Equinties - Royal Ascot prep

Gm Equinauts

“PHOTO! PHOTO! OH WOW” … we know you can hear his voice whilst reading this.

Well, Derek ‘Tommo’ Thompson and that famous ‘it’s a photo!’ call as a commentator will sadly be no more as he is set to enjoy retirement from the mic after his last shift on July 22nd.

Starting out by calling his local Point to Points, Tommo has been commentating on racing for a massive 60 years. Commenting on his decision, Tommo said “I’ll be 75 on July 31st and I think I’m the world’s oldest sports commentator.” he told the Grapevine.

“I’ve gone full circle because I was the youngest man ever to commentate on the Grand National in 1973”.

Fear not, the true legend of race calling isn’t turning his back on racing entirely, for he will be swapping out the commentary box for the more comfortable and laid back surroundings of the owners and trainers bar. Tommo has a runner today and the 2yo debutant has been well backed:

Best of luck Tommo, we’ll see you trackside.

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUND UP

ROYAL ASCOT PREP

We’re set for a great Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot this year. Why? Well, the Lockinge Stakes gave us a good glimpse of what we can expect next month and punters are already locking in their picks early.

LEAD ARTIST was this years 2025 Lockinge Stakes winner, obliging at 17/2 having been backed in from big prices all morning. John Gosden said the ground went for him at Sandown at the start of the season, so the improvement in form was expected.

It was a huge effort and personal best from the Juddmonte-owned four-year-old. He showed glimpses of good form last year, but his overall form was below that of DANCING GEMINI, ROSALLION, and NOTABLE SPEECH. It’s hard to know how many Group 1s he can go on to win from now because the form of the Lockinge could be reversed at Ascot, but still, you can’t knock him too much.

Oh, and we should give a big nod to DANCING GEMINI in second. He ran a huge race but was collared late on. Teal thinks the quick ground caught him out, so that would be a small concern regarding his Royal Ascot aspirations if the ground is good to firm.

Anyway, why do we think the form could be reversed at Ascot? Race fitness.

Both ROSALLION and NOTABLE SPEECH were having their first runs of the season, and while their respective trainers got them fit at home, there is nothing quite like match fitness before a big target. Both will benefit from this Lockinge spin, and they will head to the Queen Anne all guns blazing.

Who is in our scope for the Queen Anne? It’s between NOTABLE SPEECH and ROSALLION for us. The former was so, so good last year, and unlike the latter, ROSALLION, he hasn’t had a setback to deal with over the winter. Charlie Appleby is a master at getting horses to improve for their first runs of the season, and he loves quick ground. He has to prove he can handle Ascot as he bombed out in the St James’s Palace Stakes last year when done by the bad draw/race not run to suit, but he shaped really nicely up the rail before getting tired. He clearly has the ability to win the Queen Anne.

ROSALLION is the apple of Hannon’s eye and he had perfect prep last weekend - nice to have a horse who prep runs in a Group 1 and places! If we had to put our money on one right now?

ROSALLION.

OAKS OUTSIDER

“She's very game, athletic and will stay well.” That was the line from Ed Walker following QILIN QUEEN’s success in the Listed Childwickbury Stud Fillies’ Trial Stakes.

She was quite good at Newbury on Saturday. She had to battle well from the front, and her opponents were closing in on the line, but still, she held on well.

Connections gave QILIN QUEEN an entry for the Epsom Oaks, and it seems like this is the plan. For a horse who won by a short head, it may seem a big ask to think of her as a potential Oaks horse, but Walker’s comments post-race were quite bullish.

He said: "She wasn't very good in the prelims before her last run but she was much better today. She was still a bit buzzy but that's just her and not something I'd worry about. If all is well, we'll probably roll the dice at Epsom. She's very game, athletic and will stay well."

In as many words, Walker fancied her to win in the Pretty Polly but she was a bit below herself. Furthermore, who knows how good FALAKEYAH could be? She has had just two runs, both winning ones, and she is 10/1 for the Oaks if Owen Burrows decides to run her there.

You need horses to travel in the Oaks, and once that is sorted, you’re in the hands of the gods as to whether you win. QILIN QUEEN travels, she likes the ground, and she is still unexposed. As far as 40/1 shots go, she is not a bad one for an Oaks which is so wide open.

Speaking of the Oaks, Charlie Appleby provided an update on both DESERT FLOWER and RULING COURT, his big Epsom Classic hopes.

He said: "The pair of them are stepping up half a mile, but I believe that when you've got good horses like that, sometimes they haven't really got to stay a true mile and a half.

"At Epsom you've got to be able to travel, and those St Leger horses end up finishing fifth or sixth because they've not been able to travel. At Epsom that's the one thing you have to do, because that's what keeps you balanced coming down the hill.

"Of course there's always going to be that 'if', but we go in there with confidence and William Buick will ride them with confidence that they're going to get the trip."
More: 

https://www.racingpost.com/news/festivals/derby-festival/we-go-in-there-with-confidence-charlie-appleby-not-worried-about-longer-trip-at-epsom-for-ruling-court-and-desert-flower-aADd58T903ke/

WEEKEND EYE-CATCHERS

QUAI DE BETHUNE – SATURDAY 14.00 NEWBURY

The London Gold Cup always turns out well. This year’s renewal may not be a vintage one, but Roger Varian thinks plenty of the winner, SADDADD, so it should still be a race to follow.

QUAI DE BETHUNE drifted notably in the market in the lead-up to the race, but he shaped well to finish a staying-on third.

It was a pretty standard performance, to be fair. He was towards the rear, he travelled well, and he found plenty for pressure down the outside. He has nice form with COSMIC YEAR, so he has plenty of upsides, and he should be one to follow.

REVOIR – SATURDAY 15.10 NEWBURY

We’ve already shown our interest in QILIN QUEEN going forward, so it would be remiss of us not to mention REVOIR as a horse to follow. She has a bloodline that Ralph Beckett knows well as he trained both IMPATIENT and, notably, REMARQUEE, a two-time Group 1-placed mare.

Beckett’s horses have also needed their first runs of the season, so her performance can be upgraded. Finishing second in a Listed race on her first run of the season is a big effort, and she will step forward from this.

REMEMBER TO SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO ACCESS OUR WEEKEND CONTENT.

RISK ON

16.45 NOVELLO LAD

His seasonal debut behind him blew off the cobwebs but he went off fave that day. Well backed today again, he looks the class horse in this race. 6/4 a win bet plus small shorties treble with with 14.30 VENETIAN SUN and 17.50 RISING EMPIRE paying 6/1.

18.20 CHINKARA

The market says we are completely wrong. She’s 5/1 but we think should be 9/4 making her a big value play. We followed her last time out form from Ascot with PRINCESS RASCAL and we won, so we’re going to follow it again today. We think that was a warmer race than the market does. 5/1 says we lose but we’re betting the price in the hope it’s the market who is wrong.

For exactly the same price as a pint of Guinness at Cheltenham, become a premium subscriber and gain access to our very best content.

Already a paying subscriber? Sign In.

A subscription gets you:

• • Our famous weekender edition
• • That warm fuzzy feeling inside knowing the intern gets fed
• • Big race previews and best bets
• • Bet competitions