No unkind cut: resounding success allows Cup to chop the geldings

Royal Ascot is about nothing if not tradition and, as such, changes to the meeting – on or off the turf – can be met with scepticism. However, one resounding success story of recent years has been the advent of the Commonwealth Cup. In fact, it has been so popular that the decision has been made to close the race to geldings from next year. But with already limited opportunities for three-year-old geldings across Europe, is it a fair measure?

While Chantilly-based trainer Fabrice Chappet, responsible for one of the five gelded entries in this year’s six-furlong Commonwealth Cup, has described as a “shame” the decision to bar geldings from next year, Ascot’s director of racing Nick Smith is adamant the move is justified.

Smith is also unequivocal that, far from being a negative, recent field-size reductions for Group 1s that the Commonwealth Cup might be said to draw from shows the young upstart is serving its purpose.