he was favourite when third in Wings of Eagles’ Derby. This hitherto stuttering season can now accelerate to Royal Ascot, June 20-24, whence all roads will lead to the Arc.

Repetition: it is part of the job to attempt anticipation of ‘the story’ of the race. The one that would have reverberated round the sporting world would have been Frankie Dettori’s third Derby victory (Lester Piggott nine) in racing’s talisman’s last, professed, attempt. Arrest however could not handle Epsom’s hard baked undulations. The occasion was also beyond Godolphin’s third favourite, Military Order, brother to the victor of two years ago Adayar. Military Order, hitherto unbeaten, finished last. The owner of the 66-1 runner-up King of Steel had a 50-1 runner up two years ago. He didn’t think Auguste Rodin would beat King of Steel next time. I’ll leave him to argue that one out with Aidan O’Brien.

Unlike Emily Wilding Davison who martyred herself (that’s what I call protest) under the King’s horse in the 1913 Derby, Frankie Dettori did not have a return ticket, Epsom to London: not that it would have been any more use to him than the one she held was to poor Ms Davison – there was a train strike, one of the factors which led to a meagre crowd – but we’ll return to that topic.

The previous afternoon showman Dettori was in his pomp in his last Oaks, aboard Soul Sister. The inevitable trademark saddle vault – the 52-year-old doesn’t require a trampoline just yet - celebrated his 23rd Classic success, seven short of the late Lester Piggott. Dettori rode his first Classic winner in the 1994 Oaks aboard Balanchine and a certain symmetry was maintained in that Deep Impact’s dam Wind in Her Hair was runner-up to Balanchine.

*Lady Bamford’s Soul Sister followed up Musidora success with victory in the Betfred Oaks*

Soul Sister had been last in the Fred Darling – yet another of our soggy spring’s trials the form of which was confounded on the fastest surface Epsom has seen in ages. Soul Sister ran rings round Savethelastdance, Coolmore’s odds on Oaks shot. Also on the Friday the Italian took off after landing the Group One Coronation Cup on Emily Upjohn whose only real blemish in her career was when last in last year’s King George & Queen Elizabeth. Emily Upjohn looked the successor to Enable until she was short headed in the 2023 Oaks by Coolmore’s Tuesday.

One of these two high class fillies will give Dettori a chance of a seventh (twice on Enable) Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Indeed, Soul Sister would vie with Auguste Rodin for pedigree merit. Frankel’s daughter is home-bred by Lady Bamford out of a mare who has provided four black type siblings.

In Charles Dickens’s novel The Old Curiosity Shop the sentimental character Little Nell attended the races, reflecting, “How strange it was that horses who were such fine honest creatures should seem to make vagabonds of all the men they drew about them.” Well the Derby winner of that year, 1840, Little Wonder at 50-1, had never won beforehand, and never won again so Nell had good reason to be sceptical. In that rowdy, anarchic, bygone era on the open Downs (they are still ‘free’ to enter; £20 to park your car), the hoi polloi - the common people – engaged in a colourful bunfight, every man, woman and child for themselves. The atmosphere was fevered: gypsies, rascals of every stripe, cock fights and fist fights, many drunks, pickpockets, bundles of lucky white heather and a mass of unlucky punters. We used to do what was a national occasion so well – as we still do Royal coronations and funerals.

Racing lacking converts

The protesters might have supplied their version of ‘colour’ but this year on ‘The Hill’ the atmosphere was depleted. There was endless ‘tat’ on stalls erected from Tattenham Corner onwards but where were the crowds which once were numbered in hundreds of thousands, and the ‘buzz’ they created? Rogues relieved the crowd of their money while evangelists attempted to redeem their (the crowd’s) sins. Pity, in some respects, that the anti-racing elements were absent in those days – there might have been a few ‘conversions’.

There were legitimate domestic distractions that kept the crowd down. The aforementioned train strike; the Cup Final – the other ‘Derby’ between the two Manchester teams; a big pop concert in North London; Test match cricket at Lords against Ireland (unfair – when we aren’t obliged to play the Irish at their national game - hurling). It was a good day to be a burglar in the capital with its police force spread across the sports.

