Hopes high for Gainsborough trio
Gainsborough Stud make a triple assault on the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot tomorrow for which a maximum field of 30 has been declared.
They will be represented by Crime Scene and Desert Realm, both trained by Mark Johnston, plus Easy Air from Ed Dunlop’s stable.
Crime Scene was only beaten a short head by Reem Three at York on Saturday, and Bruce Raymond, racing manager to the owners, said: “This is a bit close to his last run but he is very, very well and he ran well at York.
“I’m hoping that he has got the speed for a mile and he is just coming right.”
Of the other two, Raymond added: “Desert Realm is only just coming to himself and Crime Scene might have a better chance.
“We are running Easy Air on Frankie’s (Dettori) recommendation and he’s very keen to ride.”
John Gosden has won this one-mile handicap four times in the last 10 years with North Song (1996), Plan-B (1998), El Gran Papa (2000) and Analyser (2001).
This time he relies on Gandor, who won a maiden at Epsom in April before finishing sixth behind Art Deco in the Group Three Dee Stakes at Chester.
Richard Hannon, who scored in the £55,000 contest with Fox Chapel in 1990 and Show Faith three years later, is double-handed with Plum Pudding and Porters.
The former was victorious on his most recent start at Newmarket in May, when mastering by Malech by an easy five lengths, while Porters, who will be ridden by Richard Hughes, won on his seasonal bow at Kempton, but has subsequently been beaten twice.
Hughes said: “Porters has done us proud all through the winter on the all-weather and we’ve won this race in the past so let’s hope that we can do it again.”
John Dunlop is a master at winning these big Royal fixture handicaps, taking this contest in 1995 with Medaille Militaire, and he saddles Sheikh Hamdan’s Layazaal, winner of a Goodwood handicap last month.
Other contestants who scored on their last start include Clive Cox’s Dunelight, the Neville Callaghan-trained Archerfield Links, Hughie Morrison’s Supaseus, the Mikael Magnusson-trained Smart Enough, Chris Wall’s Master Pegasus, and Music Note, trained by Mick Channon, who has already had one Royal Ascot winner this week with Baddam in the Ascot Stakes.
Cox said of Dunelight: “I have been very happy with his preparation and this race has always been the game plan.
“I think that it is fair comment that he was suited by going back to a mile last time and we initially thought that he would be able to go 10 furlongs before that.
“Saying that, he bumped into Papal Bull at Newmarket that day and it was a good performance on reflection. A stiff mile will suit and so will a quick surface and I am hopeful in a very competitive race.”
Britannia Stakes betting:
Totesport: 9-1 Sir Gerard, 10-1 Archerfield Links, Military Cross, 11-1 Giganticus, 12-1 Duneflight, Supaseus, 14-1 Motaraqeb, 16-1 Crime Scene, Easy Air, Gandor, Layazaal, Regal Royale, 18-1 Dark Islander, 20-1 bar.
Ladbrokes: 8-1 Sir Gerard, 11-1 Military Cross, Giganticus, Supaseus, 12-1 Archerfield Links, 14-1 Plum Pudding, Dunelight, 16-1 Motaraqeb, Crime Scene, Easy Air, Gandor, Regal Royale, 20-1 bar.
