TWO WEEKS TO GO UNTIL BERKSHIRE'S BIGGEST ANNUAL SPORTING AND SOCIAL EVENT

2nd June 2014

Royal Ascot is just around the corner and, as normal, the meeting will start with a bang with no fewer than three Group One races on the opening Tuesday card.

Nick Smith, Head of Communications at Ascot, said:

"The highlight of our year, and Berkshire's biggest sporting event, is now just around the corner. As always, the best horses will be on show and for this unique week in June, Ascot becomes the focus of the fashion world.

"Royal Ascot reflects our heritage like no other event in Britain and we hope that everyone living and working in the area is as proud to see our small village and great county showcased on the global stage as we are."

The , commemorating Ascot's founding Monarch, gets proceedings underway and of his multiple entries, trainer Richard Hannon looks most likely to rely on last year's returning winner, .

Hannon also has recent Lockinge winner, , as a possible, probably most likely to run should there be some cut in the ground. He would be hard to beat in softer conditions as he showed when winning the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over course and distance last October.

Aidan O'Brien has a history of using the Lockinge to his main Queen Anne hope, with Declaration of War running well at Newbury last year before success at Royal Ascot and Haradasun being given a similar preparation before his Ascot victory a few years back.

O'Brien introduced the formerly US-trained (ex ) to British racing in this year's Lockinge with a very eye-catching third to Olympic Glory and Tullius, another Queen Anne possible. Also in the O'Brien team is the versatile (also in the Prince of Wales's Stakes), whilst Soft Falling Rain remains a possible runner for South Africa.

The King's Stand Stakes looks wide open with last year's 1-2, Sole for Ireland and Shea Shea for South Africa, heading the market for the first Group One sprint of the week.

The home team's best chance in Britain's opening Global Sprint Challenge race of the year looks to rest with recent winner, Hot Streak, whilst Ancil will be an interesting challenger for the USA having shown blistering speed to break the track record at Tampa Bay Downs on his penultimate start.

The traditional feature race of day one is the St James's Palace Stakes and after the dramatic finish last year between and Toronado, there looks every chance that this year's renewal could be equally tense with QIPCO 2,000 Guineas first and second, and , going head to head again in round two of what could become the protracted duel of the summer season.

The 2,000 Guineas was arguably unsatisfactory in that the field split into two groups and Kingman made no mistake subsequently, bolting up in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, and he is clear favourite to take his revenge at Royal Ascot.

War Command, last year's winner, and , the better fancied stablemate of Night Of Thunder at Newmarket where both were behind in the 2,000 Guineas, are amongst possible rivals to the big two.

Day two is all about the Prince of Wales's Stakes and the British debut of last year's spectacular Arc winner, Treve, trained in France by Criquette Head-Maarek.

Although Treve's increasingly familiar colours were lowered on her reappearance in the Prix Ganay, there was no disgrace in going down to a race fit , who will have appreciated the very soft conditions that day more than the Arc winner.

Cirrus Des Aigles remains a possible for the rematch although that has to be regarded as unlikely as he has the at Epsom as his first British target of the year this weekend, en route possibly to the King George in July and in October, both at Ascot.

Magician, also in the Queen Anne, and last year's Derby winner, Ruler Of The World, head Aidan O'Brien's entries for the £525,000 contest, which could also feature Dubai World Cup runner-up and star mare, The Fugue.

The Gold Cup, Thursday's highlight, Royal Ascot's oldest race and the only Group One for stayers in Britain, looks nothing short of a vintage renewal this year.

Estimate needs no introduction having provided one of the most emotional moments in Ascot's 300 year history when winning for the Queen last year but she will get the sternest test possible in couple of week's time.

Leading Light sets the standard after an impressive reappearance at Group Three level confirmed last year's Queen's Vase and St Leger winner as favourite for the two-and-half mile Royal Ascot showdown.

However, and Tac De Boistron, in the Henry II Stakes at Sandown and the Sagaro Stakes at Ascot respectively, could not have been more impressive on their last starts and are also very much in the mix, although the latter has shown a marked preference for soft ground.

So deep is the quality of this year's Gold Cup that the likes of 2013 Gold Cup runner-up, Simenon, and QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup winner, Royal Diamond, are double figure prices for what could very well be the race of the week.

Friday's could well go to the runner-up in both the Newmarket and Irish 1,000 Guineas, Lightning Thunder, whose opposition, likely at this stage to include the highly touted My Titania and USA- trained Rosalind, will begin to take clearer shape following the Oaks on Friday.

The final Group One of the week is the Stakes, the second Global Sprint Challenge race of the week.

Ireland arguably holds the strongest hand here in the form of the winners of the past two QIPCO British Champions Sprints, and Maarek, and last year's winner, Gordon Lord Byron, who has been racing in Sydney (where he won another Group One) and Hong Kong, over the Spring.

All three have shown their best form on soft ground, however, and a dry week would completely open the race up to the likes of the classy Aljamaaheer, who made an encouraging start to his sprinting career when third in the Group Three Abernant Stakes, and the consistent Pearl Secret. Occasional View, for the USA and still to be confirmed and French raider, American Devil, could prove interesting outsiders.

Looking for a fourth Royal Ascot winner, Wesley Ward, for the USA, will be bringing his best two-year-olds over from the States along with Kenny McPeek's team, headed by Rosalind, and the Joan Scott-trained Ancil.

Amongst other star names set to appear at the meeting are last year's 1,000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes winner, Sky Lantern, in the , and Aidan O'Brien's potential star two-year-old, The Great War, in the Coventry Stakes.

All seven Group One races at Royal Ascot are part of the QIPCO , culminating in QIPCO at Ascot on Saturday, 18th October.

ENDS

For further information and images, please contact:

Nick Smith, Head of Communications and International Racing, [email protected] / 07771 791449

Ashley Morton-Hunte, Press Officer, Ascot Racecourse [email protected] / 07803 007997