Royal Ascot day five: Hurricane Lane ready to blow opposition away
Hurricane Lane #HurricaneLane
Day four of Royal Ascot saw a double for Aidan O’Brien and the final day of the five-day marathon looks likely to see further Ballydoyle success.
Hurricane Lane was one of the stars of the 2021 Flat season and Charlie Appleby-trained son of Frankel could prove a class apart on his seasonal reappearance in the Hardwicke Stakes.
Third in last year’s Epsom Derby, Hurricane Lane went on to win the Irish equivalent at the Curragh before adding another Classic to his CV with St Leger at Doncaster before ending his season with another fine effort when a close third in the Arc.
The fact he hasn’t run since is the only slight concern but Hurricane Lane goes well fresh and can land this Group 2 en route to better things later this season.
Like many races at Royal Ascot, the Chesham Stakes has been kind to Aidan O’Brien in recent years and he looks to have another outstanding candidate for the 2022 renewal in the shape of Alfred Munnings.
A Dubawi half-brother to the top-class Snowfall, Alfred Munnings is bred to be good and the evidence of his dominant debut victory at Leopardstown last month suggests he is just that.
He can give O’Brien a fifth Chesham success since 2016.
It’s easy to see why Home Affairs is such a warm order for the day five feature, the Platinum Jubilee Stakes. Two starts ago, the Australian raider bagged his second Group 1 when edging out better-fancied stablemate Nature Strip at Flemington. That now looks a sizzling piece of form after Nature Strip ran away with the King’s Stand Stakes on Tuesday.
Home Affairs may prove similarly dominant in his away-day assignment but him being so short in the market for this 27-runner contest means there’s each-way value to be had elsewhere.
Having struck twice at Group 1 level over a mile as a three-year-old, Alcohol Free is an interesting big-priced contender dropping back to six furlongs.
However, marginal preference is for Irish raider A Case Of You.
Trained by Ado McGuinness, A Case Of You struck at the highest level when winning the Prix de l’Abbaye on Arc day last October and added another Group1 to his CV when scoring at Meydan in March.
Given a break after that, A Case Of You was below his best at the Curragh last month but it would be no surprise if he bounces back here. If he does so, he shouldn’t be far way.
Alfred Munnings is the main Irish contender in the Chesham Stakes though Michael O’Callaghan’s Crypto Force also looked a promising sort when winning at the Curragh on debut.
Henry de Bromhead’s Star Girls Aalmal has each-way prospects in the Jersey Stakes while Ballydoyle’s Broome looks the most credible threat to Hurricane Lane in the Hardwicke Stakes.
A Case Of You will carry Irish hopes in the Platinum Jubilee Stakes while Ken Condon’s Quarantine Dreams is a leading contender in the Wokingham Stakes.
Aidan O’Brien’s Sun King is the only Irish runner in the Golden Gates Stakes before a marathon week concludes with the Queen Alexandra Stakes where O’Brien’s Wordsworth and Dermot Weld’s Falcon Eight could fight out the finish.
Charlie Appleby, Hurricane Lane trainer: “He’s done very well from three to four and I’m very excited to see him back on the track. His programme is working back from the Arc and the starting point has been pencilled in to the Hardwicke.”
Wesley Ward, Campanelle trainer: “She’s doing phenomenal, she’s a dual winner here so we know she likes the course.”