Donn McClean marks your card with five Irish horses worth keeping on side at Royal Ascot 2024.
Boher Road – Ascot Stakes, Tuesday
Boher Road goes to Ascot on an upward trajectory. He made all to win a handicap at Navan over a mile and five furlongs on his penultimate run off a handicap rating of 81, and he stepped forward from that last time when he stepped up in trip and in grade to win another handicap at Killarney over an extended two miles off a mark of 88.
He is 9lb higher now, and he is up in grade again, but he appeared to win with at least a little bit in hand at Killarney, and he saw out the trip well on soft ground. He is progressive, he appears to be versatile in terms of ground conditions, and he could improve again for the step up to two and a half miles.
Jarlath Fahey has previous with the Ascot Stakes, he sent out Jennies Jewel to win the race in 2016 under a fine front-running ride by Ronan Whelan. Boher Road’s style of racing is not dissimilar to Jennies Jewel’s, out in front, catch me if you can, and it may be that his trainer has had Tuesday’s race in mind for Boher Road for a little while.
White Birch – Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Wednesday
White Birch was a high-class three-year-old last season, and he has improved again this term.
Winner of the Ballysax Stakes, a key Derby trial, on his debut last season, John Murphy’s horse was a little unlucky in the Dante when he went down by a neck to The Foxes, and he ran a big race in the Derby to finish third behind Auguste Rodin.
This year, he has gone through the grades, Group 3 Alleged Stakes, Group 2 Mooresbridge Stakes, Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup. He travelled like the most likely winner from a long way out in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, and he came away from Auguste Rodin inside the final furlong.
He goes well on easy ground, but his big run in the Dante last year was on fast ground, and he may not be as ground dependent as is generally accepted. He is just a top-class individual who is probably still progressing, and a stiff 10 furlongs is probably optimal.
Ocean Jewel – Duke of Cambridge Stakes, Wednesday
Ocean Jewel is similar in lots of ways: a high-class three-year-old last season who could reach greater heights this season as a four-year-old.
Impressive in winning the Group 3 Ballycorus Stakes over seven furlongs at Leopardstown last June, she ran better than her finishing position suggests in the Group 1 Matron Stakes at Leopardstown in September. She was squeezed out of it just outside the furlong marker, and that cost her ground and momentum before she kept on again close home.
Willie McCreery’s filly was good on her debut this season in winning the Group 2 Lanwades Stud Stakes. She made good ground up on the outside from the two-furlong marker that day, and she picked up smartly when Billy Lee asked her to, coming away from her rivals to win impressively. She saw out the one-mile trip well, and that obviously augurs well for the Duke of Cambridge Stakes on Wednesday. That was her seasonal debut, and she could come forward again.
Highbury – Queen’s Vase, Wednesday
Highbury has over two lengths to make up on Birdman from the time that they met on their respective racecourse debuts at Cork at the end of April, and Birdman has since won the Listed Yeats Stakes at Navan. Jessica Harrington’s horse will be a tough competitor again on Wednesday, but Highbury took a significant step forward last time when he won a Leopardstown maiden by over seven lengths.
That race has worked out well already, with the second and fourth both winning since, and the third going down by a head to a well-bred colt of Dermot Weld’s at Leopardstown on Thursday, and Highbury beat them all pointless.
Aidan O’Brien’s colt is a well-bred horse himself, by Galileo and out of an Invincible Spirit mare who won a Group 3 race over five and a half furlongs, and he shapes as if the step up to a mile and six furlongs on Wednesday will not be a negative.
Bucanero Fuerte – Commonwealth Cup, Friday
Bucanero Fuerte proved his aptitude for Ascot last year when he took third place in the Coventry Stakes, finishing off his race well on the near side to get to within a length of the winner River Tiber, who raced on the far side.
Adrian Murray’s horse stepped forward from that next time in winning the Railway Stakes at The Curragh on Irish Derby weekend, and he put up the best performance of his career to date when he won the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes, back at The Curragh in August, coming four lengths clear of his rivals. The form of last year’s Phoenix Stakes is rock solid, with runner-up Porta Fortuna winning the Cheveley Park Stakes last September and finished second in the 1000 Guineas this year, third-placed Givemethebeatboys winning a listed race on his debut this season, and fourth-placed Unquestionable finishing second behind Rosallion in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere next time and rounding off his two-year-old campaign by winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
Bucanero Fuerte proved his wellbeing when he won the Group 3 Lacken Stakes on his debut this season, conceding 3lb to the talented Givemethebeatboys, who had won that listed race on his debut this season. That should bring the Wootton Bassett colt forward. He could be primed to run a big race on Friday.
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