No Divorcees Please, We're British !

The Royal Enclosure at Ascot excluded invitations to divorcees until 1955. Thank goodness times have changed. Some things don't change, however the allure, mystique and love of the Royal Meeting remain. Her Majesty the Queen will officially open the revamped Ascot racecourse before the first race today.

Ascot closed in 2004 for a complete reconstruction of facilities, including the grandstand and track, which upon completion cost £185 million. This has rejuvenated Ascot into one of the premier racecourses of the world. Prizemoney has also been increased by 12% to £3.7 million for the four days. Included in the track redevelopment is the straight one mile (1600m) course together with a sophisticated irrigation system. This system will play a pivotal role in the hunt for the ever elusive winner. Should there be any discrepancy in the amount of water delivered to either side of the track, then we could see a man-made bias in favour of one side. Careful observation and analysis of prevailing conditions are the order of the day.

The King's Stand Stakes (15:10) is a leg of the Global Sprint Challenge, offering a US$1 million bonus to any horse that can win three legs in any of the four participating countries. One horse in particular stands out as a likely contender to collect the $1 million prize, his name, Takeover Target. Takeover Target, the Australian sprinting superstar trained by the one-horse trainer and former taxi driver Joe Janiak won the Australian leg of the global challenge, The Lightning Stakes (5 furlongs/1000m) at Flemington in February. Takeover Target will race from barrier 17 and will therefore probably run down the grandstand side of the track. Depending on the pace, Takeover Target will lead or sit off the leaders. Even with his big weight, he should start our readers off on a great four days at Ascot.

But remember, this is a totally new track. Watch Race1 to decide if the outside of the track is disadvantaged due to bias. If it is, forget the horses drawn wide! The horses drawn inside will produce the winners and rich pickings for our readers (eg: Falkirk). Two of the three Australian contestants in the Kings Stand, Takeover Target and Glamour Puss plan to run in the Golden Jubilee on Saturday the 24th June.

The St. James's Palace sees the Irish 2000 Guineas winner Araafa as the main contender and if he can produce that form here we should see him salute the judge. Unbeaten over a mile (1600m) Proclamation in the Queen Anne is a horse of the highest quality and should be able to improve our financial situation further.

To all our readers, who choose to have a bet during The Royal Meeting at Ascot, we wish you all well.

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