Five horses to follow from the Guineas Festival

My snap thought on watching the QIPCO 1000 Guineas was that French raider Ramatuelle had been unfortunate not to cling on after travelling powerfully near the pace and quickening clear. You couldn’t say she didn’t stay and I’d fancy her to turn the tables on her conquerors if she heads for the Coronation Stakes, around a bend, at Royal Ascot. 

On second and third viewing, though, the one who needs a significant mark up is

Tamfana

, trained by David Menuisier and ridden by Jamie Spencer. This filly got a trademark straight mile ride from Spencer but the jockey simply didn’t the gaps when he needed them after his partner travelled powerfully. 

As a consequence, Spencer had to switch widest of all towards the stands’ side to get a clear passage. The combination kept on well and were easily fastest through the final furlong – clocking 12.11sec - but the damage was done and they ended up being beaten about half a length. 

“I don’t really know what to say – you could run the race 100 times and 99 times she would win, but that’s life,” Menuisier said afterwards. 

“I feel sorry for Jamie (Spencer, jockey) as well because it had nothing to do with him. He was there in the right spot – exactly in the same place as yesterday’s winner – and travelling better than anything else. It was a matter of getting gaps and we didn’t, which can happen. We are not the first people this has happened to and we won’t be the last – we have to cope with that. 

“I’d like to be happy but I can’t really as we came here to win the race. I can be happy as we know have a very good filly – everything was right except the result.” 

The French Oaks has long been on Tamfana’s agenda. The extra quarter of a mile should be no bother and she’s clearly versatile regards the ground. 

He seems to have been around for ever, but the David Evans-trained gelding is still only a six-year-old and he caught the eye when fifth in the 6f handicap on Saturday.

Rohaan

didn’t get off to the best start, getting a little squeezed, and found himself racing on the wrong part of the track for a long way with most of the pace on the other side of him. He kept on well enough to be fifth without ever looking like winning, but it suggests he’s in decent heart.He is in his element at Ascot (five wins from ten races there) and the Wokingham is almost certainly at the top of his agenda. He won the 2021 and 2022 renewals off marks of 112 and 109 but skipped last year’s edition in favour of a crack at the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, at a time when his rating was back up to 112.Rohaan ran off 103 on Saturday and may well be eased again. His latest visit to Ascot, in October, resulted in a win against 15 rivals off a rating off 102 when a well-backed 2/1 favourite. No bookmakers are betting on the Wokingham but keep him in mind when they do.

There was a bunch finish to the William Hill Palace House Stakes but the big eye-catcher in the race was Twilight Calls, who finished with a rattle to be fourth after racing at the back of the field for much of the way.The RaceiQ sectionals reveal he was easily fastest through the penultimate furlong (10.81sec) and last furlong (11.76sec). It suggests he will again be a big player in next month’s King Charles III Stakes (formerly King’s Stand) at Royal Ascot, in which he has finished second and fourth in the past two renewals. Twilight Calls is a general 25/1 for the Royal Ascot feature and looks worth an each-way punt.On a broader note, three-year-olds finished first and third in the Palace House, having last landed the race in 2009. The older sprinters do look vulnerable and last year’s juveniles, who looked a good crop, may well thrive against them this summer.

A missed beat at the start and a stumble soon after left Ghostwriter playing catch-up for much of the 2000 Guineas and he was never closer than at the finish. This long-striding individual also didn’t look completely at home on the track, with his tenacious win in last year’s Royal Lodge perhaps a red herring.Ghostwriter is a grand stamp of a horse and it will be interesting to see which path is now chosen for him. He entries in the next month are the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Dante Stakes, Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas and Betfred Derby.The Dante on May 16 would come soon enough, and the Derby would be a roll of the dice given his pedigree is a mix of speed and stamina. He’s quoted at 33/1 for the latter.**Editor's note: Clive Cox said on Monday that Ghostwriter's next intended race will be the French Derby.On a general point, the 2000 Guineas was strongly run with the Finishing Speed Percentages of all the runners reflecting that all were getting weary at the finish. Perhaps it was no coincidence that the winner had already had three runs this year, while the third, Haatem, also had the benefit of a previous run. Clive Cox had himself been contemplating a prep run for Ghostwriter but decided against it.

The racingtv.com team try and avoid winners when it come to highlighting horses to follow but I’m making an exception for Bague D’Or, who was a taking winner of the 1m6f handicap.He raced in a pack well away from the Gosden pair who chased him home – he galloped towards the centre while the pair who chased him home were among four on the far side – and, when he is reassessed, keep in mind that the next horse home in his group of seven, New London, the favourite, was a dozen lengths adrift of him.Moreover, Bague D’Or was making his seasonal reappearance, whereas his closest pursuers arrived racefit.Admittedly,  Bague D’Or does have an encouraging record when fresh but his trainer, James Ferguson, suggested afterwards that he felt he would come on for the run. All in all, he remains one to keep the right side of.He’s 1/1 at Ascot and so the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot next month is a likely aim. You needed to be rated 97 to get in the race last year and Bague D’Or won here off 91, so he may well sneak in.