A British welcome to the largest Garden Party in the racing World……

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When I normally write these weekly articles they are a review as is my remit but this week is an exception, leaving me thinking about Royal Ascot that commences this Tuesday and is, in my not very humble opinion, the greatest and most respected race meeting on the planet (queue abuse). Fact is it is one step short of a Cheltenham of the flat but financially even more important, with both the prize money and the bragging/ breeding rights that go with victory adding up to a pretty penny (or cent), and not a single runner not trained to the minute to run for his or her life – no jogging around at the back for a better handicap mark in Berkshire!

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Hong Kong raider Able Friend – possibly the best horse in the World right now.

As mentioned before we have perhaps the strongest “foreign” contingent for many a year with the more obvious raiders from France and Ireland joined by their compatriots from America, Australia, Hong Kong, Germany, Spain, Japan, and even Sweden, creating the first truly International feel to the meeting that I can remember, and I’ve been around a while. With the standard racing whispers now reaching a noisy crescendo how do we decide whether Able Friend  (seems unperturbed by his journey from Hong Kong and has apparently eaten everything put in front of him), is up to the task, or whether the largely written off Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome (looks a picture and is working well in Newmarket) are really up to the task having travelled literally thousands of miles? Despite my liking for Able Friend only time will tell on test one, but they are not the only serious contenders by any means. American sprint star Shamal Wind may well be too speedy for her rivals in the Kings Stand Stakes if she breaks as smartly as we all expect from stall four they may not be able to peg her back, while Wesley Ward send a massive raiding party from his American base and rarely returns home without at least one winner.

In what is becoming a bit of a battle to prove themselves top nation (and to be fair, we don’t really count with home advantage), we can’t discount historical rivals Australia who are represented by eight horses, headed perhaps by Criterion, who brings some quality international form to the table . Recent runs have seen the four year old son of Sebring finish third to Blazing Speed at Sha Tin (Hong Kong) and a win at Randwick when he saw off the consistent Red Cadeaux in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, form which is way above average and surely gives him a leading chance in the Prince Of Wales Stakes. As a Brit it does seem strange that the Aussie horses run as often as they do (this will be his 28th race at an average of 9 a year), which may well account for what we see as in and out form, but at his best he would have every chance though whether he is good enough to beat some of his classy rivals is a different question. Japan head over with the likes of Spielberg leading their charge in the and I have to say the currently available 12/1 for the same Prince Of Wales Stakes is sorely tempting each way in a race that just gets more intriguing the longer you look at it!

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