Godolphin line up strong team for Royal Ascot

Belardo will aim to follow up his success in the Lockinge Stakes. Picture: Racingfotos.com

Godolphin have pencilled in 15 runners for the eight Group One QIPCO British Champions Series races that will take place at Royal Ascot next week.

Sheikh Mohammed’s operation anticipate starting as they mean to go on, by being three-handed in the Queen Anne Stakes, the opening race of the glittering five-day meeting.

Belardo, who pounced from off the pace to claims last month’s Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, will again have his Roger Varian-trained stablemate Barchan as a pacemaker. And the pair will be joined by the Richard Hannon-trained Toormore.

Varian is seeking a third win in this year’s Champions Series, having also landed the Coronation Cup with Postponed at Epsom on Saturday.

The Appleby-trained Jungle Cat, a close second in the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket, runs in the King’s Stand Stakes, alongside the Mark Johnston-trained Buratino, last year’s Coventry Stakes winner, who will be dropping back to the minimum trip, having started this year in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas.

Emotionless, who by-passed the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, is set to make his belated seasonal debut in the St James’s Palace Stakes.

The Charlie Appleby-trained colt has not run since disappointing in last year’s Dewhurst Stakes seven months ago, after which he was operated on for the removal of a bone chip in his knee.

“Emotionless seems very well at home. Charlie is very pleased with him, and he is ready to run again,” John Ferguson, chief executive and racing manager for Godolphin, said today. “Cymric [trained by John Gosden] will act as pacemaker for Emotionless.

A decision on whether smart colt Ribchester, who finished  third in the 2000 Guineas, lines up with Emotionless, or in the Group Three Jersey Stakes 24 hours later, will be taken as late as possible. “The St James’s Palace and the Jersey are both options for Ribchester, and a decision doesn’t have to be made until the last minute,” Ferguson said.

On the second day of the meeting, the prolific Tryster will take his chance in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes. The five-year-old ran up a sequence of eight wins from nine starts in a 14-month period before finishing third in the Dubai Turf at Meydan in March, in which he was beaten two and a half lengths.

The Michael Halford-trained Anamba, a comeback winner at Naas late last month, heads the Godolphin fillies being aimed at the Coronation Stakes. Promising Run and Fireglow are also on course to run in the mile feature.

Lumiere, who flopped when a strong  fancy for the QIPCO 1000 Guineas, will revert to sprinting in the G1 Commonwealth Cup. Log Out Island, a dazzling winner at Newbury last month, will join him.

Finally, the John O’Shea-trained Holler has travelled over from Australia and will carry the blue colours in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

The only race that Godolphin don’t look like being represented in is the Gold Cup.