Ascot / Timeform / 15 June 2010 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

With the five-day Royal Meeting now just around the corner, Timeform's Irish team give you six raiders from the Emerald Isle to watch out for in the coming days, including their idea of the Irish 'banker'...

Rip Van Winkle
A mouth-watering opening to Royal Ascot 2010 which sees the leading milers from Britain, Ireland and France coming together. Rip Van Winkle showed himself right out of the top drawer last term when giving Sea The Stars a scare in the Eclipse before taking the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood (beat Britain's best Paco Boy by two and a half lengths) and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes here at Ascot. He'll need to bring his A-Game to account for Goldikova and reports suggest his preparation hasn't been the smoothest, but that is now factored into his price, currently trading at around [5.0], and for one who ended last term being ridden prominently, a back-to-lay policy could pay dividends.

Steinbeck
Just over an hour later we see Makfi and Canford Cliffs, winners of the 2000 Guineas and Irish 2000 Guineas respectively, cross swords for the second time this season in the St James's Palace Stakes. Both are clearly high-class milers but lurking in the wings is Steinbeck, who will end up in that bracket himself before long judged on his Dewhurst second, as well as an eye-catching fourth to Canford Cliffs at the Curragh on his belated return, when looking rusty and getting going too late. At current odds of around [8.2] he looks a value bet.

Zoffany
On a big day for Ballydoyle, Zoffany and Samuel Morse put their reputations on the line in the Coventry Stakes. Zoffany is all about style over substance so far, his two wins coming in small-field events in poor times. However, the overwhelming impression has been that he's a smart performer in the making, and though the hustle and bustle of the Coventry will be a new experience for him, he has the assistance of Johnny Murtagh and it will take a good one to lower his colours. Samuel Morse has achieved the more of the pair, winning a listed race at the Curragh last time in really taking style, forced to wait for a gap before picking up well, and he could easily prove Zoffany's chief opponent if both stand their ground (as seems likely at the time of writing).

Meow
The expression 'Irish banker' is synonymous with Cheltenham in March rather than Ascot in June, but if there is one horse who deserves that tag this year then it's Meow in the Queen Mary. Bred to be speedy, by Storm Cat and out of Airwave, she's shown that asset in abundance on both starts, only failing to win on her debut at Dundalk due to greenness before making no mistake next time up at Tipperary, destroying her field to win by seven lengths in a good time. That form has been upheld since and, with no Americans to worry about, she will take plenty of beating despite her wide draw.

Mikhail Glinka
First things first; yes Mikhail Glinka has his share of quirks, a high head carriage the most obvious manifestation, but he also has plenty of ability and untapped potential as a stayer, and these are the things to be focusing on in the Queen's Vase. A slightly unusual contest, in that it's as much about assessing how these three-year-olds will cope with the marathon trip of two miles, as well as the level of ability they have already shown, Mikhail Glinka looks tailor made for the test in store, everything he's done so far suggesting he's a strong-galloping stayer (something backed up by his pedigree). He will hold a favourite's chance.

Bangalore Gold
With doubts about Dandy Boy's ability to fully see out a mile in the Royal Hunt Cup, David Marnane's best hope of adding to his tally of winners in Britain may well be Bangalore Gold in the Buckingham Palace Stakes on Friday. Bangalore Gold looked unlucky not to win on his first start for this yard at Leopardstown and duly made no mistake at the Curragh later in May, overcoming his draw to get on top close home without his rider getting overly serious. A 9 lb rise looks plenty on the face of it, but the form of that Curragh win has been franked by the second and third since, and everything about this horse's profile points to a him developing into a smart performer at 7f/1m before the season is out.