Eagle bids to continue Irish success at Ascot

Irish-trained horses got off to a flier on day one at Royal Ascot with the St James's Palace Stakes victory of Gleneagles the highlight of a spectacular treble.

An opening day attendance of 47,250 (up 1,200 on the corresponding day last year) also saw Clondaw Warrior take the Ascot Stakes and Washington Dc land the Windsor Castle Stakes.

The raiding party is numerically weaker this afternoon but the reappearance of Free Eagle in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes holds plenty of interest.

The lightly-raced son of High Chaparral faces eight rivals, with California Chrome scratched due to a bruised foot, and is generally the 3/1 favourite for this ten-furlong Group 1.

Connections have always held the Moyglare home-bred in the highest regard, and he finished a close-up third in the Qipco Champion Stakes on just his fourth start here last autumn.

"Free Eagle is in good form, we're very happy with him. We'd have loved to have got a run into him before a race like this, but it wasn't to be," said regular partner Pat Smullen.

He added, "He's in tremendous form and everybody knows what I think of him. Let's hope we have a good run round and whatever happens, I think we'll have a lovely season with him."

Four Irish challengers line-up in the opening Jersey Stakes including Sir Isaac Newton who bids to provide Aidan O'Brien with his third winner at the meeting, while Cry Me A River in the Queen Mary and Piri Wango (Hunt Cup) are the other Irish runners on day two.