Welcome to the Nick Bradley Racing Royal Ascot Review

  Contents

- Introduction 

- Tuesday

- Wednesday

- Thursday

-  Friday

-  Saturday

-  Nick's Royal Ascot Tips

-  Shares Available

Introduction

It was a special week at Royal Ascot despite the fact we didn’t have the glory of a treasured Royal Ascot winner. Royal Ascot is one of the hardest places to taste success and to have Dandalla, Eldrickjones and Oscula all place in their respective races is a huge achievement.

It has certainly been satisfying setting up our new Stakes Performances page on nickbradleyracing.co.uk/stakes-performances and seeing the amount of updates on the page just in 2021 alone. This is obviously huge credit to Nick for not only his purchasing of the horses but also his race planning in conduction with our trainers.

Moving forward for the rest of the year we hope to be able to add to our Stakes page and land more Group races in 2021 and beyond!

(Olly Batchelor)

Tuesday

On Tuesday we had just the one runner with Eldrickjones taking his chance in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes. The reports from Roger Fell and Danny Tudhope before his debut were very bullish and despite being beaten on debut it later emerged that it was his first time running on grass.

Therefore, going into Ascot Nick was confident of a bold showing. That said, no one could of expecting him to run such a huge race in the worst part of the track especially when you factor in Danny met traffic at the 2 furlong pole and had to wait for a gap to appear. .

Horse racing always brings an element of 'what-if' scenarios and there was certainly an element of  'what-if' Eldrick had been drawn stand-side where the eventual winner Berkshire Shadow came from. That said, for Eldrickjones to only be beaten 1 length running down the middle of the course fills us with a lot of confidence for the rest of the Summer.

Eldrickjones will now be aimed at the July meeting at Newmarket.

Wednesday

Wednesday was another hugely exciting day especially as Nick Bradley Racing was all the talk in the media as Kaboo on debut became one of the biggest gambles at Royal Ascot in the past few years. He was backed from 100/1 in the week all the way down to 9/2 in some places. 

Mas Poder took her chance earlier on in the card in the Queen Mary and things didn’t quite go to plan. Unfortunately her regular rider, Kevin Stott was injured on Tuesday and we had to find a replacement jockey. In his place the very talented Colin Keane took the ride, Ascot is a unique course and often experience of riding the Ascot straight is crucial and Colin found himself down the far side of the track away from the best ground on the stands side rail. Whilst it was a disappointment for her owners we are very confident of her coming back strongly on her next start.

We then had 3 hours to wait before Kaboo (red cap) and Guilded (white cap) ran in the Windsor Castle. Karl was very confident of a bold showing from Kaboo and he certainly did his reputation no harm. He is a very talented colt and we look forward to seeing his future. Like Eldrickjones the race didn’t pan out ideally and we were left wondering after the race had he been taken up the stand side rail like Bold Chairman could he have won.

Unlike Kaboo’s tumbling odds the market all but ruled out Guilded. She nearly hit the front two furlongs out but faded and plucked on to finish 8th. Guilded took another huge step forward from her Hilary Needler 2nd and now all roads point towards a tilt on the 17th July in the lucrative Newbury Supersprint. She would carry 8st 3lb in the Supersprint which would be a featherweight given she is now rated 87 and we hope she can continue to improve.

Thursday

It wouldn’t be a Royal Ascot without the presence of Nick Bradley Racing’s Flag Bearer, Raising Sand. With the rain not arriving until race time confidence was slightly subdued however, he ran a race full of exuberance and gave Saffie a fantastic feel in the first time cheekpieces. The cheekpieces looked as though they aided Sand in the early stages as he broke alertly and travelled prominently in the early stages. For the second year in a row he won his group on the far side of the course.

The handicapper this morning dropped him 2 pounds to 100 and we will see him again at Ascot for the International which he won in 2019 off 103. Credit has to go to Jamie and Saffie for the application of head gear and keeping his enthusiasm so high to keep running such huge races at the ripe age of 9!

Friday

The busiest day of the week was Friday and we saw Hellomydarlin and Oscula line up in the Group 3 Albany Stakes.

