Trainer James Tate is hoping Royal Aclaim can book her ticket to the top level when she makes her seasonal return in Saturday's Betfred Temple Stakes at Haydock Park.
The daughter of Aclaim is set for her sixth career start in the £125,000 Group Two feature of three days Flat action at the Merseyside track after being among the 15 high-class entries for the five-furlong sprint. The four-year-old is a best-priced 5-1 with Coral to land a first success in Pattern company.
Royal Aclaim missed most of her two-year-old campaign in 2021 after injury in the build-up to the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot prevented her from lining up. But she returned last summer to win twice, including the Listed City Wall Stakes at York in July, before finishing sixth behind Highfield Princess in the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes and third in a Group Three at ParisLongchamp. Tate believes she has the ability to mix it at the top level in the sprinting division and a good run in the Temple Stakes on Saturday could book a spot in the Group One King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot next month.
Tate said: “Here we are back with Royal Aclaim with another winter on her back and she appears very well at home and I’m excited for the year. We have had a lot of frustrating points and that happens to all trainers but hopefully this story can still have a fairytale ending. The sprinting division is often open at this stage of the year and we don’t know what will turn out to be best. Stars always emerge in the sprinting division and we are hoping she will be one of them. She is a bit bigger and a bit stronger but she is really well in herself at the moment and is moving really well. We are really hopeful she can pick up where she left off and improve a little bit. She has only had five races in her life so surely she is going to improve.”
He added: “We were very nervous going into Bath (on her first start last season) as she did have a significant injury at two. It was lovely to get Bath out the way then when she won the Listed race at York nearly on the bridle we thought here we go now. The other two runs last season were solid as opposed to spectacular. She was sixth in the Nunthorpe. She was probably on the wrong side of the track at York that day as you don’t want to be near that inside rail by the time they have had a few races.
“Then it was a little bit similar in France where we went for a Group Three in France which worked out very well as it turned out to have the placed horses in the Abbaye in. The ground was a little softer than ideal and our draw was a little wider than ideal. Bath though was a case of is she going to be okay after coming back from injury and is she going to show what we think she has got so it was a huge relief when she won that race.”
Tate has sent out some smart Group race sprinters like Far Above and Invincible Army in the past but he believes Royal Aclaim may be even better and could provide him with a first victory at the top level this season. He said: “In natural talent at home she is right at the top but it is about what they can do on the track and she needs to just a little bit more streetwise and get those sprinting muscles.
“Invincible Army was race hardened. I know he won a Group Three as a two year old but he learnt that over time. As Highfield Princess showed you need to race these sprinters. I don’t think I’m being unreasonably optimistic in saying she should be better this year. Sadly I haven’t got a Group One on the CV yet. She has definitely got the talent but she has obviously only got five runs to her belt. We are hoping she can add the other weapons to her armoury and do it for us.”
Royal Aclaim is also entered in the Listed EBF British Stallion Studs Cecil Frail at Haydock 24 hours before the Temple Stakes, but Tate says that is just a back-up plan. He added: “The only reason we have given her the Cecil Frail entry is if there was a thunderstorm around on the Saturday she is not at her best on soft ground. The other reason is it is a bit tempting to try six furlongs one day as she has only ever done five and we are in hearts feel she might get six. It is an open looking race and I would favour the Temple Stakes and one I think we should have a go at.”
Roger Varian's The Platinum Queen is the best-priced 3-1 favourite with William Hill for the Temple Stakes as she also looks to make her seasonal return and book a trip to next month's Royal Ascot. The three-year-old Cotai Glory filly won four times as a juvenile including at Glorious Goodwood and most spectacularly when landing the Group One Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines at ParisLongchamp in October. She was also second in the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes and may have been feeling the effects of a long season when 11th of 12 at the Breeders' Cup in Keeneland in November.
Others among the 15 entries are recent Bath Listed winner Happy Romance, from the Richard Hannon stable; Karl Burke's Queen Mary Stakes heroine Dramatised, who was also second at the Breeders' Cup on her last start in November; the Henry Candy-trained Twilght Calls – second in last season's Temple Stakes; and Adam West's Live In The Dream. Twilight Calls is 9-2 with Coral to go one better this Saturday with Dramatised a best-priced 5-1 with Paddy Power, Skybet and Betfair.
The seven-race card at Haydock also includes the Group Two Betfred Nifty Fifty Sandy Lane Stakes, which has also been used as a stepping to the Royal meeting in the past with the Group One Commonwealth Cup the natural progression. Aidan O'Brien's Little Big Bear – a superb winner over the same six furlong trip in the Group One Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh during his juvenile campaign last July – could drop back in trip after disappointing over the mile in the QIPCO 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket earlier this month. The No Nay Never colt is currently the 5-2 favourite with most bookmakers. Karl Burke's Cold Case, who won the Group Three British Racing School 40th Anniversary Commonwealth Cup Trial at Ascot last month, is a 4-1 chance with Coral and BetVictor to triumph and book a return trip to Berkshire next month. Last season's Coventry Stakes hero Bradsell is also among the current 12 entries and is a best-priced 3-1 with Coral and bet365.
The seven-furlong Silver Bowl Handicap is another pointer to Royal Ascot and John and Thady Gosden's Covey is currently a best-priced 5-1 favourite with Coral, having won twice this season at Newmarket and on the all-weather at Newcastle earlier this month. Irish raider Age Of Kings – from the O'Brien stable – and the Charlie Appleby-trained Local Dynasty are also among the 24 entries at the five-day declaration stage and are near the head of the betting at 8-1 and 6-1 with Coral respectively.
Saturday's meeting is the third of three days action at the Merseyside track with Thursday's seven-race card starting at 2.30pm with Friday's meeting beginning at 2.05pm. The first race on Saturday, the Betfred Supports Jack Berry House Florida Handicap Stakes, is due off at 1.15pm with the finale at 4.45pm. Gates open at 11.15am and tickets start from £22. To book tickets and for more information go online at https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/haydock/events-tickets/may-festival/