If the Melbourne Cup is “the race that stops a nation” the Derby once, unanimously, aroused ours. In the days when the great race was held on Wednesdays – until 1995 - MPs didn’t even have to be ‘whipped’ (as they are into the appropriate voting lobbies in Parliament) to attend Epsom. The Commons and Lords were locked up and the country was left to run on empty (Houses of Parliament): it, the nation, didn’t seem to suffer from the absence of our elected representatives as they grabbed charabancs and made haste for the trough at Epsom. The Derby was only run on a Saturday in 1953 so as not to clash with the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Nowadays, in competition with other Saturday events, we’re relegated to the outskirts of broadcasting.

My first Derby was the finest; no, distance doesn’t lead enchantment. Back in 1965 the best was yet to come from Sea-Bird after Epsom. If only he hadn’t been French-trained and owned, Australian-ridden, and by an American sire – he was totally foreign and utterly dominant. The horses he went on to beat by wide margins in the Prix de l’Arc, Reliance and Diatome, would have been head and shoulders above most generations and Sea-Bird was head and shoulders above them. He was rated ahead of Secretariat and Brigadier Gerard. I can’t, yet, place Auguste Rodin in the same league. This year’s Derby hero also has an international autobiography and a reputation to build upon so, for now, we must abide by Aidan O’Brien’s words that his colt is indeed the horse of the future. Racing is in Auguste Rodin’s hands: the horse could not be in better ones.

If only he hadn’t been French-trained and owned, Australian ridden and by an American sire - he [Seabird] was totally foreign and utterly dominant.

Royal Ascot - An International Affair

By Lachie Pethica

Royal Ascot, the epitome of British racing excellence, captivates hearts and minds around the world, weaving a tapestry of sporting grandeur and international allure. Those with runners are privileged to participate on the biggest stage and to enjoy the fanfare surrounding it. Better yet, the meeting transcends its local roots to be a global sensation. As the world continues to emerge ever stronger from the pandemic, connections across the world are more eager than ever to take their place under the monarch’s watchful eye.

For the British public, the significance and grandeur of Ascot is clear for all to see. Many however may overlook the esteem in which the event is held internationally. The royal meeting defies borders in a manner the Breeders’ Cup, Saudi Cup or Melbourne Cup can only wish for. A truly international spectacle, Royal Ascot is a target for many around the globe.

The envy of any owner worldwide is to grace the winners’ circle in one of those thirty-five races. The magnitude of the achievement is as desirable as victory in the most prestigious domestic Group One contests for any international raider. Take, for example, Black Caviar, Australia’s sprinting superstar of last decade. Her Royal Ascot victory cemented her as a bona fide international champion and was watched by hundreds of thousands of Australians in the early hours of the morning in 2012. Similarly, Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables has tirelessly targeted the meeting from across the Atlantic. Twice she has claimed victory in consort with her trainer, Wesley Ward, saluting with outstanding sprinting fillies Lady Aurelia and Campanelle.

**Unbeaten Australian mare, Black Caviar won the King’s Stand Stakes in 2012.**

Those sent from Japan have been less fortunate to date. Having achieved Group and Grade 1 successes worldwide at the Breeders’ Cup, Saudi Cup, Dubai World Cup, and in Australia in recent years, the Japanese have yet to conquer Ascot. There have been strong-handed attempts, with the likes of Deidre who went on to become a British Group 1 winner following a fruitless Royal Ascot adventure. Despite their absence at Royal Ascot in 2023, it is only a matter of time before we see a Japanese winner.

The 2023 renewal of Royal Ascot features a tantalising line up of international contenders. The King’s Stand second favourite is an Australian filly by the name of Coolangatta. Bred by Highclere Stud, her dam, Piping Hot, was recently sold for $3 million. Coolangatta is a last start Group 1 winner in her homeland, her second topflight success. A three-year-old, she continues to enjoy an upward trajectory as she prepares for her overseas jaunt. In that race, she’ll be joined by fellow three-year-old colt, Cannonball. His form is less exposed, having been plagued by wet tracks which have been all too common in Australia in recent times. The pair recently stepped out in a barrier trial, a mock race commonly used to train horses in Australia, where both featured prominently.

**John and Jake Warren with Coolangatta’s Dam, Piping Hot and Magic Millions owner, Katie Page-Harvey.**

Potentially joining them in the five-furlong contest will be the Stonestreet-owned, Wesley Ward trained Love Reigns and Twilight Gleaming. Neither are strangers to Royal Ascot, having made the journey before. Love Reigns ran in last year’s Queen Mary and has since won two Listed affairs, most recently as Keeneland in April. Her stablemate, Twilight Gleaming, was also a recent Keeneland Listed winner, setting a new stakes record in April. The pair will no doubt show the blistering early speed for which American horses are so well known and will require plenty of chasing late in the affair.

