kavvie knows imo

WTF??? says the horse has 2pints of guiness for breakfast and 2 more before he goes to bed.

jesus.

This looks an absolute cracker.

Showcasing definitely worth taking on at the prices. Place lay imo.

Fleeting Spirit really should have gone for the King Stand and was a bigger price in a much weaker race so I think I'll look elsewhere.

Not decided what I will be backing yet but you could make a case for vitually all of them. Hope the draw doesn't ruin it.

Krisflyer was proper soft ground mate.

thunderstorm before the card and loads of rain during it :o

Happy Zero in fine form for Royal Ascot


Alan Aitken 
South China Racing Post 


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Trainers John Moore and Derek Cruz will go into tomorrow's Group One Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot knowing their runners are in better shape than usual and hoping they have left all the uphill battles on the training tracks.
"The air is great for them here, the gallops are superb - it's just a wonderful place to train a racehorse," was Moore's summary after Happy Zero's final piece of work yesterday.

"He worked on the grass gallop over 1,000m, chasing a workmate and did it well. His recovery was great and he is a very fit horse. Working up these steep slopes, I've tried to put plenty of endurance into him and he's handling it well. Happy Zero's a picture of health."

Moore said he would go into the 24-runner race with great confidence in Happy Zero's winning chances in the event that Cape Of Good Hope took for Hong Kong in 2005, but with one proviso that won't be known until the day.

"The horse is terrific and I'm very upbeat. I think we are second favourite now behind Showcasing and we have a live chance, but the one thing is that he has to travel to the races and be happy and as relaxed as he can be," he said. "We don't want him getting upset before the race, like Sacred Kingdom did last year."

Moore said he was hoping for a high-numbered draw for Happy Zero because the first days of the Royal Ascot meeting indicated a positive bias to horses away from the grandstand rail, which is where the draw numbers start.

Cruz also believes he has Joy And Fun better than the gelding has ever been, something the bookmakers believe the Dubai Alquoz Sprint winner needs to be if he is to compete as they have him quoted at 20-1.

"I think he'll be a better horse here. He's done very well, he's bright in his coat," said Cruz, in the midst of being measured for his top hat and tails. "But I've been able to give him a lot of uphill work here on Warren Hill gallops at Newmarket and I think he is carrying more muscle as a result."

While Ascot's uphill-and-down-dale surface has found out many visitors over the years, Cruz believes the course's toughness will play into his hands.

"Joy And Fun has speed and he's tough - he runs a good 1,400m and I think this is a track that suits horses with some stamina," Cruz said.

Listened to a new album for 1st time today and some of the lyrics mentioned Starspangledbanner. It's a sign to lump on. If I hadn't of quit betting would back it myself.

Main Aim looks too big a price. There was a slow early pace for his latest win at Haydock, which didn't allow him to show his real superiority over the rest of the field. He's still a fresh horse this year and I can see him running a big race tomorrow.

Fleeting Spirit has the beating of Main Aim but her current form can only be guessed at. The foreign horses aren't easy to assess, they obviously have to be respected but again much has to be taken on trust. I think Main Aim has a cracking chance of reaching a place and might just even  nick it if there isn't a star performance.

What's a good draw then?

Marchand D'Or is the horse i'd have backed if i didn't have an AP. 20/1 is too big i think, regardless of his running style. It didn't do A.C any harm last year.

Backed the first 4 home....
finished in the wrong order though

WD Amaru - although you really should have taken the draw into account

she managed it this time last year - albeit off good run in King Stand rather than Golden Jubilee. Hope so as she's in my TTF.

Well done, Amaru!

i was on society rock ante post . good job i backer him ew at 50s

Cheers lads.

I think she represents very good value in the July Cup DD. If she was drawn stands side at Ascot its not hard to imagine she would have been much closer than she was, would most definitely have finished second anyway.  She ran up to form in the Abbaye last season only a month after the Haydock Sprint Cup and also in the July Cup three weeks after the Kings Stand so I dont see that being too much of a problem.  The 13/2 on offer seems pretty fair to me.

Gunman! Cheers bud!