Hugh Taylor has four Wednesday selections for day two of Royal Ascot – live on Sky Sports Racing – including a pair for the Kensington Palace Stakes.
It goes against the grain somewhat to oppose the Ryan Moore-ridden favourite in the Queen’s Vase (3.05) with another from the Aidan O’Brien stable, but that ploy would have proved successful in last year’s Jersey Stakes. Although Highbury only won a maiden last time, it was a much more likeable performance than that produced by stablemate Illinois in the Lingfield Derby Trial.
Highbury ran creditably when third behind Birdman on debut at Cork in April, but he left that run well behind on his second start at Leopardstown. Always prominent in a race run at a true gallop, he looked set to be challenged approaching the furlong pole, but stretched right away in the closing stages, seeming to relish the ground and leaving the impression he would be well suited by a step-up in trip.
Illinois will be ridden by Ryan Moore, as he was at Lingfield, but although on a bare reading of the form he ran well there, I didn’t like his head carriage at all in that race. It was hanging right but seeming to consent to knuckle down only in the closing stages, and he looks short enough here on what might be the fastest ground he has encountered.
Hugh Taylor has decided against Illinois
Birdman is obviously another to consider having beaten Highbury on debut before following up in a Listed race next time, but I was more impressed by Highbury, albeit at a lower level, and Wayne Lordan, who has ridden him on both starts to date, might be able to follow up his Jersey Stakes win on Age Of Kings in the same colours last year.
I’ve had the Royal Hunt Cup (5.05) in mind for Real Gain since last July, when he produced a quality performance in a good time figure on just his second career start at Chelmsford over 1m2f.
He was carrying a penalty that day and so conceding 12lb to Lady Boba, who is now rated 104, with Intinso, who has run well on all four starts on the all-weather, back in third, that trio pulling a long way clear of the remainder.
Real Gain bolted up by a wide margin at Newmarket later in the year and wasn’t seen to best effect when sent off 3-1 favourite for a Group 3 event on his final three-year-old start at the same track, making the running in the smaller group of four towards the centre of the track and faring best of that quartet, not looking out of place at that level.
He left the impression his seasonal debut run at Newbury in the Spring Cup didn’t get to the bottom of him, switched from his low draw, meeting trouble in running and never landing a blow.
He now has William Buick on board for the first time. It will be interesting what tactics are adopted as he was ridden more patiently than previously at Newbury, but he looks the type to win a big handicap such as this before perhaps reverting to minor Pattern company.
In the Kensington Palace Stakes (5.40) there are any number of interesting fillies, but the two I like are Summer Of Love and Elim.
Summer Of Love made most of the running on her reappearance at Kempton and that’s not an easy task to pull off over the straight mile here, but she does look to have been let in on a potentially lenient mark based on that latest run, which was over 7f.
She was allowed a relatively uncontested lead that day, but she kicked clear in the straight under a hands-and-heels ride and never looked like being caught, and although she appeared to be tiring slightly in the final 100 yards, there have been multiple comments from connections suggesting that they had expected her to be in need of the run somewhat.
She was conceding 12lb to the four three-year-olds who filled the next four places, and both her overall time and her final 3f time were faster than that of Local Hero, who ran out a clear-cut winner of the Class 4 handicap later on the card off a mark of 85.
Summer Of Love was carrying 7lb more than Local Hero and given that was her seasonal reappearance, she probably ran to a level that suggests she’ll be up to contesting level-weights Listed events if translating that level of form to turf, so she makes a fair bit of appeal here off a mark of just 88.
Elim has been on my radar as a well-handicapped filly for over a year, having won in impressive style at Newcastle and Musselburgh in the early part of the 2023 season, and she appeals as the type to take well to the demands of this track after shaping as if in need of the run on her seasonal debut at Redcar.
She was selected in this column a year ago at Musselburgh because I thought the handicapper had been decidedly generous in giving her an opening mark of 77, and I thought he was generous again when only raising her 6lb following that race, as she travelled as if a long way ahead of her rating that day, even though she was closed down by the runner-up late on, the performance backed up by the clock.
She was a little keen in the early stages at Redcar and ultimately shaped as if needing the race for fitness after an absence of over a year.
Jamie Spencer looks the perfect rider for this strong-travelling hold-up performer, and she’s a serious contender off a mark of just 83.
Hugh’s best bets
3.05 – HIGHBURY
5.05 – REAL GAIN
5.40 – SUMMER OF LOVE
Watch every race from Royal Ascot live on Sky Sports Racing from 18-22 June.
