Architect Tips shares his preview and ante-post tips for the Coronation Stakes, the feature race on the fourth day at Royal Ascot 2022.
Ascot Coronation Stakes Winner
The Group 1 Coronation Stakes takes place on the fourth day of Royal Ascot which often attracts the best fillies around the world and this year’s renewal is no exception, where the mega clash between the Irish, English and French 1000 Guineas winners could line-up in what is shaping up to be one of the races of the week.
The betting is currently headed by Irish 1000 Guineas winner, Homeless Songs, at a best price 6/4. Dermot Weld’s filly produced a stunning display to provide her excellent trainer with a fifth victory in the race in the hands of Chris Hayes. Ridden with restraint, she moved effortlessly through the field and once asked to go and win her race, the response was immediate, as she displayed a devastating turn of foot to go clear and beat Tuesday by five and a half lengths. She put aside any concerns about the mile as she settled well, travelled smoothly and showed a good burst of speed to beat the English Guineas third with the minimum of fuss and, with the prospect of even more to come, she could prove difficult to beat at Royal Ascot.
Next up in the market we have John Gosden’s Inspiral, who’s currently available to back at a general 3/1. Her trainer decided to head straight here instead of going for the Irish 1000 Guineas which is a bold move at the very least. This filly by Frankel enjoyed a flawless juvenile campaign last season, winning each of her four starts, including a Group One victory in the Fillies' Mile at Newmarket. She’s clearly brilliant and while she will be conceding fitness to some high-class fillies, she is open to more improvement and is likely to be ridden by Frankie Dettori. Despite missing a handful of possible engagements already this season, we can expect John Gosden to get her spot on for the big occasion and she has to be a major threat to Dermot Weld’s charge if returning at her best but her participation is far from guaranteed so risks are attached at this precise moment.
One filly who is almost certain to feature in final declarations is 1000 Guineas heroine, Cachet, who’s available at 7/1 with most firms. After her heroic front-running display at Newmarket, she produced another excellent effort when a ‘head’ second in the French equivalent in ParisLongchamp just a fortnight later. She’s going to need more against the best of the Irish, English and French crop here but she’s very tough, wears her heart on her sleeve and is reported to be bouncing ahead of her stiffest examination to date. Her trainer, George Boughey, has really made a name for himself in the training ranks and his star filly, who’s become a real flag-bearer for his yard, has to be a serious each-way player in less than two weeks’ time at the Berkshire venue.
Spendarella is interesting at an available 12/1, who’s three-from-three and has been targeted at this race by trainer Graham Motion. She’s got loads of pace and has already claimed two stakes wins in Group Two and Three company in her home region so isn’t one to dismiss. She could go well if taking her chance, while Andrew Balding’s Sandrine could go well at a massive odds of 16/1. She won her first three starts last year, including at this meeting when winning the Albany, and having reached the frame on her final two starts last term, she reappeared with an eye-catching fifth in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. She shaped promisingly to be fifth considering she had no cover, raced keenly and was drawn in stall thirteen but she kept on steadily without threatening the first four home who were race-fit and is expected to take a step forward with that run under her belt. Her course form can be recognised as an advantage and she’s wildly overpriced on the balance of her form which is good enough to see her heavily involved in the latter stages.
Of the remainder of the home team, Michael Bell’s One Morning, at 33/1, is an interesting entry, who has just the two starts. She was second on debut and duly went one better at Newmarket next time. This would be a significant step up in grade though and she might just find this happening all too quickly given her lack of experience. She’s one to monitor going forward though, while Charlie Appleby could supplement Wild Beauty, who won a Grade 1 in Woodbine last year. She could only finish fifth in a Group 1 in France last time but she’s a big price at 20/1 generally across the board and isn’t out of this if she’s able to produce her best. William Haggas has an interesting filly in the form of Purplepay, who ran a big race on stable debut to finish sixth in the Irish 1000 Guineas last time. She’s clearly held in high regard based upon the fact she contested that high-quality race on her first start for connections and, with so much more to come, she could be dangerous to discount at current odds of 25/1 at the time of writing.
Ralph Beckett’s Prosperous Voyage was expected to feature in the Group One Prix Saint-Alary in Paris last weekend but that plan was abandoned due to major delays at Dover Port. However, she’s now likely to come straight here and the 1000 Guineas runner-up has excellent claims of running a big race at generous odds of 10/1. She will need to improve to beat Inspiral if the latter does turn up, given she was behind her twice previously, but she’s yet to run a bad race, should be suited to the course and this two-time Group 1 runner-up has to be considered. Jessie Harrington’s Discoveries, who won the Group 1 Moyglare last year, reappeared with a solid seventh in the 1000 Guineas. This daughter of Mastercraftsman is another leading contender for connections who have a good record in this, having won two of the last four renewals, courtesy of Alpine Star and Alpha Centauri. She can be chosen by punters as a bet at a best price 10/1 with most sponsors.
Ascot Coronation Stakes 2022 Ante-Post Tips
There are two I like here, however, with the first of the two suggestions being the exciting PIZZA BIANCA (best price 16/1). Christophe Clement’s classy individual booked her ticket for this race with an impressive confidence-booster victory last-time-out. On just her second career start, she ran a cracker to finish runner-up in the Grade 1 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine, where she might have finished a lot closer to Wild Beauty with a clear passage. However, she produced an unbelievable performance to capture the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and her owner, Bobby Flay, is eager to win the Coronation Stakes too. He tried to win this race eleven years ago and while he had no luck, he fully believes this filly has an excellent chance of running a big race despite being up against the best three-year-old filly milers. The statistics are against her though, as no American-trained horse has won the race, but she’s a brilliant horse and, at the forecast odds, she makes a fair bit of appeal from an each-way point of view.
Trainer Mikel Delzangles thinks he has a strong chance with MANGOUSTINE (best price 9/1) and I completely agree and she’s my other bet in the race. She showed a tenacious attitude and lots of attributes to fend off all challengers in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) last time. She had English Guineas winner Cachet back in second, who’s a classy filly, and the pair look set for the rematch in this event. Having her fifth career start, her first attempt in Group 1 company, she broke from the stalls very alertly and having travelled into contention smoothly at the two furlong pole, she quickened to take the lead inside the final furlong. While she had three horses challenge her strongly shortly afterwards, she kept on strongly to land the spoils under Gerard Mosse, taking her career record to four wins from five starts and hand us an excellent 16/1 winner.
Since then, her trainer has had his eye on this prize at Royal Ascot and she looks tailor-made for the race itself as she appears to have very few chinks in her armour from what I have seen of her to date. This is, of course, going to be an epic renewal of the Coronation Stakes, but I do like her a lot and she remains open to improvement with the potential to take her form up another notch and potentially bring this prize back home to France.
