River Tiber

(Aidan O’Brien)

Tuesday: 3.05 Coventry Stakes (Group 2) - 2/1

Irish-trained runners will not dominate Royal Ascot to anything like the extent that is the case at the Cheltenham Festival, but Tuesday’s card sees a host of strong chances for the visitors to get their week off to a bright start.

With no Irish challenger in the opening Queen Anne Stakes for the first time since 2009, the Coventry Stakes represents kick-off time for the away team and the Aidan O’Brien-trained River Tiber rates a massive player in an admittedly tricky race.

An emphatic 10-length maiden winner on testing ground at Navan on his debut, he delivered an extremely likeable performance to motor home on his second and most recent appearance on Naas’ Royal Ascot Trials Day, despite running over a likely insufficient five furlongs.

That form looks solid. Runner-up Tourist had previously been second to the winner’s well-regarded stablemate Johannes Brahms, third-placed I Am Invictus, a 160,000gns breeze-up recruit, finished a close second on his next start to the exciting Pearls And Rubies (also trained by Aidan O’Brien) and the fourth Supersonic Man won readily next time at Tipperary (entered in Monday’s Goffs London Sale).

O’Brien, who has a 20% strike rate in two-year-old races at Royal Ascot over the past nine years and has won the Coventry Stakes a record nine times, revealed in the post-race briefings that he didn’t expect River Tiber to come off the bridle in that Naas event last time. That type of language isn’t heard all that often when it comes to Ballydoyle two-year-olds at this time of year.

For all that main market rival Asadna, trained by George Boughey, is a feared challenger after running riot at Ripon, O’Brien’s colt by Wootton Bassett makes plenty of appeal and probably deserves to be favourite, with the potential for improvement to come.

Bring On The Night

(Willie Mullins)

Tuesday: 5.00 Ascot Stakes (Heritage Handicap) - 5/2

How unlucky was the Willie Mullins-trained Bring On The Night to bump into an extremely well handicapped Coltrane at last year’s Royal meeting?

The dual-purpose performer was beaten three quarters of a length in the Ascot Stakes by Andrew Balding’s classy stayer, who is currently vying for favouritism in next week’s Gold Cup. Coltrane was rated just 98 then, and ridden by a 5lb claimer, but has since rocketed through the ranks to a mark of 117 now.

Speaking as part of a National Hunt stable tour last October, Mullins revealed that the well-held Supreme Novices’ Hurdle fourth of 2022 had unfortunately injured himself coming home from the run at Royal Ascot last year and that his “biggest target” would be the same meeting in 2023.

It seems as though he is firmly on track for the same race as 12 months ago, with Ryan Moore again booked well in advance by the master of Closutton.

Running off just 3lb higher this time around, it would be disappointing if he didn’t have a major say. He is only a six-year-old with four runs to his name on the flat (and three over hurdles).

Buckaroo

(Joseph O’Brien)

Tuesday: 5.35 Wolferton Stakes (Listed) - 7/1

It looks a shrewd piece of placing from the Joseph O’Brien team to target the Wolferton Stakes with classy four-year-old Buckaroo, who was only beaten a neck when fourth in the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan last month.

The conditions of Tuesday’s contest mean horses cannot run if having previously won a Group 1 or Group 2 after August 31st, and that stipulation is bound to make Buckaroo one of the highest-rated and best-qualified contenders for the £110,000 prize.

Qatar Racing’s colt by Fastnet Rock has always been a talented sort. A Galway Festival maiden winner at two, when beating the triple Group/Grade 1-placed Stone Age, he was narrowly denied by Piz Badile in the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown before easily beating Irish 2000 Guineas runner-up and fourth, New Energy and Wexford Native, in the Tetrarch Stakes.

Buckaroo himself didn’t show his true colours when failing to fire in last year’s Irish 2000 Guineas and wasn’t seen again until a winning comeback at Leopardstown in the Listed Heritage Stakes, edging out classic winner Homeless Songs.

