Tom Roper's Weblog

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes

240 Ascot: Russelliana
305 York: Dominant
315 Ascot: My Freedom
340 York: Entitled
350 Ascot: Hawkeyethenoo
430 Ascot: Rewilding

Market Rasen, Newbury and Newmarket

Every so often I send a kitten out into the garden to report on the going and they return to tell me that the ground is softening nicely. So, on a wet afternoon, I go for the following:

Newbury 220: Regal Parade
Newmarket 235: Meeznah
Newbury 330: Sweet Chilli
Market Rasen 345: Ostland

Ascot, Newmarket and York

I have no time to tell the thinking behind my selections today. Here they are:
Newmarket 220: Pearl Mix
Ascot 230: Mac's Power
Newmarket 255: Al Khaleej
York 315: Modun
Newmarket 335: Star Witness
Ascot 345: Red Jazz

The Eclipse

I'll spare readers the superficial meditations that I indulge in every year for the Eclipse, on the fate of the skeleton, and the conjuncture of art, anatomy and sport that it signifies. This year's race is between two horses, and, though it was a hard judgement to make, I go for Workforce.
200 Sandown: Pastoral Player
235 Sandown: Start Right
250 Haydock: Gertrude Bell
310 Sandown: Workforce
325 Haydock: War Poet

The Curragh, Newmarket and Newcastle

With Snow Fairy out of the Pretty Polly in Ireland, I can see nothing except for the odds-on favourite, Henry Cecil's Midday. Coincidence bet of the day is probably Pausanias in the 3.20 at Newmarket. I wonder which of the many bearers of that name the connections (Alex Ferguson and Sotirios Hassiakos) had in mind when naming him: Agathon's lover in the Symposium? The geographer? The Spartan tyrant? The physician? The historian? The several Macedonians of that name?

Newcastle 305: Investissement
Newmarket 320: Pausanias
The Curragh 335: Midday
Newmarket 355: Siren's Song

The last day of Royal Ascot

So, the last day.
230: Telwaar
305: Await the Dawn
345: Bewitched
425: Hoof It
500: Sharaayeen
535: Overturn

Royal Ascot: Coronation Cup day

I've delayed posting my selections till the last minute, to avoid panicking the markets.
230: Teolane
305: Glen's Diamond
345: Claiomh Solais
425: Green Destiny
500: Regent Street
535: Manassas

Royal Ascot: Gold Cup day

After a spectacular start on Tuesday, yesterday's performance was rather poor: I had to wait till the very last race for a winner, Rhythm of Light, and only two of my other selections were placed. Let's see if I can do any better today, though I found all the races hard to analyse.

230: Silverheels
305: Zain Al Boldan
345: Fame and Glory
425: Sagramor
500: Slumber
535: Purification

Royal Ascot Prince of Wales's Stakes day

After yesterday's rather satisfactory selections, four winners out of six, today brings fresh and perhaps more difficult challenges. The big race will go to So You Think, but what of the others? After my usual rigorous study, I offer the following:
230: Fury
305: I'm A Dreamer
345: So You Think
425: Point North
500: Shumoos
535: Rhythm of Light

Royal Ascot: Queen Anne and St James's Palace Stakes

It wasn't difficult to make selections in the two big races today: in the St James's Palace Stakes, there's no one to touch Frankel. In the drying sun and wind, there's no danger that the ground will soften too much for him. I am only a little less confident in my selection for the Queen Anne, Canford Cliffs. Goldikova seems the most likely challenger.

Coincidence bet fact no 1: Engels's ashes (see my selection in the 535) were scattered on the sea off Beachy Head. A plaque used to commemorate this fact, but local philistine reactionaries took it down.

In full:

230: Canford Cliffs
305: Sole Power
345: Frankel
425: Mezmaar
500: Veiled
535: Frederick Engels