Estimate primed for big run in Queen’s Vase

After the gallant effort of Carlton House in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes on Wednesday and the disappointment of Momentary in yesterday’s Ribblesdale Stakes, it could be a case of third-time lucky for host and owner Queen Elizabeth II as her choicely bred Estimate looks set for a big run in this afternoon’s Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot.

She is a half-sister to former John Oxx-trained Enzeli, who won the Gold Cup here back in 1999, and to Ebadiyla, who won the 1997 Irish Oaks and the same year’s Prix Royal Oak, the latter being run over one mile and seven furlongs on soft ground. That would suggest that Estimate will relish today’s two-mile trip and she should actually improve for it.

Of course, she must do so to win here but the extreme distance will find out a number of her rivals, particularly on soft ground, which the selection should have no problem with.