[this month's diary]

Updated: 1st June 2007 - GG.com

June's Vintage Crop

Sixties Icon is sure to take all the beating
in the Coronation Cup
© racing-images.co.uk

June is a high point in the Flat turf season’s roller-coaster journey, and the month’s two major destinations are the two-day Epsom Derby meeting followed by the five days of top-class racing at Royal Ascot.

Now that the wrinkles have been smoothed out of Ascot’s recent construction work, the stage is set for a feast of superb action at the Berkshire course with punters primed to take some big shots at the quality on show while the Derby seems more at home in its recent Saturday slot, rescued from the backwaters of a Wednesday in June and given a perch more in keeping with the modern age.

Epsom lights the blue touch paper with the Group 1 Vodafone Oaks on June 1 and all eyes well be upon Henry Cecil’s Passage Of Time, who looks set to give the master of Warren Place his first fillies’ Classic since Love Divine landed the 2000 Oaks. On the same day the 2006 St Leger hero Sixties Icon is sure to take all the beating in the Coronation Cup, a Group 1 contest over 1m 4f for older horses.

The Vodafone Derby occupies pride of place on June 2 and features a red-hot favourite in the shape of Authorized, a ridiculously easy winner of the Dante Stakes, the Derby’s best trial and barring accidents it is hard to see what can beat the Peter Chapple-Hyam-trained colt. A fluent and easy mover, he has a high cruising speed and more worryingly for all his opponents he also possesses stunning acceleration at the end of his races.

Watching the Derby field stream around Tattenham Corner before launching itself up that long and tilting home straight remains one of Flat racing’s greatest thrills and it seems certain that Authorized will be showing rivals such as Salford Mill and Archipenko, the merest glimpse of his bay flanks before settings sail for classic glory with Frankie Dettori on board.

June 3 is the date and Chantilly the setting for the Prix du Jockey-Club, or French Derby as it is more widely known and the claims of Lawman, a recent Chantilly winner, are hard to resist. Jean-Marie Beguigne’s smart colt may have most to fear from Pascal Bary’s progressive Zambezi Sun, twice a winner at Longchamp this term. Bary boasts an exemplary record in the Jockey Club, winning the race with Celtic Arms, Ragmar, Dream Well, Sulamani and Blue Canari since 1994.

On June 7 the Timeform organization sponsors the Silver Salver Stakes at Haydock in a quiet domestic period while over at Chantilly on June 10 we have the Prix de Diane Hermes, France’s version of the Oaks and this year’s race looks at the mercy of Darjina, the recent last-gasp conqueror of Finsceal Beo in a thrilling finish to the French 1,000 Guineas.

Five of the very best days of Flat racing to be found anywhere in the world begins on June 19 with the first day of Royal Ascot and the day’s highlights are the Group 1 Queen Anne and St James’s Palace Stakes over a mile. In the former contest George Washington could return to action after a barren period at stud to face a stern challenge from Red Evie and Ramonti, the first two home in the Group1 Lockinge Stakes and Manduro, France’s fast-developing mile specialist under Andre Fabre’s watchful gaze. In the Coventry Stakes for two-year-olds Amanda Perrett’s Coasting looks the best of the home-trained challenge, trying avenge the defeat of the same stable’s Jo’Burg in the same race twelve months ago while Ireland’s Henrythenavigator has looked something special so far this season.

On June 20 there may well be an epic struggle of the sexes in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes when Dylan Thomas locks horns with France’s flying filly Mandesha, the latter looked a performer from out of the top-drawer last term and her connections have signaled their intention of seeking success at Royal Ascot, a move that surely spells trouble for her illustrious rivals.

A huge field is sure to go to post for the Royal Hunt Cup on the 20th and this is one of the meeting’s biggest betting heats. Class and courage feature prominently in the make-up of any would-be winner and those two qualities can be found in Pride of Nation and Wise Dennis.

The Ascot Gold Cup is the highlight on June 21 and this looks like offering Yeats the 2006 hero, a second stayers’ crown. Aidan O’Brien’s classy sort was an easy winner twelve months ago and has looked a cut above most of his rivals in this sluggers’ division. Home-based hero Sergeant Cecil has made the switch from handicaps to pattern class with aplomb and looks the one most likely to give Yeats a scrap while Allegreto is the dark horse of the race.

Friday’s action features the Coronation Stakes, a Group1 race over a mile for the fillies while on the Royal meeting’s closing day the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes might well provide Ask with an ideal opportunity for trainer Sir Michael Stoute to annex this prize once more while in the Wokingham Stakes, James Fanshawe’s late-maturing type Zidane looks best to avenge the narrow and luckless defeat of the same stable’s Firenze in last year’s race.

Finally, June’s action climaxes in France with the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on June 24 where there is a whisper for Andre Fabre’s Royal And Regal while in Britain the Northumberland Plate on June 30 brings the curtain down on a superb month’s action with the race for the Pitmen’s Derby at Newcastle. Trainer Paul Cole has won this contest several times in recent seasons and is aiming to do so again with Strategic Mount, the yard’s classy stayer.

Malcolm Heyhoe is GG.com's resident tipster contributing a daily "Best Bets" column and a weekly feature called "The Weekend File". He is also a tipster for the Racing Post Weekender, contributor to The Guardian and has written on racing for Sporting Life, Racing Post, Irish Examiner and The Independent newspaper.

Malcolm Heyhoe writes weekly horse racing articles for GG.COM-Horse racing betting, information, news, results and free daily tips

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