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Wednesday's (19 June) G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes (1993m) is being proclaimed as the race of the meeting, and that certainly says something considering the quality that is packed into Royal Ascot's 30 races spread over five enthralling days.
The main protagonists appear to be Magical and Sea Of Class - two superstar four-year-old fillies - whilst Waldgeist and Crystal Ocean are five-year-old horses blessed with huge middle-distance talent and both reportedly at their peak for this elite clash. The expected undercast is pretty hot also as it includes recent Longchamp G1 winner Zabeel Prince and Japan's G1 heroine Deidre, runner-up to Glorious Forever in December's G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin.
Magical has won all three starts this season and routed her rivals by seven lengths and upwards in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup (2100m) at The Curragh last month. Her trainer Aidan O'Brien has been leading trainer at Royal Ascot for the last four years and nine times altogether.
The Ballydoyle maestro said: “We always thought that she had the potential to improve from three to four and that seems to have been reflected in her form this year. She got a setback in the middle of last season but we have had a clear run with her this year and she seems to be thriving.”
Sea Of Class was narrowly beaten in a maiden last April on her first ever start. Amazingly, she had won two G1's by August and was last seen unleashing a spectacular late surge which only failed to catch Enable by a whisker in the most prestigious European prize of them all, the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (2400m).
News that Godolphin's Masar, the 2018 Derby winner at Epsom, was being switched to Saturday's G2 Hardwicke Stakes has resulted in jockey James Doyle describing himself as “ecstatic” that he can now resume his partnership with Sea Of Class.
Trainer William Haggas is thrilled too: “I am delighted that James is now available. He does not ride her at home but he knows everything about her on the racecourse.”
The daughter of Sea The Stars is coming down in trip for this reappearance but Haggas said: “I am not worried about that. I saw the great Japanese filly Almond Eye drop back in distance to brilliantly win the Dubai Turf (1800m) at Meydan in March, and my filly reminds me of her - they both sit very comfortably in their races and have so much pace.”
Waldgeist is also dropping in trip being a more familiar competitor over 2400m, though his winning romp in the G1 Prix Ganay in April - quite possibly a career best performance - was over just 2100m. He will be ridden by Pierre-Charles Boudot, fresh off his victory aboard Channel in the G1 Prix de Diane at Chantilly on Sunday.
Boudot is just 26 and one of his opponents in the Prince of Wales's Stakes will be the remarkable 48-year-old Frankie Dettori who rides the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Crystal Ocean for the first time.
Dettori rode his first G1 winner at Ascot (Markofdistinction) three years before Boudot was born and the famous Italian joked: “It sounds bad but I'm a veteran - I go to Royal Ascot and I'm like a fossil.”
But Dettori has ridden 60 winners at the royal meeting and it is famously unwise to underestimate his persistent skill and determination. Of Crystal Ocean, winner of both 2019 starts - G3's at Sandown and Newbury - the great jockey said: “He loves Ascot. He's two from two this year and he's a heavyweight, a proper horse who won't go down without a fight.”
