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Six Things We Learnt at the Royal Ascot launch: Bucchero is tale of unexpected
By Andy Stephens
Last Updated: Tue 5 Dec 2023
Andy Stephens was at the Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket on Thursday to canvass key international connections ahead of next week's five-day Royal Ascot meeting.
Bucchero could be the hero as connections seek King's Stand anointment:
American challenger Bucchero would be a remarkable winner of the King’s Stand Stakes on lots of levels - not least because his dam, Meetmeontime, almost lost her life in a sad case of neglect.
The mare was rescued by Marion County Humane Society in the summer of 2009 when she was found among 33 neglected horses on a farm in Ocala, Florida.
Meetmeontime was rescued from a Florida farm in this condition (Ironhorseracing)
Ribs showing and in a pitiful overall condition, she was one of the lucky ones because several of the 33 were in even worse health and had to be put to sleep.
Meetmeontime was brought back to full health and, once fully recovered, went on to produce five foals - the second of which was Bucchero.
Purchased for $43,000, he has since won ten of his 27 races and earned his connections about $780,000.
“It’s amazing, we are a small-time operation with only 20 to 30 horses and never thought we’d be running on a stage like this,” Tim Glyshaw, the trainer, said. “If he shows up and runs his race, then I think we are right there.”
Glyshaw will be wearing top hat and tails for the first time, something he is not overly relishing. “Even when I dress up for Breeders; Cup, I still have my baseball hat on,” he said.
Bucchero is a general 33-1 but he no doubt has inherited some of his mum’s fighting spirit. He had such as Lady Aurelia and Marsha behind when a close fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint so those after a big-priced option could do worse.
“Bucchero has handled everything we’ve ever asked of him,” Glyshaw said. “I’m just very proud of this horse that we are here.”
Dettori playing safe:
Without Parole will be among Dettori's mounts on Tuesday (Racingfotos)
Frankie Dettori missed Royal Ascot last year after breaking his shoulder days beforehand and then salt was rubbed into his wounds as two of his intended mounts, Lady Aurelia and Big Orange, stole the show.
This time around he is taking no chances. While some of his colleagues are riding day and night in the build-up, the 47-year-old is restricting himself to three rides - two on Saturday and one on Sunday.
“It was a year today I broke my shoulder (at Yarmouth) and it was awful,” he said. “Ascot means everything and to injure myself four days before was hard to take. I’m wrapping myself in bubble wrap this time.”
Dettori is a general 4-1 to be top jockey at the meeting for a sixth time, with his principals rides including Cracksman (Prince of Wales’s Stakes), Without Parole (St James’s Palace Stakes), Stradivarius (Gold Cup) and Redkirk Warrior (Diamond Jubilee Stakes). Ryan Moore, who has been top jockey for seven of the last eight years, is 8-11.
Dettori will also ride some of Wesley Ward’s rapid American challengers and says the trainer gives him three words of advice before he rides for him. “Just hold on”.
Cracksman was the highest-rated three-year-old in the world last year and receives more focus than the average thoroughbred. “I’m sick and tired of the same question: How is Cracksman? He’s fine!” said Dettori, the irony being that he volunteered the answer even before being asked.
A video showing the Frankel colt’s runaway QIPCO Champion Stakes was shown and the jockey said: “I hope that beast that we’ve just seen turns up. His CV is tremendous - you don’t get a rating of 130 without earning it.”
He will be hoping to have added to his haul of 56 Royal Ascot winners long before Undrafted runs late on Saturday week in the Workingham. “He won the Diamond Jubilee and now runs in a handicap,” he said. “If he has just half the ability he used to have he should run a big race.”
Appleby to rule Britannia?:
ayr
19:05 Ayr - Saturday August 10
First Contact was runner-up at Kempton before losing his maiden tag last time
Charlie Appleby will celebrate the Derby triumph of Masar with his staff at Moulton Paddocks in Newmarket on Thursday evening and will be looking to add to the four Royal Ascot winners he has achieved next week.
