New Mandate New Mandate I’m surely not alone in thinking Baaeed has the potential to be the best Flat horse in training but I wouldn’t be queuing up to take 4-11 about him on his seasonal return in the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes (3.20) at Newbury on Saturday. If Baaeed is ever going to be beaten this season, I think it is over a mile on his comeback and the Lockinge doesn’t look a bad Group 1 by any stretch. Although Baaeed has proved devastating over a mile, he will surely be even better over further as a brother to high-class middle-distance five-year-old and 1m6f winner Hukum. A step up in trip could be in the offing down the line and there are a number of interesting Newbury opponents for Baaeed to fend off, and each have race fitness on their side. I’m reluctant to criticise the likeable Mother Earth but I’m not sure she deserves to be such a short price in relation to the hot favourite after a respectable but unspectacular return at the Curragh in March. Real World is interesting but probably correctly priced at around 8-1 and the horse who stands out by a mile at the odds is New Mandate at 40-1.
New Mandate was notably weak in the betting before his first start for 312 days in an admittedly sub-standard Paradise Stakes at Ascot in April, but got the job done nicely under Frankie Dettori and easier than the neck winning margin from Sir Busker suggested. Going into Ascot, New Mandate still had “quite a bit of his winter coat to shift” according to trainer Ralph Beckett, who also stated there is no need to step up in trip from a mile just yet, and an improved effort can be expected at Newbury. I always think Sir Busker, who was race-fit going into the contest, is an excellent yardstick for mile races on the straight track at Ascot (finished third and fourth in two Group 1s at the course) and he had no excuses behind New Mandate. Clearly my selection, who has four Group 1 entries over the next five weeks, needs to step up. However, this four-year-old has time on his side and I reckon he has a big pot in him. It can pay serious dividends to be bold in ante-post betting and I want to recommend New Mandate each-way for the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot in June over the Paradise course and distance at 66-1 as well.
Romantic Proposal My Royal Ascot research has well and truly begun and I’m keen to get Romantic Proposal in the book for the King’s Stand Stakes at 14-1 on the opening day of the meeting too. I’m convinced Golden Pal is too short for the race at a general 5-2. He appears better on turning tracks and needs rattling fast ground to show his best which he isn’t guaranteed to get. Romantic Proposal can upset the favourite. Trainer Eddie Lynam is a dab-hand with sprinters and saddled Sole Power to win two King’s Stands and Slade Power to land the Diamond Jubilee a few years back. In Romantic Proposal, he has his best horse since then and she ended a six-year Group 1 barren spell for the yard with an impressive success in the Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh in September. The strong-travelling Romantic Proposal dealt with A Case Of You there (shorter in the King’s Stand betting) and arriving late from a strong pace on an uphill finish will really play to her strengths at Ascot. I’d imagine her season has revolved around the royal meeting and she has shown she retains all her past ability on her return at Naas with an easy success. Her profile suggests she will improve for the run and I fancy her to notch another top-level success for the stable.
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Tuesday’s action at Chantilly saw the first winner for Dalham Hall Stud’s Harry Angel (Ire) (by Dark Angel {Ire}) as the Mauricio Delcher Sanchez-trained colt Vicious Harry (Fr) took the five-furlong Prix du Coq Chantant for… [To read this entire TDN News Story, click here.]
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