Queen Anne Stakes: Let’s Get Ready To R-rrrrrumble!

Royal Ascot has been the venue for many epic equine performances over the years. Which racing fan could forget Frankel’s annihilation of his Queen Anne Stakes opposition in 2012, Black Caviar’s heart-stopping success in the inaugural Diamond Jubilee Stakes in the same year, or Yeats’ four-timer in the Gold Cup from 2006 to 2009?

Great though those efforts all were, for a variety of reasons, they can resemble coronations, albeit a coronation in which her jockey nearly dropped the crown in Black Caviar’s case. Frankel started at 10 to 1 on (!), Black Caviar at 6 to 1 on, and Yeats was 6 to 4 or shorter for three of those four victories.

What the racing public also like is a good, old-fashioned showdown, and they have got at least one this year, in the Queen Anne Stakes.

In the blue (white, seams, sleeves and cap) corner is the French pugilist Solow; in the black, orange seams and cap corner is the Hong Kong heavyweight Able Friend.

Should either or both of them hit the canvas, you have high-class horses like Night of Thunder, Toormore and the Australian-trained Criterion ready to take their place.

So, how do Solow and Able Friend measure up against each other?

They are two stars and the judges would find it hard to separate them. With a 131 Timeform rating, Able Friend just gets the nod in terms of raw ability over 130-rated Solow. But it would not take much to swing things the other way.

As with many such head-to-heads, it is fascinating to consider the subtle – or not so subtle – differences in style.

The earlier description of Able Friend as a “heavyweight” was not hyperbole. He is a giant of a horse: his weight has ranged between 90 st 3 lb and 92 st 13 lb this year, which is far in excess of the 77 st 10 lb average racing weight in his home town of Hong Kong. Less than 1% of horses weigh that much.

The last time Able Friend lost, he hit the scales at a mighty 1315 lb (93 st 13 lb): his heaviest-ever weight.

Body weights are not available for Solow – and will not be available for either horse on the day as British racing still has not embraced on-the-day weighing – but it is highly unlikely that he is as big as his rival.

In terms of raw speed, Able Friend has shown more, though it should be acknowledged that sectional times are properly viewed in context and not in isolation. His 21.29s last 400 metres in the Champions Mile at Sha Tin last time equates to a speed of a fraction over 42 mph.

Able Friend’s calculated last-400-metre sectionals previously this year were: 21.66s (Stewards’ Cup); 22.05s (Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup); and 21.91s (Chairman’s Trophy).

Solow’s last-400-metre calculated sectionals in that time have been: 22.63s (Prix Montjeu); 22.42s (Dubai Turf); and 22.06s (Prix d’Ispahan). They suffer by comparison, but those are still pretty swift.

Sadly, British racing still has not embraced sectional timing – which will be unavailable again this year at Royal Ascot – though Timeform hopes to take sectional times manually for the Queen Anne and other races.

Anyone doubting the impression Solow is capable of making on at least some observers is invited to view this video of his reappearance win at Chantilly in the Prix Montjeu (best experienced with the sound up!).

If Solow is to justify his position as a marginal favourite, his strengths – and not those of his chief rival – need to be played to. Here, the evidence of the sectionals for his win in the Dubai Turf at Meydan could be significant.  

On that day, Solow ran the last-600-metres at 5.63s per-100m, the last-400 at a calculated 5.60s per-100, and the last-200 at 5.54s per-100. In other words, he was getting quicker the further he went, something which is rarely seen among horses in well-run races at any level.

That race was over 1800 metres (just under nine furlongs), while the Queen Anne is over a dead eight furlongs, but on a fairly stiff track.

Able Friend may have the brawn and the speed, but Solow may have the stamina and the ability to sustain the speed he has for a bit longer. The latter’s jockey could do with ensuring the race “goes the distance” if he is to maximise his chances of winning.

Click HERE to view a Timeform Race Pass for the Queen Anne Stakes