ADAM KIRBY: Royal Ascot Wednesday

It was great to be back at Royal Ascot on Tuesday and although drawing a blank on the first day I got a real good spin from Autocratic who was staying on really well at the end of the closing Wolferton Stakes to take fourth and I think will do even better when stepped up again in trip.

For me, the ground was riding on the quicker side of good and there’s plenty of sunshine still forecast this week and no rain on the horizon either.

Again, I have four booked rides on the second day.

WEDNESDAY

ROYAL ASCOT

SHADES OF BLUE (2.30pm Queen Mary Stakes)

I think the absolute world of her and was so thrilled with the manner of her debut win over course and distance last month where she showed instant acceleration in the closing stages. She’s done really well since then and is in the very capable of hands of Clive Cox who I teamed up with 12 months ago to win this race onboard Heartache. Clearly it’s a step-up in class for Shades Of Blue but I really do think she can prove good enough to play a leading role, particularly as we already know that the track, distance and ground suit her. It’s hard to get a handle on how good Chelsea Cloisters could be. She romped home on debut at Keeneland and we all know what Wesley Ward is capable of producing here at Royal Ascot.

TRIBUTE ACT (3.40pm Duke Of Cambridge Stakes)

I ride her for the first time and take as a positive the fact she has run so well here at Ascot in her latest two starts when narrowly beaten. Whilst they were handicaps and she needs to find a bit – she is exactly the project horse that trainer James Fanshawe does so well with.  He certainly wouldn’t have supplemented her for this if he didn’t believe that she could get very competitive in what looks quite an open renewal of the Group 2 mile race for fillies. I went agonisingly close in this race last season on outsider Aljazzi who just found the French trained Qemah three quarters of a length too good and am looking forward to hopefully another big run today.

HORS DE COMBAT (5.00pm Royal Hunt Cup)

I’m drawn almost bang in the middle in 15 so one of the first decisions will be to work out a plan from the start. I tend to make these calls as late as possible as it’s ever changing. On Tuesday’s evidence low numbers looked to hold the sway but I’ll review based on the ground on Wednesday and how the early races go. Hors De Combat is a lovely horse and the quick ground is a positive. He needs to bounce back from recent form but this race has thrown up it’s fair share of surprise winners over the years – I won it on Field Of Dream back in 2014.

ANOTHER BATT (5.35pm Jersey Stakes)

I’m riding him for the first time and it’s good to team up with up and coming trainer George Scott. Another Batt has had a good season so far – finishing third in the European Free Handicap at Newmarket and then winning a Chester handicap. He needs to do better than at Goodwood last time out but that was his first trip around there and it’s a quirky circuit that some horses simply don’t handle. He’s in the mix on official ratings but I thought would need to produce a career best in this company.

Best Of Luck

ADAM

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