Appearing in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee is Australian sprinter, Artorius, who is no stranger to European racing having run at the royal meeting last year before appearances in the July Cup and in France. He currently heads the market and should be very much in the frame. He will benefit from a strong speed in the race, which he enjoyed earlier this year in Sydney, winning the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes. Joining him will be compatriot, The Astrologist. Having run second in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai, connections have pursued a European campaign. He produced an underwhelming performance at York last month, but is expected to take further improvement from that. He is entered to run this Saturday at Haydock ahead of Royal Ascot.

**Artorius is making a second attempt at the Royal Meeting after finishing third in last year’s Platinum Jubilee Stakes.**

Joining the four southern hemisphere contenders will be a cavalcade of unashamedly boisterous Australians, eager to exact their colonial revenge. Those from down under are truly passionate about Royal Ascot and everything it represents. In an Ashes summer, Australia would love nothing more than to claim victory on hallowed British turf of every variety. Many will follow the event from afar and stay up until the early hours, nervously anticipating what is to come. Following last year’s victory with Nature Strip, expectations and confidence levels are high and Englishmen far and wide can expect to be taunted should they take victory.

Wesley Ward and Barbara Banke have relentlessly pursued Royal Ascot in a fashion not seen from other American entities. Turf racing plays second fiddle to the dirt in America, making Ward and Banke somewhat of a pioneering pair. Often purchasing European yearlings and training them in American conditions, their success speaks for itself. Beyond Love Reigns and Twilight Gleaming, Ward’s brilliance with two-year-olds may well see a son of Lady Aurelia, American Rascal featuring in the Norfolk Stakes. To breed and race two generations of Royal Ascot victors would be a phenomenal achievement and a testament to the passion and commitment that Banke and her Stonestreet operation have for the royal meeting.

**Regally-bred two-year old, American Rascal is a Royal Ascot contender hoping to follow in his mother’s footsteps.**

Royal Ascot is an iconic British event in every sense. Trainers, Jockeys and Owners across the country structure their year around the week’s events and rightly so. Many casual observers, however, may overlook the global appeal and interest of the royal meeting. Horses travelling from the richest racing jurisdictions to compete for internationally insignificant prize money demonstrates the high regard in which it is held. Britain should take pride in what it has cultivated and not rest on its laurels, but instead use this ever-sturdy foundation to grow and develop the appeal of British Racing abroad.

Furthermore, owners who are fortunate enough to enjoy a runner throughout the week should appreciate the magnitude of their achievement and subsequent excitement and anticipation. This feat is one desired across not only Britain and Europe, but the world. Tens of thousands of passionate owners dream of an Ascot berth; here’s hoping that passion and commitment continues to propel Royal Ascot into the future.

Clodagh’s Recipe

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

2 aubergines diced

3 large plum tomatoes

2 sticks of celery, diced

2 shallots, diced

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

10g capers

20 green pitted olives

50g raisins

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

500g orecchiette pasta

120g fresh Ricotta

50g parmesan cheese

fresh basil

METHOD:

1. To make the caponata, pour the olive oil into a large heavy based saucepan or casserole, place over a medium heat and add the aubergines. Cook for a good 10 minutes until they are soft. Add the shallots and cook for about 5 minutes until they are soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook slowly, so they break down and turn to a soft mush. Next stir in the capers, raisins, olives, celery, dried oregano, vinegar, tomato puree, season well and cover with a lid. Cook over a low heat for 30 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft. Stir gently so it doesn’t break up too much.

2. While the caponata is cooking place a large saucepan of cold salted water over a high heat and bring to the boil. Stir in the pasta and keep stirring for the first minute as this will keep the pasta from sticking together. Once the pasta is cooked drain and place back into the saucepan with a tablespoon or two of the pasta cooking water.

3. Stir in the caponata with the pasta and serve with a little dollops of fresh ricotta, a grating of parmesan cheese and torn basil leaves.

Where are they now?

TELESCOPE (IRE)

Former Highclere runner and Royal Ascot winner TELESCOPE is currently standing at Shade Oak Stud in North Shropshire. He was a winner in every year of his racing career and highclights include:

1st in The Hardwicke Stakes (Group 2) at Royal Ascot

1st in The Great Voltigeur Stakes (Group 2) at York

2nd in The King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Group 1) at Ascot