Watson has high hopes for Wareeth at Royal Ascot

Wareeth is poised to head up in distance for the Queen’s Vase, as Archie Watson outlines running plans for some of the key players in his Royal Ascot team.

The Lambourn handler has notched five winners previously at the showpiece meeting, with his finest hour during racing’s biggest week arguably coming when Bradsell scooped Group One honours in what was then known as the King’s Stand Stakes in 2023.

He registered a memorable treble that year, but after a few years where he has drawn a blank, he is ready to correct the record with the exciting son of Sea The Stars, who left a disappointing show in the Feilden Stakes behind when confirming the promise of his impressive Newcastle debut in bolting up at Salisbury last month under Hollie Doyle.

“He’s a lovely horse and his form is working out really well – it was good to see him go and do that at Salisbury,” said Watson, who has since watched Andrew Balding’s second that day win at Beverley and the third score at Wolverhampton.

“He’s still learning and we’re thinking at the moment that we’ll step him up in trip and have a look at the Queen’s Vase.

“He stayed the 10 furlongs very well and kept galloping away and he’s shaped like he wants at least another couple of furlongs. I think it will be nice to see if he stays proper trips for later in the season as well.”

Two of Watson’s quintet of Royal Ascot winners have come in the juvenile ranks and it is no surprise to see him well stocked in that division once again.

The trainer has this time highlighted a recent Bath winner in the Wathnan silks and Siouxperb – who has not been seen since winning by four lengths at Yarmouth in April but has had the form boosted twice by runner-up O’Gorman – as two to keep onside.

He said: “We’ll have a few two-year-olds going to Royal Ascot I’d say and Flight Signal will go for the Norfolk. He won his race really well at Bath and has come out of it very well.

“Siouxperb won his maiden at Yarmouth quite early on and we think quite a lot of him. He’s going to go to the Coventry and they would be the pick of them I would think.”

Another Wathnan-owned runner could prove crucial to Watson’s hopes in the handicaps, as he has kept his powder dry with Exclusive Code in anticipation of a Britannia Stakes bid after the son of Blue Point opened his account in a deep 26-runner maiden at Newbury earlier in the spring.

Watson said: “I think the second through to the fifth have since all won their maidens and he’s in great form.

“We’ve deliberately waited for the Britannia and hope he can get in off 90 and if he does I think he’s going to have a huge chance.”