The Fallon Factor: “She’s beaten most of these and I think she’ll beat them all again”

2.30 Royal Ascot – Queen Anne Stakes

I’m going to sound like a broken record with everyone fancying him but I do like Ribchester in this race. He was very impressive last time too. Deauville’s an interesting one, but his best trip is a mile and a quarter so I think he’ll find a mile tough and he could get done for a turn of foot.

3.05 Royal Ascot – Coventry Stakes

This is going to be a great race. I like the look of De Bruyne Horse in here. He was very impressive at Epsom at it was a good, fast time as well. He looks like he’s got bags of improvement in him and Cardsharp, the horse he beat, was a good winner at Beverley. He’s got a rock-solid chance. Rajasinghe is worth a second look as well. He won at Newcastle very impressively in a good time. He was backed as if defeat was out of the question that day and he’s a nice horse for sure.

3.40 Royal Ascot – King’s Stand Stakes

Marsha’s one of my favourite horses in training. She’s a proper filly and gave them all weight and a trouncing last time. She’s beaten most of these and I think she’ll beat them all again. I didn’t ride a lot for her trainer Sir Mark Prescott but I did ride him a good few winners at a decent strike rate. He’s an excellent trainer and probably the most interesting man you can listen to in racing. He makes a lot of sense.

4.20 Royal Ascot – St James’s Palace Stakes

Churchill will win this race. He’s a horse that only ever does enough and is the sort that Aidan O’Brien does so well with. This type of horse just gets better and better with Aidan – think of Giant’s Causeway, Rock Of Gibraltar and Dylan Thomas – and Churchill looks the real deal. Knowing Aidan and how he trains I think this will be the best we’ve seen yet from Churchill. Barney Roy will give him a race without question and he was arguably unlucky in the 2,000 Guineas, but Churchill beat him and will do so again. It was the same in the Irish 2,000 Guineas as Thunder Snow looks like he’d win but Churchill was too good. I don’t know how Aidan does it but he gets this horses in a rhythm and the more the race the better they are.

5.00 Royal Ascot – Ascot Stakes

I liked the look of Thomas Hobson in this race but the ground’s going to be too quick for him. Instead Star Rider looks interesting to me. She stays well and has a good draw. You might think the draw doesn’t make much difference over 2m4f but it really does. If you get shuffled back too far they you’ve got to pass everyone in the straight and that’s hard work.

5.35 Royal Ascot – Windsor Castle Stakes

Wesley Ward’s horses are so hard to beat over 5f at Royal Ascot. They’re out of the gate and gone in a flash, which gives them a massive advantage over the rest of the horses. I wouldn’t know how good Elizabeth Darcy and Nootka Sound are, but they’ll be difficult to beat.

Good luck,
Kieren