Strong Irish challenge on day two at Royal Ascot Belloccio struck for Willie Mullins in the finale yesterday at Royal Ascot and there is plenty of Irish interest this afternoon with a total of 26 runners on day two. The £1,000,000 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes is the highlight on today’s card at 4.25pm and the Aidan O’Brien-trained Auguste Rodin heads the market at a general 13/8 against nine rivals in this ten-furlong test. The son of Deep Impact has enjoyed his best days so far over a mile and a half with Derby wins at Epsom and the Curragh last year before recording a memorable triumph in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita. He disappointed earlier this year at Meydan before finding White Birch too good last month in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh and connections will be hoping he can regain the winning thread with stablemate Hans Andersen also in the line-up. The action gets underway at 2.30 with the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes and O’Brien’s Truly Enchanting and the Diego Dias-trained Make Haste are both at the head of a very open-looking market with 25 fillies set to go to post. The Ballydoyle trainer also has two strong contenders in the other juvenile race on the card, the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at 6.15, with Ryan Moore preferring Treasure Isle over Celtic Chieftain. O’Brien also mounts a powerful challenge in the Group 2 Queen’s Vase Stakes (3.05) where Lingfield Derby Trial runner-up Illinois is joined by impressive Leopardstown maiden winner Highbury while the Jessica Harrington-trained Birdman is another to note in this 1m6f event. The Duke Of Cambridge Stakes (3.45) is another Group 2 contest on this afternoon’s card and Joseph O’Brien’s Rogue Millennium renews rivalry with Ocean Jewel after the latter came out on top for trainer Willie McCreery in the Lanwades Stud Stakes at the Curragh last month. The Royal Hunt Cup (5.05) is a typically wide-open affair with 30 runners charging up the straight mile and Dermot Weld’s Coeur D’or should go well following a promising reappearance over an inadequate six furlongs at the Curragh. The going remains good to firm following watering overnight with 5mm put on the straight course and 4mm on the round course. The attendance at Royal Ascot yesterday was 43,791 which was nearly 2,000 up on the corresponding day last year.
