Can any rivals throw down a challenge to 'enormously exciting' Lady Bowthorpe?

3.40 Royal Ascot
Duke of Cambridge Stakes (Group 2) | 1m | 4yo+ fillies and mares | ITV/Sky

This Group 2 revolves around whether you believe warm favourite Lady Bowthorpe is flattered by her latest performance.

Sent off at 22-1 for the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury last month, the William Jarvis-trained five-year-old produced a career-best performance by some way in finishing a length and a half runner-up to the mighty Palace Pier.

Racing Post Ratings suggest she ran to a level 8lb above what she had reached on her seasonal reappearance when beating Queen Power by a head in Newmarket's Group 2 Dahlia Stakes.

It is fair to say that Palace Pier beat Lady Bowthorpe comfortably, but it is equally pertinent that she pulled five and a half lengths clear of the third, Top Rank.

Milers of the calibre of Lord Glitters, Happy Power, Lope Y Fernandez and Century Dream all finished well adrift of Lady Bowthorpe, and it would be churlish to simply stress that they all ran well below their best.

While the Lockinge career-best was the 13th start of Lady Bowthorpe's career, the evidence from 2021 suggests she has been a slow-burner and has made significant improvement this year.

A mere reproduction of that Lockinge performance ought to be good enough to land this lesser race against members of her own sex, and that's without factoring in the distinct possibility of even further progress. The daughter of Nathaniel should prove very difficult to beat.

Queen Power is officially rated 4lb inferior to Lady Bowthorpe, having been 1lb behind her big rival when they clashed at Newmarket last month.

Queen Power: demolished her rivals in the Group 2 Middleton Fillies' Stakes at YorkCredit: Edward Whitaker

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained mare only went down by a head, but the way in which Lady Bowthorpe travelled into the race suggests she is value for more than the official margin.

Queen Power has since seen her own rating rise by 6lb following an eight-length York demolition of Chamade in the Group 2 Middleton Fillies' Stakes over 1m2½f at the Dante meeting.

That was also a career-best effort, and perhaps she too is now starting to blossom having performed below market expectations on several occasions last season.

While the drop back to a mile may not be ideal for her, Queen Power still looks the biggest threat to the favourite.

Chris Wall places his runners extremely well, so the fact that he pitches the rapidly progressive Double Or Bubble straight into Group 2 company on the back of a deeply impressive Newmarket handicap success off 91 speaks volumes for the regard in which he holds the four-year-old daughter of Exceed And Excel.

She certainly looked a Group-class filly when slamming Symbolize by three and three-quarter lengths on the Rowley Mile, and was a strong market fancy to follow up in a Lingfield Group 3 last month prior to her withdrawal on account of unsuitably soft ground.

A winner over 7f under James Doyle at Ascot last September, she ought to improve for her first venture at a mile, and it would be no surprise were she to enter the frame.

Double Or Bubble: steps up to Group company for the first timeCredit: Alan Crowhurst

John Gosden has won this race twice in the last decade with Nazeef (2020) and Joviality (2012).

His Indie Angel, fourth behind Lady Bowthorpe and Queen Angel at Newmarket, may lack the scope of some, but a big run would not surprise on ground she enjoys.
Race analysis by Richard Birch

'We're enormously excited about being involved with a filly like this'

It has been 27 years since trainer William Jarvis last enjoyed success at Royal Ascot when Grand Lodge captured the 1994 St James's Palace Stakes.

Throughout that summer, Wet Wet Wet were telling us that Love Is All Around and victory for Lady Bowthorpe in the Duke of Cambridge for Jarvis and owner Emma Banks, a leading agent in the music industry, would be deeply loved by many supporting the likely favourite.

Jarvis might not quite be able to feel victory in his fingers and toes, to paraphrase the famous opening lines from the song, but it would be fair to say the trainer is tingling with excitement at the prospect of his stable star lining up with a leading chance at Royal Ascot.

"We're enormously excited about being involved with a filly like this," he said. "She's got to run up to how she did in the Dahlia and the Lockinge to justify her place at the head of the market but I'm really happy with her."

Lady Bowthorpe followed up her win in the Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket with a second to Palace Pier in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes, but despite those impressive performances this season Jarvis is eager not to write off the opposition his runner is facing at Ascot.

"I respect the opposition greatly," he said. "She's meeting Lavender's Blue on 3lb worse terms for winning a head and a neck at Newmarket but this is where we want to be competing and she's in really good form.

"I would love to see a shower of rain but I don't think we're going to get that. However, if she runs somewhere like her runs already this season she'll be highly competitive."

What they say

Thady Gosden, joint-trainer of Indie Angel
She's taken her time to come to hand this year but she's a Listed winner and we expect the track and trip to suit her. It's a very competitive race but she likes top of the ground so hopefully she can run a nice race.

Thady Gosden, co-trainer of Indie Angel: 'she's a Listed winner and we expect the track and trip to suit her'Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Ben Coen, rider of Champers Elysees
I think the ground, and the strong pace, is going to suit her. She's going to have to improve on the form of her first two starts this season but I'm hoping she'll run a nice race and we're happy that she's in good form at home.

Jessica Harrington, trainer of Valeria Messalina
She's a very good filly on her day and was unlucky not to win a Group 3 at Goodwood last year. She's quite lightly raced and nice ground will be in her favour.

Alastair Donald, racing manager for King Power Racing, owners of Queen Power
She ran well in this race last year and is coming off the back of an impressive performance where it was good to see her relax better. Everything looks right and I would say we were maybe caught for fitness a little bit when Lady Bowthorpe beat us at Newmarket. That said, she's still the one to beat.

Chris Wall, trainer of Double Or Bubble
This will be a big step up in class for her, coming out of handicaps into a Group 2. She's a very relaxed filly and so I don't think she'll have any problems with the extra furlong, and the fast ground will suit as long as the showers stay away.

Charlie Fellowes, trainer of Onassis
She loves Ascot and ran on rattling quick ground in France last year so have no worries about that. She loves to be switched off and delivered late, so the straight mile at Ascot suits. She's been training well and this looks the right race for her to be in.
Reporting by Peter Scargill

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