Bow Echo can keep unbeaten record intact in Gstaad battle at Royal Ascot
Bow Echo, ridden by Billy Loughnane, produced a spectacular performance to win the 2000 Guineas. Pic: Joe Giddens/PA Wire.
Bow Echo can confirm Newmarket form with Gstaad when the pair clash again in a fascinating rematch in the St James’s Palace Stakes on day one of Royal Ascot.
The George Boughey-trained Night Of Thunder colt produced a visually spectacular performance in the 2000 Guineas, pulling two and three-quarter lengths clear of Gstaad with Distant Storm, the third horse home, a further eight lengths back.
With Royal Ascot in mind, Boughey opted against sending his charge to the Curragh for the Irish 2000 Guineas and, in his absence, Gstaad got a Classic on his CV by again getting the better of Distant Storm.
The Ballydoyle colt, a winner at this meeting last year, is clearly a smart operator in his own right but the fact he has found one too good in four of his eight career starts shows there is a ceiling to his ability.
Bow Echo may struggle to ever better his sparkling 2000 Guineas performance but if he gets close to that level again he should emerge with his unbeaten record intact.
One of the peculiarities of this meeting in recent years is the extent to which Charlie Appleby has struggled.
The Hardwicke Stakes success of Rebel’s Romance on the final day of last year’s meeting was his first Royal Ascot win since 2022, a remarkably grim record for such a powerful operation.
However, Notable Speech may be able to ensure this year’s meeting gets off to the best possible start for the Godolphin trainer by winning the opening race, the Queen Anne Stakes.
Victorious in the 2024 renewal of the 2000 Guineas, the Dubawi colt looked better than ever when claiming a fifth Group 1 success in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury last month.
If he rocks up in the same form here, he ought to be hard to beat. Lockinge runner-up More Thunder can again give him most to think about.
Australian raider Overpass is on a seven-race losing streak but still looks the one to beat in the King Charles III Stakes.
The Bjorn Baker-trained seven-year-old was last successful in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes in 2024 but has run some fine races in defeat since, most recently when finishing fourth to sprinting sensation Ka Ying Rising at Randwick in April.
This bold frontrunner could be hard to pass though the Karl Burke-trained Night Raider ought to put up a far better show than he did when only 12th in this race last year.
Aidan O’Brien traditionally gets off the mark for the week in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes and will likely do so again this round.
On jockey bookings, Confucius should be the one to beat but, as the Derby again showed, Ryan Moore doesn’t always end up on the right Ballydoyle horse.
On that basis, a chance is taken on the unbeaten Great Barrier Reef landing the spoils in the hands of Wayne Lordan.
The Willie Mullins-trained Reaching High was one of the hard-luck stories of last year’s meeting when getting into all sorts of trouble under Moore in the Ascot Stakes.
He returns in the same race off the same mark and surely won’t be as unlucky again.
Seven of his 19 rivals are trained by Joseph O’Brien and Kizlyar, victorious at Killarney last month, might prove the best of the Carriganóg contenders.
Stablemate Galen might be the answer in the Wolferton Stakes, a race in which he finished second last year.
He did disappoint in Riyadh on his sole start this year but he has had plenty of time to recover from that and it’ll be no great surprise if he does so.
The Copper Horse Stakes rounds off proceedings on day one and the progressive Valiancy should be tough to beat for William Haggas and jockey James Doyle.
2.30 Notable Speech
3.05 Great Barrier Reef
3.40 Overpass
4.20 Bow Echo
5.00 Reaching High
5.35 Galen
6.10 Valiancy
2.30 More Thunder
3.05 Confucius
3.40 Night Raider
4.20 Gstaad
5.00 Kizlyar
5.35 Wimbledon Hawkeye
6.10 Sing Us A Song
