The Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes looks set to be a blockbuster of a contest next Tuesday. The market is headed by the unbeaten Bow Echo, who has reportedly made excellent progress since his 2000 Guineas romp.
He’s quickly become the apple of George Boughey’s eye, who told the Press Association that, via the Racing Post: “It’s a hard thing to say about an unbeaten 2,000 Guineas winner but Bow Echo looks to me as if his best days are ahead of him.
“We’ve seen an improved physical specimen in the mornings and his work since the Guineas has undoubtedly got stronger. Going into Ascot he has now proved himself to be the horse we hoped he would be.”
The 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace double is a rare feat, Just two horses since 2017 have won both, Poetic Flare in 2021 and Coroebus a year later. Since then, Chaldean was second, while Notable Speech and Ruling Court could only manage seventh and third. The coveted mile contest this year sees three Classic winners go head to head, along with the impressive Heron Stakes winner Talk Of New York.
Boughey continued: “We were hopeful he would be very competitive in the Guineas, which was a comfortable watch. But to put on the show that he did was a little bit of a surprise to us.
“Gstaad was impressive in the Irish Guineas, not unexpectedly, and probably rates the main danger. But the unknown quantity is the French horse Rayif who was good at Longchamp.
“There’s also Talk Of New York, who probably wasn’t ready physically at Guineas time but was impressive at Sandown. I hope they go that gallop again next week because that would suit us.”
Bow Echo can handle Ascot test
While Bow Echo may have the form advantage, there is the added element of handling the occasion and the track. Bow Echo was ridden conservatively in the Guineas, but a prominent favouring track at Ascot may slightly change that.
“I’ve always thought he needs to be ridden with a bit of restraint,” said Boughey. “But on a straight track if you find yourself prominent then you can be a victim of circumstance.
“Undoubtedly you don’t want to be too far back at Ascot on the round mile as they can get away from you on the front. But he jumped and travelled well around a bend at Haydock last year when he sat third and then possibly hit the front too soon.
“The ultimate test is Ascot. A track where he’s never been before and there is the melting pot of the parade ring. But he’s so laid-back. He was fast asleep only five minutes before everyone arrived this morning. But he’s always given me incredible confidence about his mental constitution to handle a test like that.”