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Club horses in sparkling form ahead of Royal Ascot week

16 June 2017

Club horses have been in good form recently, with Top Tug winning a very competitive handicap at Goodwood on 27 May, before Tribute Act became our most recent Club winner at Kempton on 14 June. Top Tug won the 1m6f Gentleman's Handicap under in-form Andrea Atzeni, who rode the Club's popular chestnut with supreme confidence, despite appearing to be surrounded by a wall of horses with a furlong and a half to run. When a gap came, Top Tug quickened up superbly to record his first victory over this distance. Whilst this puts the Ebor Handicap on the agenda in August, a more pressing assignment is the Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap at Royal Ascot next Friday, for which he will carry top weight. Top Tug has now won on the all-weather, over hurdles and on turf in Club colours, and has proved to be an invaluable member of the string already. A fast-run 1m4f should suit him at the Royal Meeting and, with the forecast currently set fair, he could run well on his favoured fast ground.

Tribute Act's first race of the season didn't go to plan, as rain fell throughout the day and turned the Newmarket turf soft. She then walked out of the stalls, which left her with ground to make up in testing conditions. To her credit, she ran on to finish fourth, but she looked much more assured returning to Kempton on the all-weather, where she won her first ever race last October. She travelled superbly well under Tom Queally, after again being slowly away, but sprinted through a group of previous winners with notable ease and looked most impressive. Her trainer, James Fanshawe, was delighted with her victory and hopes to keep her in similar company for the time being, before potentially stepping up into Pattern company.

Next week, as well as Top Tug, we potentially have Marsha to look forward to in the King's Stand Stakes on Tuesday. She is currently joint-favourite with the American super-filly Lady Aurelia, who worked on the Ascot turf during the week. Marsha's trainer, Sir Mark Prescott, is very happy with her well being and her jockey, Luke Morris, has voiced his excitement about riding her in the racing press this week. We hope for a magnificent week at the Royal Meeting, which is arguably the highlight of the sporting calendar for many.