Graham Clark talks Royal Ascot 2024 with Upper Lambourn trainer Archie Watson who is sending a big team to Berkshire next week.
When Archie Watson looks back at the results from Royal Ascot last year they produce many fond memories, but he believes the team that will represent his stable at this year’s meeting is the strongest he has ever sent to compete at Flat racing’s showpiece event.
Group One glory for Bradsell in what was the King’s Stand Stakes, now King Charles III Stakes, on the opening day, was followed by wins for Rhythm N Hooves in the Palace Of Holyrood House Stakes and Saint Lawrence in the Wokingham Stakes to make it a sensational five days for the 35 year old.
While only Saint Lawrence will be returning to the meeting out of that trio the Lambourn handler has put together a well balanced team that has the potential of making it another magical Royal Ascot for Watson and his team.
He said: “It was unreal to have three winners at the meeting.
“To have the Group One win with Bradsell, then to pick up two incredibly competitive handicaps with Rhythm N Hooves and Saint Lawrence was great.
“You go there hoping you have a few chances so to walk away with three winners was unreal.
“I think we will have around 17 runners this year, depending on what gets in the handicaps, as there are a couple at the bottom of some of the handicaps and it will be touch and go whether they get in.
“I know it sounds a strange thing to say considering we had three winners there last year but I do think this is the strongest team we have taken to Royal Ascot in terms of strength and depth.
“We’ve had a lot of success there and it is the best place in the world to have winners. I know we had three winners there last year, but you would be delighted walking away with one winner.”
Aesterius (Norfolk Stakes/Windsor Castle Stakes)
“He is a horse that came with a high reputation from the breeze-ups. He is a fine, big athletic sprinting type.
“He did nothing wrong at Bath and I was very impressed with him there.
“He was green, but then he kicked away when the penny dropped and I think there is plenty of improvement to come from him.
“He is a very talented sprinter. The current plan is the Norfolk Stakes, but the main thing is fitting around the team Wathnan Racing has across the board.
“I think the general plan is the Norfolk, but he will have an entry in the Windsor Castle and we will discuss it with everybody.”
“He is a very talented sprinter, but he has a slight mind of his own. These big field handicaps suit him well as he likes to race where he lands and where he is comfortable.
“He is a very interesting horse as the handicapper has taken a view that his improvement was due to the all-weather over the winter, but I’m not certain he is correct.
“When they left his turf mark on 100 we waited until the Wokingham weights were published before running him.
“We ran him in France to see if he could be a King Charles III Stakes horse, but it was heavy ground and he hated it so we are pointing him towards the Wokingham.
“He will win one of these big handicaps and it would be great if it was next Saturday.”
Beamish (Copper Horse Handicap/Queen Alexandra Stakes)
“He was a purchase from the horses in training sale last year and he was a Listed winner for Paddy Twomey.
“He has obviously had his issues and he had been off the track a long time before running at Newbury for us.
“He is a great horse to have in the yard. He ran a very good figure off a big weight at Newbury on his first run for us. He was entitled to get tired late on, but he has been all good since.
“I think he is going to be a high end staying handicapper bordering on stakes class stayer this year.
“This is a very competitive race, but he is an exciting horse to have in the yard. His back form is very good.
“I will give him an entry in the Queen Alexandra on the Saturday as well, but we will see what happens.”
“He has been a legend and he is going to run in the Queen Anne.
“I thought he ran a good race in the Prix d’Ispahan. The nine and a bit furlongs caught him out late on and I think he is more of a seven furlong or a mile horse.
“He is in great order and as the Lockinge has shown it is an open mile division this year and the Queen Anne has shoved up some strange results in the past.
“I’ve not had one like him that turns up every time and runs their race. He is just so consistent.
“Middleham Park have been fantastic letting us go to those European races and taking him all over the place and they have been rewarded for it.
“He is a fantastic horse to have around and he deserves to run in these Group Ones. Later in the season we might drop down to those European races again.”
Dyrholaey (Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes)
“This race has always been the plan really. He was very green when he won on debut then he took a good step forward on his second start.
“The plan was to go to Newcastle under a double penalty and drop back down to five furlongs to see if the stiff five furlongs at Ascot would suit. He beat a few subsequent winners there and they were a long way clear.
