Queen Anne Stakes Leading Contenders: A look at the fancied runners for Royal Ascot opener
We take a look at the leading contenders for the Queen Anne Stakes, which is the opening race of Royal Ascot 2023 and it's set to be a mouth-watering renewal of the showpiece Group 1 that has been won by some of the biggest names in the sport in recent times including Kalanisi, Goldikova, Frankel and Baaeed...
Charlie Appleby will go in search of a first Queen Anne Stakes win and the Godolphin handler will unleash the recent Lockinge Stakes winner in the shape of Modern Games, who is currently a hot favourite for the 2023 renewal, which will be run over a mile on day one of the Royal meeting. The Dubawi colt ended last season with a decent second placed finish in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on British Champions Day and he will look to go one better in this year's Queen Anne Stakes.
An impressive winner of the Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland in October he then showed his class when producing a blistering turn of foot to rocket to Lockinge Stakes glory at Newbury, where he beat likely Queen Anne runner Chindit, and if he can replicate that display then he will be the one they all have to beat.
A runaway four-and-three-quarter length winner of the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot last year, Inspiral will be looking to sparkle once again at the Royal meeting and is another leading fancy for the Queen Anne Stakes. The daughter of Frankel was well beaten at short odds in the Falmouth Stakes next time out, but returned to top form when bounding to glory in the Prix Jacques Le Marois in France.
She yet again disappointed on her last start when sixth in the QEII at Ascot, so she will have form to find with Modern Games, but the John & Thady Gosden-trained starlet has shown on her day she is a real classy filly. This is set to be her seasonal reappearance, so she will need to come back at the top of the game, but she has to be a leading candidate for a thrilling renewal.
William Haggas saddled Baaeed to victory in this race 12 months ago and while he may not have a star miler in the shape of that colt in the 2023 renewal, Maljoom could land a significant blow in the race and could prove popular amongst the Royal Ascot Tips come raceday. A terrific winner of the German 2000 Guineas last season, he was then a leading player for the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, but could only finish fourth.
Not seen since that outing, the four-year-old son of Caravaggio could be another making his seasonal reappearance in this event and adds significant depth to the race, but he will need to put in a huge career best to take this prize against proven top class performers.
Runner-up in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket last season, Native Trail then went one better in the Irish equivalent at the Curragh to claim Group 1 Classic glory. He struggled after that he was comfortably beaten in both the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown Park and Juddmonte International at York, but a return to a mile should see him in a better light.
He could only finish third in the bet365 Mile at Newmarket on his comeback run, but he is sure to improve immeasurably for that outing for the aforementioned Appleby and while he maybe the standout second string for the Godolphin operation he is still a real class act over eight furlongs and is another notable entry.
Not since 2016 has a French-trained runner landed Queen Anne glory, but Erevann will look to emulate Tepin, who was the last European star to land this prize and Jean-Claude Rouget's Erevann looks a fascinating runner. A sparkling Group 2 winner at the end of last season at Longchamp, the Dubawi colt has failed to win on his two starts this season and will need to bounce back from a last of five finish in the Prix D'ispahan at the end of May.
However, he is one that is going improve for that effort and while he came fifth he wasn't beaten that far with a blanket covering most of the field at the finish, so Rouget's charge has to be respected. He will need to be at the top of his game, but if some of the aforementioned runners fail to bring their A game then he could be of significant interest.
Richard Hannon's Chindit won the Paradise Stakes at the start of the season and then was a gallant runner-up in the Lockinge Stakes and could be many people's idea of a leading each-way player, while Mutasaabeq was a superb winner of the aforementioned bet365 Mile, but he was outclassed in the Lockinge and could just find Group 1 company too much. Facteur Cheval, Cash and Jadoomi are another trio of potential runners, but that triumvirate are available at big prices to land the traditional Royal Ascot curtain-raiser.
