'She's improving all the time' - leading juvenile fillies clash in wide-open Queen Mary

Edges in racing and betting never last forever. Wesley Ward is now suspect number one with bookmakers for the Royal Ascot juvenile races and his runners are generally overbet as a consequence.

The Ward-Royal Ascot love affair began in 2009 and punters who backed all 85 of the trainer's runners at the meeting to £1 stakes would have nailed 12 winners and clinched a £30.50 profit. If commencing that strategy in 2019, you would have lost £17.50. 

It is perhaps more of a scattergun approach from Ward nowadays. He is 2-29 in that timeframe (including his runners on Tuesday) and 1-21 (-£15.50) with the juveniles he is rightly lauded for specialising with.

One third of the stable's winners here have come in the Queen Mary and Bundchen needs to prove she can see out five furlongs on Ascot's stiff course, having made her debut over four and a half furlongs on the dirt at Keeneland.

Royal Ascot juvenile races are volatile by nature and this race lacks a standout among the 28 runners, as evidenced by an early show of 4-1 the field, with just three sprinters widely available at single-figure odds. 

Debut scorer Beautiful Diamond shows up well on Racing Post Ratings. Got To Love A Grey, Midnight Affair and Relief Rally are also bang there.  

They are all drawn middle to high and that is typically the place to be in the Queen Mary. With the exception of the Ward-trained Campanelle's strike from stall one in 2020, every winner across the last decade has been in stall 12 or higher. 

Matters are complicated by an uncertain going description. If juice remains in the ground at Ascot then the additional US challenge of Crimson Advocate and Cynane will be compromised and French sprinter Balsam's claims boosted. 

Perhaps the filly with more upside than is inferred in the betting is the Oisin Murphy-ridden Out Of The Stars, who is drawn in stall seven, the same berth as 2022 runner-up Maylandsea. Archie Watson's two strikes at the royal meeting before Bradsell's King's Stand victory on Tuesday came in two-year-old races and she overcame a desperately slow start and greenness to make a winning debut at Kempton.
Race analysis by Robbie Wilders

Morley: 'To win a race here would be enormous'

Victory for Cynane would be particularly sweet for New York-based expat Tom Morley.

His uncle David Morley won the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot with Celeric in 1997, while the meeting was on his agenda during a four-year stint as Jeremy Noseda's assistant, which included helping prepare the gambled-on Laddies Poker Two to land the 2010 Wokingham.

Morley then headed to the States, where he started training ten years ago.

Celeric: his royal win was a fond one for MorleyCredit: Smith Phil

A Grade 1-winning trainer there, he said: "When we saw this filly at the Keeneland September Sale, I really had a feeling that I was looking at a horse that was very similar to the type that my ex-boss Jeremy Noseda went to the US and purchased with a view to races like the Cheveley Park and the Queen Mary. 

"It has always been in the back of my mind that maybe she could turn out to be a Royal Ascot filly if she was precocious enough and if she was fast enough to win on her debut. Fast forward to five weeks ago at Belmont when she crossed the line and the dream was really in motion then."

Morley, thrilled with his filly's condition following her journey to Britain, added: "A win at Royal Ascot would mean the world to me, my family, my business. It would be a big boost to all of us. This is one of the absolute pinnacle meetings around the world and Britain's premier meeting. To win a race here would be enormous. I'm not sure that I could actually take in what it would mean to win.

"My mother and father took me out of school when Celeric won the Gold Cup and that was the first time I went to Royal Ascot and the last time that I ever considered doing anything else in my life but training racehorses."

What they say

Henri-Francois Devin, trainer of Balsam
She's a real five-furlong filly and she's already won her Listed race, so there's not much to lose running in a Group race. This is her trip and she comes into the race with a bit of experience and freshness. The filly is very well and there's no reason not to run. I think the draw [in among the favourites] will suit her but we'll leave that to Ryan Moore.

Ed Walker, trainer of Cotai Vision
We think she's quite nice and greenness didn't do her any favours at Lingfield on her debut. She'll be much better for that run.

Richard Hannon, trainer of Gaiden
She is a lovely filly who progressed nicely from her debut at Windsor before a great effort in a Listed race at York where she finished her race very well, which is what I like to see. She takes on Got To Love A Grey and Relief Rally again but there's not much between them and she is improving all the time. I can definitely see her closing the gap and this stiff finish will really suit.

Oliver Cole, joint-trainer of Hot Front
I think she's got a bad draw in one but she's a very quick filly. We trained her mother who was also quick and I think she'll run a good race – but I couldn't be confident with the draw.

Juniper Berries: should go close according to trainer Eve Johnson HoughtonCredit: Dan Mullan

Eve Johnson Houghton, trainer of Juniper Berries
She was a bit fresh in the early stages at Salisbury and did really well to finish as close as she did considering she ran with the choke out for two furlongs. She won't be as fresh this time and will be there or thereabouts.    

Archie Watson, trainer of Out Of The Stars
She's a very talented filly and we've deliberately waited to come here after her maiden win. I've been happy with her homework and she has a high level of ability. I hope she can be a good, high-stakes filly this season.

William Haggas, trainer of Relief Rally
She's very well and she'll enjoy the rain. I'm very happy with her, she's won two okay races but she won both in good style and I hope she can show what she's got.

Dominic Ffrench Davis, trainer of Thanksbutnothanks
She's quite speedy and did it nicely at Lingfield but I don't think the form is anything to write home about. She's a nice little filly going forward and hopefully she's not just making up the numbers.

Wesley Ward, trainer of Bundchen
She's a beautiful filly and she was a $700,000 yearling. Her debut was on dirt and she ran a very good race to be beaten a nose but turf would be her preferred surface, and her subsequent work on the turf has been outstanding. She does compare to some of the winners I've had in this race, she's not up with Lady Aurelia yet but we're very hopeful.
Reporting by James Burn

Read more of Wednesday's previews:

'Hopefully she can be seriously involved' - Joseph O'Brien teams up with Aussie ace McDonald 

A polarising favourite against a Dettori-ridden Group 1 winner - how do Jumbly and Prosperous Voyage match up? 

Race to savour: big guns ready to rumble in mouthwatering Prince of Wales's  

Ante-post gamble Perotto 'has great credentials' - but who else has been laid out for the Royal Hunt Cup? 

Can the unbeaten Gregory follow in the footsteps of Stradivarius by landing Queen's Vase for Gosdens? 

'I think he'll run a very big race' - expert analysis and trainer quotes for the Windsor Castle 

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