RACING/Royal Ascot report and preview: Green and red were the colours that mattered for the second day running here yesterday, as Azamour carried the Aga Khan's silks to victory in the Prince of Wales's Stakes to give the owner his second Group One success of the meeting. Ouija Board, by contrast, finished one from last on her seasonal debut, after losing a shoe early in the race.
It is doubtful, though, whether the filly would have been a match for Azamour even with a full complement of shoes. John Oxx's colt, who was winning at the highest level for the third time, was always moving easily on the loose, rain-softened Knavesmire turf, and showed impressive determination to overtake Ace at the furlong pole to win by a length and a half.
Before Azamour's win in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown last September, there were doubts as to whether his stamina would stretch to yesterday's 10-furlong trip Now, though, Mick Kinane, his jockey, has no doubts that Azamour will get 12 furlongs too, and he is 8 to 1 (from 12 to 1) with Coral for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Newbury next month.
"I've always believed he'd stay, and he wants at least 10 furlongs now," Kinane said. "I wouldn't have any reservations about 12.
"The ground was shifting around a bit out there, and he was finding it a bit hard to get a grip of it, so we were happy to come to the centre of the track where it was a bit better.
"He knows when the job is done and he only did the minimum when we got in front."
Oxx was reluctant to commit Azamour to the King George, though he did rule out a run in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown a fortnight on Saturday.
"That would be too quick for him," Oxx said, "and we are keen to try him over a mile and a half this year. It is just a question of whether we ask him the question in the King George, or wait for the Arc."
Plans for Ouija Board will remain on hold until Ed Dunlop, her trainer, is convinced of his filly's wellbeing. "Jamie (Spencer) said she lost her right fore shoe after two furlongs and then seemed to put her foot in some sort of hole, and he was never really happy with her after that.
"The ground is an obvious excuse, and it's much too early to say that she's not the same filly this year. We had reservations about running on this ground and we took a chance that didn't work."
Kinane, even money at the end of the day to be top jockey at the meeting, followed up Azamour's success by completing a 195 to 1 treble when Beautyandthebeast took the closing handicap, having won the Group Two Windsor Forest Stakes on Peeress.
The form book suggested that Peeress had little chance of reversing recent Epsom form with Sundrop, but after tracking Kerrin McEvoy, who set the pace on Sundrop, Kinane found an extra effort just when it seemed he was beaten.
Proclamation, who took the Jersey Stakes despite the handicap of a wide draw, is now a possible runner in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, while New Seeker led all the way to take the Royal Hunt Cup over this very different course.
Flashy Wings, an easy winner of the Queen Mary Stakes, can be backed at 16 to 1 with totesport for next year's 1,000 Guineas.
