By US Racing Team
The fields for the six races on Friday’s prestigious Royal Ascot meeting are set, including the two main events on the day, the Commonwealth Cup (GIT) for 3-year-old sprinters and Coronation Stakes (GIT) for sophomore fillies going a mile. Post time for the first race is 9:30 p.m. ET and all races can be seen live in America on FanDuel TV and Peacock.
The six-furlong Commonwealth Cup is the only group 1 flat race in Britain for 3-year-olds that permits geldings and is the first age-restricted group 1 race open to geldings in Europe overall. The race was created for the 2015 Royal Ascot season to attract sprint horses based in Europe, a division many deemed previously underappreciated. This year 13 are expected to break from the gate in the race, which has been carded as the afternoon’s 2nd with a post time of 10:05 a.m. ET.
Ascot’s leading trainer of all time, Aidan O’Brien, will send out Coolmore and Westerberg’s Little Big Bear (Ire), a son of No Nay Never who is coming off a win in the Sandy Lane S. (GIIT) at Haydock Park at the end of May. The colt, who won last year’s Phoenix S. (G1T), earned his first Ascot win a year ago when he took the Windsor Castle S. Stable jockey Ryan Moore will be back aboard the heavy favorite.
Sakheer (Ire) was seventh in the Irish Guineas (GIT) last behind St. James’s Palace S. (G1T) runner-up Chaldean (GB) and is the early second choice.
Coronation Stakes Set To Crown Ascot Princess
Ten fillies are set to head to the gate and race a mile in the the Coronation Stakes (GIT) this year. The race was created in 1840 to celebrate the ascension to the throne of then Queen Victoria and has been a staple of the Royal Ascot meet, carrying the group 1 status since 1988. Listing notable previous winners could take all day, so it’s safe to say just about every winner for the past two decades has proven to be a standout racehorse.
Irish One Thousand Guineas (GIT) winner Tahiyra (Ire) is the filly to beat and seeks a second win in a row. The Aga Khan-owned daughter of Siyouni, who won last year’s Moyglare Stud S. (GIT) and was defeated by Mawj in the English Guineas last out, is trained by Dermot Weld and will be ridden by Chris Hayes.
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (GIT) winner Meditate, who finished behind the favorite at The Curragh last out, is second choice for the Coolmore conglomerate and Aidan O’Brien, who hasn’t saddled a winner in this race since Lilly Langtry’s win in 2010.
Post time for the Coronation Stakes, which is the fourth race on the day and drew a field of seven, will be at 11:20 a.m. ET.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