“His homework suggests he is a stakes class sprinter and I think he could be a very well handicapped horse, but I’m sure there will be four or five others that think they are incredibly well handicapped.
“He has done nothing wrong and all-weather form equates well to Ascot. I hope he can run a massive race if the usual draw and pace rules apply.
“I generally think this is a genuine Group horse.”
“We were very fortunate to get sent some breeze-up purchases by Wathnan Racing of which Electrolyte was one of them.
“From the moment he came into the yard we could see the quality, and the class, that he has.
“I essentially told Richard Brown (racing manager) that I wanted to run him at Ayr in the maiden that he won.
“We won that race last year with Army Ethos and he ran a huge race in the Coventry.
“This horse did nothing wrong on his debut and he beat a strongly fancied horse from Newmarket that had a run under its belt.
“He has done everything right and he is the sort of horse that could run a massive race in a Coventry.
“He will be a good two year old going forwards. He is a lovely horse that has a lovely mindset that does everything that is asked of him. We think a lot of him for sure.”
Evade (Commonwealth Cup/Jersey Stakes)
“He will have entries in both the Commonwealth Cup and the Jersey Stakes and we will decide closer to the time.
“He is a very talented horse, but you can see in his races in France he was headstrong and difficult.
“He was quite difficult to train, but we have got him in a lovely routine at home. We allowed him to use his stride at Epsom, even though he was still a bit keen, but he finished off the race well. They were miles clear and it was a very good performance.
“He is unexposed full stop, but particularly at sprint distances. The one thing we do have here unlike in France is hills to run up so they learn they can get into a nice rhythm.
“Michael Murphy rides him every day and he has done a fantastic job with him.
“Epsom was always the plan with a view to Ascot and it wasn’t unexpected that he would run well, but I think it was a proper performance.”
Kylian (King Charles III Stakes)
“He was new to me this year, but I think he is a very talented sprinter. He has done well physically and he is a big strong sprinter now.
“I was very pleased with his run in the Westow up at York. I wasn’t expecting Big Evs to be in there, but I thought he showed that he had sharpened up very well.
“Looking at his races last year he used to be slow away. He jumped into the bridle, and went a good clip at York and he was entitled to get tired late.
“I think he will get a lot closer to Big Evs this time. Whatever happens here I’m sure he will be at home in these five furlong Group race sprints going forwards.
“The stiff five furlongs will suit him and he will take a huge step forward.
“He should also find something to lead him and give him a tow into the race.
“He is the sort of horse that could run a huge race at a big price in what is a very open renewal of this race.”
Regheeb (Royal Hunt Cup/Buckingham Palace Stakes)
“Unfortunately I don’t think Regheeb will get into the Royal Hunt Cup, but he will have a Buckingham Palace Stakes entry as well. We will see if he can get in either, but he might be struggling.
“He is a very talented horse that has benefitted from being gelded and having another winter on his back to grow up.
“His first two runs this year have been good. I just wish he would have been able to sneak a couple more pounds out of the handicapper to be honest and it is not often you say that. He can definitely win a nice pot somewhere along the line.
“He has definitely sharpened up and I prefer them to be hitting the line that is why we have dropped back to a mile with him this year.
“He does show pace and the Royal Hunt Cup would be my first choice, but I wouldn’t be adverse to a stiff seven furlongs in a Buckingham Palace.”
Reveiller (Palace Of Holyrood House Stakes)
“I think he is a bit of a dark horse. He is off 87 and he runs in the Palace Of Holyrood House Stakes.
“He won on debut last year then he went to the Norfolk Stakes where he was only beaten six lengths.
“He was then beaten five and a half lengths in a Group Three in France by Elite Status over six furlongs.
“He then just went off the boil a bit as he had a busy year coming from the breeze-ups then having his maiden run and going to Royal Ascot.
“We put him away and this race has been the plan. It is going to be his first race of the year, but off 87 his handicap mark hasn’t been tested essentially.
“He is the sort of horse that could pop out and run a good race out of the blue. He has gone completely under the radar.
“He is by Soldier’s Call, who was our first Royal Ascot winner, so it could come full circle.”
