Bodog Beat

The Queen and the royal family were in attendance at the Royal Ascot. (AP Images)

England’s prestigious Royal Ascot meeting, which got underway Tuesday and closes on Saturday, offers an excellent preview of Europe’s potential starters in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Championship.

Tuesday’s opening card featured three Group 1 stakes with the highly anticipated St. James Palace Stakes for 3-year-old colts taking center stage. The well fancied Henrythenavigator, already a dual classic winner, proved a prompt favorite when he stormed down the long stretch to score a resounding victory for the Ballydoyle Stud of Ireland. Ridden by Johnny Murtagh for his world-famous conditioner Aidan O’Brien, Henrythenavigator set a new course record for Ascot’s Round Mile, a course that was newly renovated in 2005. Considered Europe’s premier miler, Henrythenavigator has charted his course to the Gr. 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile.

With the Queen and royal family in attendance on Wednesday, Ballydoyle struck again with another Breeders’ Cup potential starter. The 4-year-old Duke of Marmalade went to the post in the Group 1 Prince of Wales Stakes as the heavy favorite and didn’t disappoint when he trounced his opposition by four widening lengths. The strapping bay had previously accounted for the Gr. 1 Prix Ganay at Longchamp and Ireland’s Gr. 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, proving he can take his winning act on the road. His potential Breeders’ Cup options are the Mile or the Turf, contested at 1 ½ miles.

The 5-year-old French owned mare Sabana Perdida took the Group 2 Windsor Forest Stakes and her trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre indicated a future start in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf was a distinct possibility.

An American-bred broke through on Thursday with a front running victory in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes for juveniles. South Central, the overwhelming favorite of the large Ascot crowd remained undefeated after three starts, just holding on in the five furlong test to score by a head.

Thursday’s card was highlighted by the historic third consecutive victory by Yeats in the Group 1 Gold Cup. The Ballydoyle representative joined the mighty Sagaro as the only three-time winner of the prestigious race. Aidan O’Brien kept the winner’s options open, not ruling out a possible start in the Gr. 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf, a race Yeats appears well-suited for. A start in the ‘Turf would give North Americans a unique opportunity to see one of the world’s greatest racehorses in action.

Want to make the races more interesting? Get your horse betting odds in the Bodog Racebook today.