Hawk Wing stands out among Ascot entries
Interest in the five-day Festival gained momentum yesterday with the publication of confirmations for the opening programme on Tuesday.
There were impressive entries for the two Group One races, the St James's Palace Stakes and the Queen Anne Stakes, and a highly-competitive look to the Group Two King's Stand Stakes.
Aidan O'Brien's four-year-old Hawk Wing slammed Where Or When by 11 lengths in last month's Group One event at Newbury, and he is one of 16 horses who stood their ground for the Queen Anne Stakes yesterday.
The runner-up, trained by Terry Mills, will aim to take his revenge and try to repeat the shock success he gained over Hawk Wing in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over Ascot's Old Mile course last September.
Godolphin will be pinning their hopes for a fifth Queen Anne success on Dubai Destination.
The four-year-old recently made a successful seasonal reappearance in a conditions race at Nottingham after over 12 months absence from the track.
Godolphin won the mile feature four years in succession courtesy of Charnwood Forest (1996), Allied Forces (1997), Intikhab (1998) and Cape Cross (1999).
Tillerman, beaten a short head by No Excuse Needed 12 months ago, may try to go one better, while The Queen has a probable runner in Windsor winner Right Approach.
An international flavour is added by UAE 2000 Guineas and Derby winner Victory Moon, trained in South Africa by Mike de Kock.
Martillo, winner of the German 2000 Guineas, was yesterday supplemented for the St James's Palace.
The son of Anabaa, who took the Group Two contest by six lengths from Royal Price, is owned by Manfred Hellwig and trained by Ralf Suerland.
He could clash with the victors of two other European 2000 Guineas Indian Haven (Irish) and Clodovil (French) in the Group One contest over the Old Mile and worth £145,000 to the winner.
Aidan O'Brien has captured the race for the last three years with Giant's Causeway, Black Minnaloushe and Rock Of Gibraltar and the Ballydoyle trainer has left in five among a total of 16 confirmed.
They are Alberto Giacometti, France, Hold That Tiger, Spartacus and Statue Of Liberty.
Other interesting horses standing their ground include Sagitta 2000 Guineas runner-up Zafeen and Sir Michael Stoute's highly-promising colt Kalaman.
Trade Fair is set to bypass Royal Ascot for Newmarket later in the month, said trainer Roger Charlton yesterday.
The winter favourite for the Sagitta 2000 Guineas, who was forced to miss the Classic after suffering a setback, is likely to wait for the Group Three Criterion Stakes at Newmarket on June 28.
The Prince Khalid Abdullah-owned colt burst a blood vessel during his Classic preparation and did not make his seasonal debut until taking the King Charles II Stakes on May 31.
"The Jersey is a bit of a scramble. I don't think it's the right race for a horse that needs to be kept as calm and sensible as possible.
"Newmarket is the alternative. There'll be five or six runners. It's a Group three. He doesn't have a penalty at Newmarket, he does at Ascot."
