Early thoughts on our four entries at Royal Ascot on Tuesday

June 11

Like most stables on the run up to Royal Ascot, Alan has been selective in what he runs this week, but with Rockola landing her third win over hurdles at Worcester on Sunday and Midnight Rumble making the strongly-fancied Kitty Furnival pull out all thee stops for a hard-earned victory on the Flat at Lingfield today, all is well at Barbury as we go into Alan’s favourite race meeting of the year.

Alan has until 10am tomorrow to decide which of his three entries at Sandown, Hexham and Uttoxeter, will run on Saturday, but beforehand we have Brioni shouldering joint topweight in the mile and a quarter handicap at Sandown on Friday.

Brioni, a good winner over this trip at Ascot last September, has since twice disappointed on the Rowley Mile course at Newmarket, but Alan is not convinced that course brings out the best in him.

Granted, Brioni finished only eighth at York last month, but he was only a few lengths off the leaders and out on the wing entering the final furlong on the Knavesmire, so Rossa Ryan sensibly did not punish him unduly.

For me, Brioni ran much better than his finishing position might suggest, especially as the ground would be quicker than he prefers, and, with rain forecast in the Esher area on both Thursday and Friday, hopefully the going will be a tad easier than it was at Headquarters.

If Lola Moon could reproduce his Newbury run at Sandown on Saturday he would be a player in the maiden, while Sharp Glance, who looked to make hard work of landing the odds at Newton Abbot a fortnight ago, is better than that and should not be ignored if she runs at Hexham on Saturday.

Alan has four entries on the opening day of the Royal meeting. Tritonic would be interesting if he should happen to make the cut for the Ascot Stakes as he has dropped down the handicap and would be off a mark 15lb lower than when finishing third in this marathon two years ago.

We have three possible runners in the Copper Horse Handicap on Tuesday. HMS President, who was only beaten a neck in the Duke of the Edinburgh Handicap here 12 months ago, is trying to make it third time lucky at the meeting, having been a creditable fourth in the Golden Gates Handicap five years ago, while also entered in the Copper Horse are Loughville, who ran too free when disappointing at Goodwood last time, and Insanity, whose two best runs came on the Royal Heath.