Lillie Langtry can give O’Brien a welcome boost in Coronation

The form of the Aidan O’Brien stable has been a concern for punters all through the week of Royal Ascot but the performance of Age Of Aquarius, though beaten in yesterday’s Gold Cup, gives rise to some hope that his top horses can produce their best form on this stage.

Steinbeck, Rip Van Winkle and Zoffany were particular disappointments and, while there are real similarities between that trio and Lillie Langtry, it’s hard to deny that the last-named has huge form claims in today’s Coronation Stakes. The key to today’s race could be the Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh where Anna Salai, Music Show and Lillie Langtry took second, third and fifth respectively behind Bethrah in what was a truly run race.

There was little between the trio and it’s easy to argue that Lillie Langtry was unlucky when her flying finish failed by just three parts of a length. She sustained quite a serious injury in America at the end of her two-year-old campaign and was having her first run back that day. She’s likely to have developed her race-fitness from that outing and really ought to go very, very close.