No Maljoom, no problem as Quddwah and Embesto give Sheikh Ahmed a Summer Mile stranglehold

Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum has had a stranglehold on this race since the five-day stage on Monday, when his Maljoom was the early favourite and Quddwah was second.

However, Maljoom hasn’t made the final declarations and instead it’s Quddwah and Embesto who represent the owner.

That would suggest there must be a lot of confidence behind them – otherwise Maljoom would surely be lining up – and Quddwah, in particular, comes in with an exciting profile.

The Simon and Ed Crisford-trained son of Kingman is unbeaten in three starts and took the step up to Listed company in his stride when landing the Paradise Stakes at this course in May. The runner-up, Docklands, went on to finish second in a Group 1 next time.

That marks Quddwah down as a miler with the potential to go right to the top, and the only question that remains is: can he transfer that straight course form to Ascot’s round mile?

Races run around a bend are often more stop-start than those on the straight course, which tend to be run at an end-to-end pace, and Quddwah isn’t the only one who needs to prove he can still be effective. Sonny Liston is an Ascot straight course specialist, so how will he fare?

Twice second in the Royal Hunt Cup, Sonny Liston seems best suited by big-field handicaps, given his four highest Racing Post Ratings have been achieved in such races on straight tracks.

This will be an entirely different test that may suit a horse with more tactical speed, so he is passed over, and maybe Epictetus, who has recorded his last two wins against four and six rivals respectively, is the one who will be best suited by the way the race is run.

However, it will be a shame if there isn’t something better than him in a race that can sometimes prove a stepping stone to the top level.
Race analysis by Graeme Rodway

Lightly raced Quddwah bids to remain unbeaten

A chance at the top level may have eluded Quddwah last month, but Simon and Ed Crisford are hoping to gain compensation for missing Royal Ascot in the Summer Mile.

The four-year-old extended his unbeaten run with victory in the Listed Paradise Stakes in May but was forced to skip the Queen Anne following bad blood results the week before the royal meeting.

Quddwah instead steps up into Group 2 company for the mile contest, in which he heads the market on just his fourth career start after making his debut last year.

"It's a shame that he had to miss Royal Ascot with a bad blood count," said joint-trainer Ed Crisford. "The form of the Listed race he won at Ascot in May is very good. We need to get more races under his belt, but he's a very exciting horse."

What they say

Charlie Hills, trainer of Ancient Rome
I was really pleased with him at Ascot; it was his first run for a long time. He travelled beautifully and then blew up. The step down to a mile is in his favour and I'm excited about this race.

Richard Brown, racing adviser to Wathnan Racing, owners of Beshtani
He's in good form. He's got a big task on his hands, but he needs to get his toe into the ground. He ran brilliantly on his first run at Epsom, but Ascot was a bit of a non-event. We're giving him a go, as if not he'd be stood in his stable for a lot of the season.

Roger Varian, trainer of Embesto
He seems in great form, but he hasn't quite fired in his two runs so far this year. He had a little bit of a break after Epsom and looks a picture now. He's training nicely and hopefully he gets back on track here.

Thady Gosden, joint-trainer of Epictetus
He didn't get the run of the race at Epsom last time and we're putting a visor on him for the first time to help sharpen him up.

Marco Botti, trainer of Royal Dubai
He showed good form at Epsom when finishing second last time. I thought he ran well, but the ground is key for him. We've been hoping conditions keep drying out because it's been on the soft side and he does need good to good-to-firm ground. This is another step up in class and he's taking on some nice horses, but he's improved a lot and this is his best trip. We're hopeful of a good run, but we'll just keep monitoring the forecast.

Ralph Beckett, trainer of Sonny Liston
We don't need rain for Sonny Liston and he likes Ascot. He hasn't run on a round track for a little while but I think this race will set up well for him.
Reporting by Catherine Macrae

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