Last year he struck with two big-priced outsiders - Rare Rhythm at 20-1 in the Duke of Edinburgh and Sound And Silence at 16-1 in the Windsor Castle - so do not discount any of his juicier priced contenders.
He says Blue Point is “showing all right signs” ahead of the King’s Stand on Tuesday and believes dropping back to the minimum trip with last year’s Commonwealth Cup third will suit.
Hawkbill disappointed behind Cracksman in the Coronation Cup but will reoppose him in the Prince of Wales. “Hawkbill is Hawkbill. When he brings his A Game he's a hard horse to pass,” Appleby said. “The plan is to be positive.”
Oaks runner-up Wild Illusion will attempt to go one better in the Ribblesdale, when she will have to carry a 3lb penalty, while recent Haydock winner D’bai will cross swords with Harry Angel in the Diamond Jubilee because “he has enough natural pace for six furlongs”.
Later in the morning, pressed on other fancies away from the Group One contests, he singled out Old Persian (King Edward VII Stakes) and added “there’s a few there in the King George V I’m looking forward to seeing.”
Then he volunteered: “The Britannia will be an interesting race for myself and the team with First Contact. He’s exciting us.”
Has winning the Derby changed his life? “Not in my household," he added. "I’ve had to get back to my daily chores with the (four) children and dogs,” he said. “The day itself was a bit of a blur but it’s slowly sinking in.”
Keep an eye on Spencer juveniles:
Rajasinghe triggered Royal Ascot celebrations for Spencer last year (PA)
Richard Spencer enjoyed a debut Royal Ascot success with Rajasinghe in the Coventry Stakes last year in only his second full season and believes his runners in the feature races for juveniles can again be competitive.
Rumble Inthejungle (Norfolk), Alfie Solomons (Coventry) and Cococabala (Windsor Castle) are all on course to represent him and will demand a second glance.
“We had not overdone Rumble Inthejungle before Salisbury but he won with a bit up his sleeve and has taken a step forward,” Spencer said. “I’d be putting him bang there on Thursday.
“Alfie Solomons won at Newcastle last time and would have a very good chance at a big price. Cococabala won well at Wetherby the other day when giving a Mark Johnston filly 12lb - and I believe they think that’s one of their better two-year-old fillies at the moment. I think he’s going there with a live chance.”
The trainer is also sweet on the prospects of Keyser Soze in the Royal Hunt Cup on Wednesday, provided he makes the cut. “He’s the main hope for the week if he can get in,” Spencer said.
Yoshida, the American challenger in the £600,000 Queen Anne Stakes, is part-owned by the owners of Triple Crown winner Justify.
You would imagine that anything else they win this year is a bonus - let alone the most valuable race on day one of the meeting. The Japanese-bred colt is among the best turf horses in America, though, and is no bigger than 16-1 to take the spoils.
Trainer Bill Mott, whose champions have included Cigar, Theatrical and Royal Delta, had his first Royal Ascot runner last year with Long On Value but he trailed home twelfth in the Diamond Jubilee.
When Riley Mott, assistant to his father, was asked what he and his father had learnt, he quickly replied: “That you need to bring over a really good horse! We brought over a good horse who had performed very well in Dubai. He settled in great and worked fantastic but that wasn’t enough on the day.
Looking ahead to Yoshida faring better, he added: “He’s a very strong horse and so the incline on the last part of the stretch I think will be to our benefit. It would be a big feather in the cap to win here and we believe we have the right horse.
“And we thank Justify for taking the pressure off us a little bit.”
Ground on the fast side:
The ground on day one of Royal Ascot has been predominantly good to firm six times in the past decade and it looks short odds that will again be the going description on Tuesday.
Chris Stickels, the clerk of the course, said only a millimetre and a half of rain has fallen at the track this month and, with the exception of this Saturday, when up to 5mm may hit the Berkshire venue, the forecast is predominately dry.
Watering has already taken place and more seems certain. The likelihood is we will need to keep replacing the moisture that is lost,” Stickels said. “I’m happy, the course is in lovely condition.”
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