Royal Ascot, the race meeting which brings the public and pageantry together like no other and which also bears witness to five days of top-class racing.
Day one of the Royal meeting is arguably in my opinion the best day as we are fortunate to have three top-class Group One events which form part of a six-race card.
Here are Danny Archer's selections for the first day of Royal Ascot 2017...
G1 Queen Anne Stakes (2.30pm) - Ribchester 10/11 NAP and Mutakayyef 15/2 Each Way (1/4, bet365).
Money Back If You Lose with SkyBet.
Richard Fahey's Ribchester can stamp himself as the best miler around at the moment with victory in the first race of the meeting. Winner of the Prix Jacques Le Marois last term, the four-year-old son Iffraaj produced a demolition job from the front to land the G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes in fine style at Newbury last time.
He kept on powerfully that day and is every inch the top-class performer. He should handle the ground, is well ahead on ratings and is a course and distance winner; he looks placed to show his class under William Buick.
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Mutakayyef never seems to run a bad race and he looks a solid each-way play. He relishes quicker conditions, is a course and distance winner and ran well on softer going when third in the G1 Dubai Turf at Meydan in March. He will strip fitter for that reappearance and can help fill out the placings.
G2 Coventry Stakes (3.05pm) - De Bruyne Horse 7/1 Each Way and Murillo 8/1 Each Way (1/4, 4 places, bet365).
bet365 are paying 4 places at 1/4.
I was working at Epsom when Richard Hannon's De Bruyne Horse landed the spoils in the Listed Woodcote and I was very impressed with the way he put that race to bed. Pushed along early by Ryan Moore to get a good position, the son of Showcasing stayed on powerfully in the closing stages to score by two lengths.
I was taken with the way he battled on in the closing stages that day and he looked very strong at the line. He has a bit more experience than some of his prominent rivals in the betting and the form has been franked by the second (Cardsharp) winning next time out - he could be very exciting. Murillo represents last year's winning connections and he came clear impressively at Tipperary last time to score by three lengths. He was keen that day but quickened up nicely.
He might need to settle better in a race of this nature now stepped up in trip but he enters the 'could be anything' category. He was quite disappointing over six furlongs on his first outing but hopefully he might just have needed that run. The son of Scat Daddy, who is famed for producing speedy two-year-olds, cost $500,000 and is related to some talented winners, making him of some interest in which looks a cracking renewal of the six furlong G2.
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G1 King's Stand Stakes (3.40pm) - Lady Aurelia 7/2, Priceless 14/1 Each Way and Goldream 16/1 Each Way.
SkyBet are paying 5 places at 1/5 if 14 or more run.
This looks an absolute humdinger of a race and the talking horse is of course Wesley Ward's Lady Aurelia. A remarkable winner of the Queen Mary at last year's Royal meeting, she then did far too much too soon in the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket in September. However, the three-year-old showed that she retains her old zest for the game with an impressive success in the Listed Giant's Causeway Stakes at Keeneland in April.
I was impressed with the way she settled that day and made up phenomenal ground in the home straight to come well clear of her rivals. That performance showed that the daughter of Scat Daddy retains all her old ability and I can see her running a huge race in the famous sprint. She does have a tough draw in stall 18 to deal with but her class could see her through.
Clive Cox's Priceless has been in scintillating form since being dropped to five furlongs, which included an impressive victory in the G2 Temple Stakes. I've been taken with the way that she has put her races to bed in recent times and she does possess a potent turn of foot. She has to step up again to have a chance in this event and gets a slight weight allowance.
Goldream is also interesting. He finished behind Priceless last time but won this event in 2015, will absolutely relish this firmer ground and looks to be returning to form at the right time for a trainer who has an excellent record with sprinters.
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G1 St James's Palace Stakes (4.20pm) - Churchill 5/6 and Lancaster Bomber 28/1 Each Way.
Coral are 25/1 that Churchill wins the St James's Palace Stakes here.
What a race we have in prospect as Churchill, the dual English and Irish 2000 Guineas winners bids to confirm the form with Richard Hannon's Barney Roy. Aidan O'Brien's inmate scored by a length over the same rival at Newmarket in May and was then an easy winner in Ireland. Connections wisely decided to bypass the Derby and he deserves to be a warm order.
He has looked untouchable in racking up seven consecutive victories which included victory in the Listed Chesham Stakes at the Royal meeting last year. Rated 5lb superior to Barney Roy, he has to cope with the turning mile here but I fancy him strongly to confirm the form. At a price, I'm also quite keen on O'Brien's other runner Lancaster Bomber.
He was a fine fourth in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in My, setting the race up perfectly for his stable companion. The ground was very much against him in the Irish edition and he will absolutely relish this firmer ground and could again play a leading role in helping set up the race for Churchill which could see him fill third, he remains interesting.
Ascot Stakes (5.00pm) - Who Dares Wins 13/2 Each Way, Beyond Conceit 8/1 Each Way and Cartwright 22/1 Each Way
SkyBet are paying 5 places at 1/5 if 14 or more run.
Alan King's Who Dares Wins was very well punted for the Chester Cup and was a real eyecatcher when fourth on the Roodee. He was given the finest of rides that day as he met trouble in running towards the business end of the race before staying on resolutely in the closing stages. This stiffer track should be right up his street as should the slight step up in distance.
Nicky Henderson was successful in this race in 2011 and runs Beyond Conceit, who has first run on the flat since 2013. The son of Galileo stayed on gamely to land a novices' hurdle at this track in February, before finishing sixth in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and then second in the Doom Bar Sefton Novices' Hurdle at Aintree, where he seemed to relish the longer trip.
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This track and distance should suit him down to the ground and he is very much of interest back on the flat for his shrewd handler. Sir Mark Prescott's Cartwright has plenty to find on ratings but has won five of his eight starts in handicap company.
This is the longest trip he has run over but I think the son of High Chaparral should cope with the step up in distance and at a price, he looks worth considering as an older horse who is improving with his racing.
Windsor Castle Stakes (5.35pm) - Declarationofpeace 4/1, Elizabeth Darcy 13/2 Each Way and Dragons Tail 20/1 Each Way.
bet365 are paying 4 places at 1/4.
Aidan O'Brien Declarationofpeace cost $2.6 million and connections will hope he can repay some of that with victory in the concluding race of the day, the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes. The son of War Front is related to G1 winner Honor Code and improved on his debut third when readily coming clear at Dundalk on the All-Weather in May to justify prohibitive odds.
That was an impressive six-length victory and whilst this is another step-up in grade, the vibes have been very positive from Ballydoyle and he looks worth supporting despite his dirt pedigree.
Elizabeth Darcy is one of two runners for Wesley Ward but she caught the eye when scoring by seven and three-quarter lengths at Indiana Grand last time. Ward's other runner in the race, Nootka Sound, beat the same horse by a smaller margin and that helps sway the decision. A daughter of Camacho, Elizabeth Darcy will enjoy the quick ground and can improve her trainer's record in this race, a contest he won in 2009 and 2014.
Dragons Tail was very impressive at Chester when he readily drew clear of the field by four and a half-lengths in Chester. This is a major step up but you couldn't fault the way that the son of Dragon Pulse came clear that day and in an open race, he looks worth an each-way bet.
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52/1 Each Way Double
3:05 - De Bruyne Horse
5:00 - Who Dares Wins
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