“Like Albasheer he is a very talented sprinter, but he has a slight mind of his own. I’ve been very pleased with his last couple of runs.
“He is off 103, and he won it off 100 last year, but he would have won it off 103 last year as he was impressive.
“If the return to decent ground, and the stiff six furlongs, at Ascot sparks him up I’m sure he could run a good race.
“The thing with Saint Lawrence is that he is somewhere between a six and seven furlong horse and that is why the Maurice de Gheest suited him so well.
“We tried the seven furlongs again as he can sometimes seem outpaced over six furlongs, but clearly a stiff six in the Wokingham suited him last year. At Ascot they come back on you, whereas at other tracks they don’t.”
Sattwaa (Sandringham Stakes)
“She is a strong travelling, hard knocking, Saxon Warrior filly who got her black type when second in a Listed race in Germany.
“We then went back over there and she found the seven furlongs happening a bit too quick for her in another Listed race so she will really appreciate the step back up to a mile.
“Interestingly, she is handicapped on her German form so I’ve no idea where the 92 puts her. “Hopefully they have underestimated her a bit and she will have a bit up her sleeve. She is the sort of horse that will jump and travel well in a Sandringham.”
Shartash (Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee stakes)
“Among the older horses he would be our flagbearer and he is an incredibly talented horse.
“It is great to get these older horse recruits and he has done nothing wrong for us.
“He has turned inside out for being gelded as I felt he was going through the motions a little bit, but his work is now very good. His two runs this year have been exceptional.
“He has been purchased by Wathnan Racing and he is going to be a very versatile horse between six and seven furlongs, but I think the stiff six furlongs at Ascot will really suit him.
“At home he was showing us that he was sharpening up and back to being a sprinter, but I wanted to start him off over seven furlongs to ease him into it.
“It was either going into Thirsk for that conditions race or jumping straight into something like the Duke Of York.
“I had my eye on this race if he progressed as he had a pretty tricky three year old career as lots of horses can do and it was a case of getting him back to his two year old form.
“We have had a lot of success with these older sprinters and hopefully he can continue that as he has fitted into our routine and is thriving.”
Tempus (Royal Hunt Cup)
“Tempus is another horse that has been very good to us. He loves Ascot and he won the mile handicap at the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes meeting in 2022.
“He has finished third in a Royal Hunt Cup off 101, and he wasn’t beaten far back in seventh in the race last year off 109, and he is now back down to 96.
“He was second in a good Listed race at Kempton over the winter so he has shown us that he is still there.
“He is still galloping very well and if Ascot can spark him back up in a race he has run well in twice he could go well.”
Twafeeg (Albany Stakes)
“I think the one horse that isn’t being talked about that I have for the Albany is a filly called Twafeeg.
“She won at Doncaster very impressively and outside of Charlie Appleby’s filly (Mountain Breeze) I’ve not seen a more impressive maiden performance from a filly.
“We are really looking forward to running her in the Albany. She has always been top of the tree in terms of our fillies.
“She has been in since November time and has always been highly regarded.
“That race at Doncaster it is traditionally a strong maiden and there was a very expensive breeze-up purchase in second.
“I think she is being overlooked a bit. If she was a fancy breeze-up purchase she would be a lot shorter than what she is.”
Viennoise (Sandringham Stakes)
“She has had three starts and won impressively on the most recent of them at Lingfield by three and a half lengths. She is only off 82 so she will be right on the bubble if she gets in.
“She wouldn’t have got in last year, but she would have got in the year before and several other recent renewals of the race. If she gets in I think she is a well handicapped filly.”
Vingegaard (Windsor Castle Stakes)
“He won at Chepstow on heavy ground, which he wouldn’t have liked, but he was still green and did it nicely.
“The form is working out well and he will appreciate the track and the better ground so it is all systems go to the Windsor Castle.”
Weissmuller (Windsor Castle Stakes)
“He was third in a very strong maiden at Nottingham behind the full sister to Chaldean having done a very good time at the Guineas Breeze-Up sale.
“I know it is a big step sending a maiden to Ascot, but Big Evs was a maiden when he won the race last year.
“If you are going to have a punt at a race with one like him then the Windsor Castle is the one as they can run well in a race like that and hopefully he will show up well.”
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