Royal Ascot 2023: Tuesday talking points
Timeform's Tony McFadden highlights three talking points for the first day of Royal Ascot.
First published on Sunday
Can Asadna confirm big impression in more competitive environment?
Few juveniles have created such a big impression on debut as Asadna, who may not have beaten much in a six-furlong novice at Ripon last month but did so by 12 lengths in a very fast time.
The George Boughey-trained Asadna registered a time nearly a second faster than Pinafore, a progressive and fairly useful three-year-old handicapper, managed over the same course and distance later on the card. That earned Asadna a timefigure of 109, which is an outstanding achievement for a juvenile of any experience before Royal Ascot, never mind one on debut.
That was a higher timefigure than any two-year-old debutant starting out before Royal Ascot in the last decade has achieved, and in the same timeframe only one juvenile of any experience has earned a higher timefigure before Royal Ascot. That was Caravaggio, who achieved a timefigure of 115 at the Curragh on his second start and went on to win the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Caravaggio is one of a record nine Coventry Stakes winners for trainer Aidan O'Brien, whose leading hope this year is River Tiber, a 480,000-guineas purchase who has looked an exciting prospect in winning both starts and seems sure to relish the stiff six furlongs at Ascot.
River Tiber heads the betting, but Asadna is at the top of Timeform's ratings based on the limited form on offer and is clearly a fascinating contender having already earned a higher timefigure than the last five winners of the Coventry achieved in the race itself.
This 22-runner Group 2, featuring some of the most exciting juveniles around, will pose a completely different test to a six-runner novice at Ripon, but Asadna's effort on the clock suggests he has the talent to make a big impact if coping with the more competitive environment.
Who is the top three-year-old miler?
Little more than an hour after the clash between Asadna and River Tiber there's another enthralling battle as 2000 Guineas winner Chaldean meets Irish 2000 Guineas winner Paddington in the St James's Palace Stakes.
Chaldean has won his five completed starts since his debut (he unseated on his return in the Greenham) and produced his best effort yet when running out a decisive winner of the 2000 Guineas, looking very straightforward as he stuck his head down and galloped on strongly inside the final furlong on his first crack at a mile.
Paddington is also unbeaten since finishing fifth on debut, and he too was ultimately well on top when making it four in a row in the Irish 2000 Guineas.
It's not a two-horse race, though, as, while Chaldean's 2000 Guineas success looks like the best piece of form and gives him the edge on Timeform's ratings, it's not an insurmountable standard and there are a couple of unexposed rivals in opposition. The unbeaten Cicero's Gift, who won a conditions race in impressive style at Goodwood last month, and Mostabshir, who won a York novice in similarly taking fashion, both have the Timeform small 'p' to denote they are capable of better.
Tuesday's contest should prove informative and establish the pecking order in the division.
Can anyone stop Mullins' handicappers?
We're used to seeing Willie Mullins dominating on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival, but the perennial champion Irish jumps trainer is also set to send out two strong favourites on the first day of Royal Ascot.
Mullins has won the Ascot Stakes four times since 2012 and last year his Bring On The Night found only Coltrane too strong. Bring On The Night has not run since that three-quarter-length defeat, but the form has been given a boost by the winner, who has won at Group 2 and Group 3 level since then and is ante-post favourite for the Gold Cup.
Bring On The Night, who is still unexposed and only 4 lb higher than last year, is a top price of 9/4 for this 20-runner handicap, which equals the shortest price a horse (Heros Fatal, third in 2000) has been sent off in the race this century.
Mullins is also responsible for a couple in the concluding Copper Horse Handicap in Absurde, who won a novice hurdle on his only start for the yard and is the mount of Frankie Dettori, and, more notably, the 2/1 favourite Vauban. Vauban, a listed winner in France, has not run on the Flat yet for Mullins but has shown high-class form over hurdles, so it's little surprise he's been so popular. Ryan Moore, who also rides Bring On The Night, takes the ride.
As at Cheltenham, it could be the performances of Mullins' short-priced favourites that determines how bookmakers fare on the opening day.