Nick spoke to both jockeys before the Albany and took the view that the stand side rail was going to be the fastest part of the track. As a result both Mark Crehan on Oscula and Danny Tudhope on Hellomydarlin moved across to the stand side and travelled the whole way down the straight detached from the rest of the field. It was clear that Hellomydarlin in the early stages wasn’t travelling quite as well as Oscula who ran the whole way to the line to be denied by just 2 lengths by her nemesis on debut, Sandrine. Both fillies’ have exciting futures and Hellomydarlin will be seen in Black Type company again. We could see Oscula on Saturday in the Empress Stakes at Newmarket.

Dandalla then took her chance in the Commonwealth Cup and ran an unbelievable race. Karl and Nick have never doubted her and always retained the faith in her ability and engine and she repaid their faith with a fine effort to place in the Commonwealth. Placing in the Commonwealth undoubtedly gives her page a boost and we can now look to get her head in front at York in the Summer Stakes before locking horns again with the best in the division over 6f towards the end of the Summer.

Unfortunately it wasn’t to be for Fev Rover again as she encountered soft ground once again like her penultimate start at the Curragh. Fev Rover found herself detached from the field after her slow start out of the stalls however, Paul Hangan asked her for an effort up the straight and she picked up strongly to finish a staying on sixth placed. Looking at the sectionals Fev ran the 4th fastest final three furlongs, so the fact that we were in a poor position initially cost us at least two places. We hope to see her next in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket in July.

Saturday

Seasestt was a big hope on the final day of the week and unfortunately things didn’t quite go to plan. Ben got him into a very good early position and it looked like things were going perfect for us during the race but for whatever reason Seasett didn't pick up up the straight like he had done in his two previous races.

There is a £75k 3yo 10 furlong handicap at Newmarket on 9th July which we will aim him at.

Nick's Royal Ascot Tips

Nick followed his very good tipping effort in 2020 with another very good year in 2021. Eldrickjones hit the crossbar at 100/1 and Kaboo was backed into an SP of 15/2 with Armor placing in the Windsor Castle. Go Bears Go finished ahead in the Norfolk Stakes on the far side rail beaten in a photo finish and Great Max placed in the Chesham Stakes. 

Nick's Royal Ascot Selections

Coventry - Dhabab 6-1 EW 4pl 1/5 odds Eldrickjones 100-1 5pl 1/5 odds 2nd

Queen Mary - Eve Lodge 25-1 EW 5pl 1/5 odds Illustrating 12-1 EW 5pl 1/5 odds

Windsor Castle - Armor 12-1 EW 5th  5pl 1/5 odds Kaboo 66-1 EW 5pl 1/5 odds

Norfolk- Second Wind 12-1 EW 3pl 1/5 odds Go Bears Go 14-1 EW 3pl 1/5 odds 2nd

Albany Elliptic 16-1 EW 3pl 1/5 odds Sows 25-1 EW 3pl 1/5 odds

Chesham Great Max 12-1 EW 3pl 1/5 odds 3rd

15% Available in Mehmas Filly in Training Kevin Ryan

This filly was purchased by Nick Bradley from the Goresbridge 2021 Breeze Ups for 27,000 Guineas.

She was one of 195 2yos to breeze up the final 2 furlongs of the Newmarket Rowley Mile track in the first week of June.

She breezed very well recording a 10.95 first furlong (6th best of 195) before then becoming a little unbalanced in the dip and running the uphill second furlong in 11.27 (72nd best of 195) recording an overall time of 22.22 (22nd best of 195). This was a deceptively quick breeze, demonstrating blistering speed in the first furlong and a very good overall time.

Our filly stands at 15'3 and is a bigger model than the likes of Mas Poder which would suggest she is more a tomorrow horse than today. She is a very good mover and was covered in ringworm at the sales which would have surely had some effect on her well being. Once the ringworm has cleared up she will be alot better filly in herself.

She showed a high amount of ability in the breeze, coming from one of the lesser well known consignors and has a big potential upside for improvement despite already showing very good sale within her breeze.

She joins Kevin Ryan who trains Mas Poder who now heads to the Queen Mary on Friday. 

Costs: 

25% - £11,500 and £769 a month

12.5% - £5,750 and £389 a month

10% - £4,600 and £309 a month

5% - £2,300 and £169 a month

2.5% - £1,150 and £89 a month

No monthly fees until NOVEMBER 1st 2021