Rayif misses Ascot showdown

Rayif will miss an intended appearance in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot on Tuesday with the French Guineas winner not quite 100 per cent.

Francis-Henri Graffard’s colt was due to be taking on Bow Echo and Gstaad, the winner of the English and Irish Guineas respectively but he could now be aimed at the Prix Jean Prat instead.

Nemone Routh, racing manager to Rayif’s owner, the Aga Khan Studs, said: “It is nothing serious it is just that overnight he didn’t eat up and then this morning he had a mild temperature so we felt we couldn’t put him on the truck tonight because he was due to leave with Rayevka (runs in the King Charles III Stakes) .

“He is sound, he’s got no issues it is just that this has fallen at the wrong time.

“If he hadn’t had to be shipped tonight we might have declared and see how he was in the morning but because he had to get on a truck tonight we just felt it wasn’t the right thing to do for the horse so Francis decided not to declare him.

“She goes (Rayevka) and everyone else is fine. We think it is pretty minor and if it is we will reroute him to something like the Jean Prat or something like that (July 12 at Deauville).”

Despite Rayif’s absence the race is still intriguing with Bow Echo and Gstaad meeting again.

It is far from a two horse race, though, with Charlie Appleby’s Talk Of New York not making up the numbers given the style of his win in the Heron Stakes at Sandown.

George Boughey’s Bow Echo is due to go off favourite given his superiority over Gstaad at Newmarket but Aidan O’Brien’s runner has subsequently won the Irish Guineas at the Curragh.

Boughey decided to skip bidding for a second Guineas and explained: “He was doing a nice piece of work on the Friday morning some horses were shipping over to Ireland and having a hard race, so he’s been able to build up and hopefully peak on Tuesday.

“It’s a long game with this horse, I hope. He’s a horse who is going to keep on improving, there’s big days ahead of him and I had more confidence of having him right for Ascot by not going to Ireland.

“I would have fancied him on the day knowing how he worked on the Friday morning, but I thought for the longevity of the horse it was more important that he had the break.”

O’Brien also runs Puerto Rico, a dual Group One winner as a juvenile last season.

Power Blue and Lord Britain have also been declared.

The meeting gets off to a flyer with the Queen Anne Stakes which sees Lockinge winner Notable Speech looking to confirm his superiority over several he beat at Newbury.

They include More Thunder, Zeus Olympus, Damysus and Cicero’s Gift.

Last year’s winner Docklands is back again with Mark Zahra back on board while Opera Ballo, a stablemate of Notable Speech, will be ridden by Billy Loughnane in a field of nine.

A big field of 26 has been declared for the King Charles III Stakes, including American Affair, who handed Jim Goldie a first Group One winner 12 months ago.

Australian raiders Overpass and Asfoora will be joined by Monteille and Rayevka, both trained in France with Aidan O’Brien’s Mission Central the only runner from Ireland.

Night Raider, the supplemented Behike and the improving Rosy Affair have also been declared.

There is also a big field in the Coventry Stakes with O’Brien’s Confucius and Great Barrier Reef joined by the likes of Archie Watson’s Siouxperb, George Scott’s Mrair and Hamad Al Jehani’s Royal Heritage.

A maximum field of 20 are due to line up in the Ascot Stakes, 16 have been declared for the Wolferton while a maximum 16 and three reserves have been declared for the Copper Horse Stakes.