His latest fourth in top-level company proves he has returned as good as ever, and - provided he stays this 10-furlong trip - it’s difficult to envisage him not being firmly involved at the business end.

Vauban

(Willie Mullins)

Tuesday: 6.10 Copper Horse Handicap - 2/1

It could be a big Tuesday for Willie Mullins if 2022 Triumph Hurdle winner Vauban delivers his ‘A’ game in the concluding Copper Horse Handicap, again with Ryan Moore in the plate.

Susannah Ricci’s five-year-old has been too keen for his own good over hurdles on multiple occasions but still managed to put together a pretty consistent string of performances last season.

With two seconds and a third behind stablemate State Man on home soil last term - as well as a well-held fourth in the Champion Hurdle behind Constitution Hill - he ranked as one of the top two-mile hurdlers in training while making the difficult transition to senior company from juvenile hurdling. Given his racing style over flights, a return to the flat could bring out the best in him.

This triple Grade 1 winner was already a listed winner over a mile and a half at Vichy before joining the champion trainer and, given he’s reached a mark of 160 over hurdles, he could still have a bit more to come from his flat rating of 101.

Of course, this is slightly familiar territory when it comes to a two-mile hurdler in these colours for Mullins in this race. The same connections’ Saldier could only finish fifth in the 2021 Copper Horse Handicap when trying to make use of his mark of 103.

However, that useful hurdler had more miles on the clock and was more exposed as a seven-year-old with 10 runs on the flat. In contrast, Vauban has had just four starts on the flat in his career, winning two of them, and is aged five.

He looks a more talented operator than that stablemate and should take some beating if none the worse for his National Hunt campaign over the past few months.

Navassa Island

(Michael O’Callaghan)

Friday: 2.30 Albany Stakes (Group 3) - 8/1

Michael O’Callaghan didn’t have luck on his side last year when bidding to break his Royal Ascot duck, as his staying-on Norfolk Stakes third Crispy Cat was badly impeded by The Ridler at a crucial stage.

Navassa Island could be the one to get him off the mark at the Royal Meeting in the Albany Stakes, though, after an extremely eye-catching second in the Group 3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint Stakes at Naas on her debut.

It was a bold move to pitch the Territories filly in at the deep end for her first start, but she did cost 240,000gns at this year’s Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale and is bred to be smart as a half-sister to last year’s Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes winner Lezoo. There is quality about her.

Porta Fortuna, who had her measure at Naas and is likely to reoppose her in the Albany Stakes, had the advantage of a previous run at the Curragh a month earlier and was entitled to be sharper than this debutante. Navassa Island’s inexperience probably told.

She only had a couple of runners behind her as the field reached the two-furlong pole but the manner in which she blasted home to be beaten just a neck marked her out as a serious Royal Ascot contender, while also impressing clock-watchers.

With every chance of improvement to come, she must be taken very seriously.

Little Big Bear

(Aidan O’Brien)

Friday: 4.20 Commonwealth Cup (Group 1) - 15/8

Considering he had a nasty experience in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket when returning lame after early interference, it was reassuring to see Little Big Bear bounce back with a win in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock just three weeks later.

Repeating the bare form of that success, beating the 102-rated Shouldvebeenaring by a length and a quarter, won’t be good enough to follow up in the Commonwealth Cup but last year’s explosive Phoenix Stakes winner can be expected to step forward from that and did win easily.

Frankie Dettori, who was aboard last time, felt the No Nay Never colt was lacking in confidence during the early stages after his Newmarket episode but said he felt more assured as the race went on.

While there are some quality sorts in the line-up for next Friday’s £600,000 contest, Little Big Bear might just be a superior performer to all of them. He has proven his effectiveness at the track already by winning the Windsor Castle Stakes 12 months ago.

This six-furlong trip is his optimum and he is undoubtedly the one to beat.