The Queen provides the favourite for the race named after her parents in Dartmouth, and the Michael Stoute-trained colt ticks the right boxes for me around 5/2.
Advertisement
Dartmouth, who if victorious would give trainer Michael Stoute a record sixth win in the middle distance championship race of mid-season, certainly is a justified favourite based on his courageous win in the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot last month.
“This is a different horse and a different race”, said Peslier.
The first three horses to qualify for the Longines Turf this year through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series are Don Inc (ARG), victor of the Gran Premio 25 de Mayo (G1) in Argentina; My Cherie Amour (BRZ), who won the Grande Premio Brasil (G1), and Marialite (JPN), who captured the Takaruzuka Kinen (G1) in Japan.
Her Majesty will, however, not be able to attend the meeting due to a prior engagement north of the border. He started the year on 101 and has improved with every race (now 119).
“We will let the horse recover from this setback before making a plan of where he runs next”, Varian added. “He ran very well there and we were very happy with him”.
“The ground is good to firm, good in places at the moment”, he said. “He is a Group One victor over a mile and a half at Longchamp, although it will be a step up for him at Ascot.”Luca Cumani trained Postponed when he was successful 12 months ago and this year he is represented by Second Step, who is a Group One victor in Germany but will need to improve markedly on what he has shown to date this season.Cumani said: “Now that Postponed is out it’s worth having a shot. We still have many big days ahead to look forward to”. “Ratings are subjective, it’s a question of somebody’s opinion”.
◗ Time Test, whose season has been hampered by wet weather in England, finally gets the good-to-firm going he needs and should win the Group 2 York Stakes over four rivals Saturday at York.
John Gosden-trained Wings of Desire, the Dante Stakes victor, is running for the first time since finishing fourth to Harzand in the Derby. That race has already produced a couple of winners and Frankie Dettori can steer her to victory in the Princess Margaret Juddmonte Stakes (2.45 Ascot), priced around 8/11.
Not since Carlton House started favourite for the 2010 Derby has there been so much anticipation surrounding a royal runner, but circumstances conspired against Carlton House then and it’s not too hard to see sentiment being trumped again.
Advertisement
“Postponed being out makes the job a lot easier”.
