It's Royal Ascot week and will the Queen have a winner this week? Well she already has, as Set to Music at last got off the mark for the season with a listed win at Warwick last night. This filly has been kept in training after a second season in which she ran 5 times, winning 4 of them including the listed Galtres Stakes and finishing 2nd in the Park Hill Stakes. The next stop may be a Group race as she has little to prove in the listed category. But in Berkshire this week another filly may give the Queen a great chance of a Royal win. Momentary is very much a royal bred filly (unlike Set to Music who was obtained from the Aga Khan). Being by Nayef (a son of the Queen's good staying filly Height of Fashion, grandson of the the Queen's dual classic winner Highclere and related to Royal stalwarts such as Aureole) out of Fleeting Memory (a daughter of the Queen's Oaks 2nd Flight of Fancy, and granddaughter of the Queen's Ribblesdale winner Phantom Gold) she could not be more genetically bound to the Royal studs. She is a 2nd foal and the 2nd winner out of the Danehill mare Fleeting Memory (lightly raced 10f winner). The first foal Deceptive (by Red Ransom) won just a small maiden but won it well as Roger Charlton was sure she had ability but by then was losing patience. She went to last year's December Sales, so someone picked up what may now be a bargain. The Queen has a Dalakhani 2yo filly called VAPOUR TRAIL, out of this mare, who is not listed with a trainer at present, but is likely to go to Stoute, Bell or Charlton in August. After that Fleeting Memory is not listed as being covered by anyone but could have been covered in America (I hope she's not dead). Momentary faces a big step up this week. On ratings she needs to improve about 10lbs to be involved in the shake up but there was a lot to like about her win at Newbury in May. Running for only the 2nd time (she had come a promising 4th on her debut in an April maiden at a very soft Newbury), she skipped the maiden route and went straight to the listed Newbury Oaks Trial, which to us aged racegoers used to be known as the Sandleford Priory Stakes. Unfancied at 33-1 she was always travelling well and won cleverly from the eventual Oaks 2nd. The manner of her victory suggested there was more in the tank and more for the future, especially as Bell said he wasn't surprised by her victory as she's his best filly (does that include Set to Music?). According to gallops reports she's done everything right since May and must have a great chance of giving HM her first RA win for sometime. A shorter priced Royal runner this week will be the Derby 'flop' Carlton House (obtained from Sheikh Mohammed, so again not Royal bred). Twelve furlongs looked too far last year after being in the money in two Derbys. His return this year was a perfectly satisfactory win in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes and although the Racing Post suggested he'd be seen to better advantage over further Stoute said he would be kept to 10f. Surprisingly he was also entered for today's Queen Anne Stakes so they obviously feel he has speed but it is likely that he will be kept to 10f. His task is made much easier by the absence of Cirrus des Aigles, but he still has to take on So You Think. One thing Carlton House shouldn't be worried by and that is the going. His maiden win at Newbury as a youngster on soft ground could not have been more impressive. The bookmakers seem to suggest that So You Think should win this but Carlton House may be a bit nearer than they suggest and the Queen may be seeing her colt go close in the Prince of Wales Stakes. Her other runner slated for RA this week is Estimate. This filly (again brought/bought in) is by Monsun out of the champion Irish filly Ebaziya (by Darshaan) and won her Salisbury maiden very readily. She must have a chance of giving the Queen a place at least in the Queen's Vase. There is a lot more confidence about the Royal horses this year. She has already had 8 winners from not very many runners. Another horse of hers that may have a future is the homebred Galileo colt Glittering Gold (actually a 3 parts brother to Flight of Fancy). He has only won a small maiden so far but he was to be tested in a much tougher race at York last week but was withdrawn because of the soft ground. Of her 2yos Hannon has an interesting Elusive Quality colt called SEA SHANTY (out of the Queen's good filly Medley) and I'd expect him out soon. Horses not placed with trainers yet that look good on paper are BOOKMARK (a Dylan Thomas colt out of Phantom Gold's sister Fictitious) and DOMESDAY BOOK (a Street Cry colt out of the Queen's Lingfield Oaks trial winner Film Script and so a half-brother to Free Agent). Of the purchased 2yos Bell has two; a Cape Cross filly called DALIEFOUR (from the family of Darshaan) and a Galileo filly called GAMBLE (out of a half-sister to Elmaamul and Reams of Verse); while Stoute has a Street Cry colt called CIRCUS TURN from a strong US family) and an unraced Street Cry colt who is out of a granddaughter of the Queen's Highclere. The horse I will personally want to see though is VAPOUR TRAIL but I may have to wait until next year. Things are hopefully on the up after last year's big improvement. A Group 1 for the Queen this year? That was my prediction before the flat started. There may just be the chance.
