TUESDAY 3.05pm
G2 Coventry Stakes
6f
ROYAL HERITAGE
3rd
RULER’S PRIDE
17th
FINAL OBJECTIVE
7th
What the jockeys said
Race report
21 juvenile colts across the track. Throw in the pageantry and an enthusiastic festival crowd and this was quite a test for two-year-old colts, in many cases – including all three Wathnan runners – experiencing a racecourse for just the second time. Royal Heritage, Final Objective and Ruler’s Pride all ran encouraging races, rather tangling up with one another as things got serious, with Final Objective hampering both our other two. Ruler’s Pride, in particular, was inconvenienced, and he was allowed to coast home afterwards.
The James Doyle-ridden Royal Heritage was beaten under a length into third – his sire, Blue Point, was third in this, too – battling extremely well and running on up the hill and through the line in the manner of a colt who will excel over 7f in time. Final Objective stepped up markedly on his debut second, just reversing places with his easy conqueror last time. Ruler’s Pride was always in the front rank. The interference ended his chances but equally jockey James McDonald reported that he’d be more likely to excel over a shorter distance. Coolmore-owned colt Great Barrier Reef – with two runs under his belt – defied a low draw to win the day.
FULL RACE REPLAY
Preview
The first Group race on the two-year-olds’ calendar, and now in its 136th running. the Coventry frequently demands a first class effort in victory. Some of the great names of the breed have been successful here: immense speed influence Nasrullah back in the war years; the ‘spotted wonder’ The Tetrarch a century or so ago; and Derby-winning all-time-great Mill Reef in 1970.
Wathnan has hit the post and the crossbar in the race before, when Electrolyte and Columnist ran second and third in 2024, the pair separated by just a head, and a nose behind the winner, who ran all alone on the far side of the course.
Aiming to run a few centimetres quicker this year, is Ruler’s Pride. He’s bred to excel at Royal Ascot: his sire, Mehmas, was second in this race ten years ago, and his dam’s sister is Campanelle, winner of both the Queen Mary Stakes and the Commonwealth Cup at this meeting. Speed: it runs (very fast) in the family.
Should Royal Heritage also make the line up, it’s because he’s come out of his winning debut up at Hamilton on Thursday evening in flying form. The Hamad Al-Jehani-trained colt is well named: he’s the son of a triple Royal Ascot winner. Hamad also runs Final Objective who was second on his debut to Mrair, another of today’s rivals, who’d had the benefit of a previous run. He’ll need to do better for the experience – but he’s sure to.
They burn with the incandescence of youth. The Royal Ascot two-year-olds. Gilded youngsters, so desired by all who live and breathe the thoroughbred. Karl Burke specialises in Royal Ascot two-year-olds. He’s won no fewer than six juvenile trophies here, including two for Wathnan Racing. This week, he saddles three more for us. Are they as special as they’ll need to be?
Trainer Hamad Al-Jehani discusses his two G2 Coventry Stakes prospects.
"Our jockey prefers Royal Heritage but I’d rather be on Ruler’s Pride!”
Racing adviser Richard Brown
