Royal Ascot

Tony Calvin, Betfair Horse Racing PR man, takes a look at the Royal meeting up North…

Forget the trends at this year’s Royal Ascot - the fact that it is being held at York is reason enough.

Of course, with such riches and prestige still on offer, all the trainers will, as always, be aiming to have their charges in peak condition. But their tried and trusted modus operandi for identifying ideal Ascot types will require more thought this time round.

York is a very different track from Ascot. It’s left-handed for starters, and the long straight can often lead to a big course bias on some types of ground.  The draw will be crucial in some of the larger handicaps.

Now remember, this is the frozen North we’re talking about, so although improbable, soft ground in June is not impossible.  If the rains do arrive then it could be an idea to look out for front-runners. At the recent Dante meeting, four of the seven winners on the first day of the meeting won from the front on soft ground, but as the ground dried out for the final two days the advantage became less pronounced.

Ascot Racecourse is currently undergoing a £185 million redevelopment which will be completed in time for the 2006 Royal Ascot meeting The first race at Ascot is said to have taken place on 11th August 1711 The inaugural Ascot Gold Cup race was in 1807 The Queen has had 19 Ascot winners and counting!

York Racecourse York, YO23 1EX Directions to York Racecourse

Trainers local to York like Mark Johnston may have mixed thoughts about the temporary Royal move. Some have enviable strike rates on their southern raids and Johnston himself has a remarkably good 19 per cent strike rate at the Ascot track in the last five seasons, netting 38 winners from 194 runners and a £1 level stakes profit of £108.63.  It is interesting to note that he has only a 12 per cent strike rate at York.

The Godolphin team have made a very slow start to the season but recent Guineas wins for Shamardal and Dubawi suggest they could just arrive at York in the best of health, and the stable traditionally takes off at Ascot time.

As Ascot approaches, punters must keep an eye on the trainers' form and, at the time of writing, running plans for many of the big guns are fluid and dependent of the success of their prep runs.

Rakti will be many people’s banker of the Royal meeting after his scintillating Newbury win in the Lockinge, and if he can keep his sometimes troubled head together, he should take the Queen Anne.

Keep an eye out for Fayr Jag. He excels on fast ground and is proven on the track. He could well show his true potential at a big price at Ascot.

Sorry, York.