Juvenile Watch: a 20-1 ante-post tip for Royal Ascot

I was tremendously taken by the performance of Anthelia in the Listed Star Sports National Stakes at Sandown on Thursday as she took her record to a perfect three from three. 

Breaking smartly, she did slightly over-race through the early stages, appearing to get lit up by a light bit of bumping from First Legion, who raced up her inside as jockey Lewis Edmunds took her back away from the early pace. 

Two furlongs out, Shane Foley on First Legion elected to sacrifice his position on the rail, at which point Anthelia showed an instant turn of foot to race into the vacated gap. 

It appeared briefly that Edmunds considered delivering her in a gap between rivals before instead finding a perfect run up the far-side rail. Again, Anthelia showed a smart turn of foot and despite becoming unbalanced as she hung into the rail half a furlong out, Edmunds was able to push her out to what I consider an emphatic one-length victory. 

As with any contetes over five furlongs, the cards needed to fall her way, and they did. However, don’t be fooled into thinking this was in any way a ‘smash and grab’ fluke victory. She showed plenty of areas of potential improvement, most notably if she can settle better through the early stages of a race. I was most taken by her finishing effort given that runner-up First Legion, a winner over six furlongs on his debut, was always going to be doing his best work late on. 

A step up in trip for the Maureen Brittain Memorial Empress Stakes at Newmarket was suggested by her, understandably, delighted trainer Rod Millman for her next target. With his suggestion that his yard “have not had a horse finish off our gallop like she does” strongly pointing to the idea that she has the potential to take a further step forward when faced with an extra furlong (her dam, All On Red, was a winner over six furlongs). 

Finally, a word on the sharp Millman operation. Juvenile Watch is now in its fifth season and the Millman yard has, without fail, had an above average juvenile each year. I’ve no doubt that Anthelia is the best yet, which is pretty impressive considering she was just a 6,000gns yearling purchase.   

Alex Supreme (Karl Burke) - Unusually for a debutant from this yard, this daughter of Supremacy looked markedly green racing over six furlongs at Ripon on her debut. Slowly away from the stalls, she was always on the back foot and compounded this when requiring being driven along from some way out. The penny finally started to drop and she delivered her best work late on. Her dam was a winner over seven furlongs, so this trip might well prove short of her best. However, I’d expect significant improvement on her next start. 

Alfa Patisserie (Ivan Furtado) - This daughter of Kodi Bear made her debut over six furlongs at York on Saturday in what looked like a competitive maiden. Slowly away, she covered significant extra ground as she drifted all the way from her draw in stall twelve across towards the far side of the field before travelling back across the track when asked for her finishing effort. She might yet be one for Nursery handicaps, but I’ve added her to my Racing TV tracker, where any entry with a significant jockey booking would make her of some interest. 

Albert Einstein, the short-priced, ante-post favourite for the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, will miss that intended engagement after owners Coolmore announced, via X, that the son of Wootton Bassett had sprained a joint and would require an easy three weeks. 

Trainer Aidan O’Brien can still call upon talented pair Charles Darwin and Gstaad, while the market is now headed by joint-favourites Postmodern and Treanmor. 

In a more open heat, I returned to Andab, a son of Saxon Warrior. He was an impressive winner on his debut at the Curragh and then shaped well when just over a length behind Albert Einstein in the Group Three Marble Hill Stakes over the same course and distance on his latest start. 

Having been outpaced, he finished off well suggesting the virtually-assured strong pace, as well as the uphill finish at Ascot, should play to his strengths. He’s readily available at 20-1 and is my second ante-post selection of the season.