Ready, set, go! Quality and quantity to keep pulses racing all day long

We have moved on from the madness of the rollercoaster Downs at Epsom and the razzmatazz of Royal Ascot is just out of sight in the distance. So then, perhaps a chance to draw breath? No chance.

A little respite from the relentless crashing waves of Willie Mullins-trained runners is what British trainers expect at this time of year, but with big Flat prizes increasingly in his crosshairs there is not much hope of a major contest being overlooked for a suitable Closutton inmate.

True Self is his runner in the Group 3 Betway Pinnacle Stakes (2.25) at Haydock and her price has been going only one way this week, meaning she is likely to go off the hot favourite.

Mullins will be busily putting together his final team for Royal Ascot over the coming days and plenty of connections will be waking up on Saturday morning hoping their royal hopefuls can pass their final tests, or force themselves into the reckoning late on.

With clues for Royal Ascot also likely to be bursting through on the cards at Beverley, Haydock, Navan and Newmarket there will not be much chance to put your feet up and take it all in as notes and opinions are furiously scribbled down left, right and centre.

If you make it through the day then there is the small matter of the Belmont Stakes (11.37) topping a fixture overflowing with Grade 1s at Belmont Park in New York.

Given all that is happening on Saturday, it feels only appropriate to be ending it in the city that never sleeps.

Mullins in town to show True Self

The omnipotent presence of Willie Mullins is back on British shores this weekend and in True Self he appears to have a serious chance of adding to his increasingly impressive Flat record in the Betway Pinnacle Stakes at Haydock.

Mullins notched a personal best of six winners from 13 Flat runners in Britain last season and collected £803,564 in prize-money, with the £307,250 Low Sun pocketed when winning the Cesarewitch the biggest prize he won under either code in 2018.

Low Sun wins the Cesarewitch, the most valuable prize collected by Willie Mullins in 2018Credit: Alan Crowhurst

True Self, owned by the Three Mile House Partnership, is on a roll having won her last four starts, including two Listed races in Britain at Bath and Newmarket last season.

The six-year-old will line up as favourite for the Group 3 Pinnacle Stakes with Colin Keane, who has been aboard the mare for those wins, riding again.

The powerful Flat yards of William Haggas (Klassique), John Gosden (Highgarden) and Roger Varian (Pilaster) are all in opposition. But, as the likes of Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson know, stopping Mullins’ marauders is a task which is easier said than done.

Too Cool: local owners aiming for Beverley bonanza

The white silks and purple caps of the Cool Silk Partnership are out in force at Beverley on Saturday as the owners seek to put the finishing touches to their Royal Ascot team.

Moon Of Love runs in the Hilary Needler Fillies’ Conditions Stakes (2.00) while Summer Sands and Cool Sphere represent the local ownership duo of Peter Swann and Barbara Wilkinson in the Truckingby Brian Yeardley Two Year Old Conditions Stakes (3.15).

In 2016, Prince Of Lir captured the latter contest for the owners before going on to win the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot. In behind him that day was The Last Lion, who would chase him home at Ascot and win the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes at the end of the season.

The likes of Cardsharp (2017 July Stakes winner), Supplicant (2013 Mill Reef), Bungle Inthejungle (2012 Molecomb) and dear old Gabrial have also run in this in recent years.

Kodyanna, Chica La Habana and Jadanna have landed the Hilary Needler for the owners, and Swann said: "We enjoy coming to Beverley and have been very lucky there over the years.

"We’ve got some very good chances in the big races and hopefully the Hilary Needler and the Brian Yeardley will again end up being platforms for having runners at Royal Ascot.”

Calyx storms to victory on his debut at Newmarket last yearCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

Sign of the Times at Newmarket

Sadly there will be no Calyx at Royal Ascot this year with last season’s Coventry Stakes winner ruled out of the meeting due to a pastern injury.

The John Gosden-trained colt announced himself in no uncertain terms on this day 12 months ago when powering to a five-length win in the 6f Margaret Giffen Memorial EBF Novice Stakes (3.20) at Newmarket before going on to triumph at the royal meeting.

Gosden is represented this year by Daily Times, a Gleneagles half-sister to Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Newspaperofrecord.

Read our interview with owner/breeder Allan Belshaw

Daily Times, running for owner/breeder Allan Belshaw, is the only filly lining up in this contest, which has been won by the favourite for the past four years, so keep an eye on the market.

A mighty Trek: jockeys put in the miles for rides

As we roll into the summer and the days get longer, it is the time of year when jockeys start to go here, there and everywhere to take rides.

Taking that to an extreme is Ben Curtis, who takes three rides at Haydock on Saturday afternoon having been in action at Belmont Park in New York on Friday night.

Curtis, 29, partnered Mootasadir in the USA for trainer Hugo Palmer having flown to the course after riding at Haydock on Thursday. He returns to Britain to ride Lady In France (3.00), Burnt Sugar (3.35) and Admirality (4.10).

He said earlier this week: "I plan to fly back straight after the race [at Belmont] to ride at Haydock on Saturday so I hope I can sleep on the plane!"

Domestically, Royston Ffrench has been booked for an ambitious set of rides starting at Newmarket (Mr Diamond, 2.10) before going on to Chelmsford (Thespinningwheel, 5.25) and then finishing at Chepstow (Glyder, 9.00).

"Can anyone get me one of those teleporter things off Star Trek for Saturday?," he wrote on Twitter. "Home to Newmarket to Chelmsford then on to Chepstow for the last. Going to be a long day."

Belmont runners do battle amid Maximum hangover

While were getting ourselves excited about the prospect of Justify winning the Belmont Stakes (11.37) and, in doing so, the US Triple Crown this time last year, there is more of a subdued feeling around the race this season.

Undoubtedly this is in part due to the hangover from the Kentucky Derby, the first leg of the series, when Maximum Security was disqualified and first place instead awarded to Country House. Gary West, owner of Maximum Security, continues to threaten legal action over the result and has challenged the owners of the horses interfered with to a series of $5 million match races to prove his horse is the best.

War Of Will (white face, black cap) is hampered by Maximum Security (pink cap)Credit: Andy Lyons

Neither Country House or Maximum Security are in action in the Belmont Stakes, but War Of Will, one of those hampered at Churchill Downs and winner of the Preakness Stakes, will be lining up. His rivals include Tacitus, off since finishing third in Louisville, and Master Fencer, who is attempting to become the first Japanese-trained winner of a Triple Crown race.

Seven other Grade 1s take place on a brilliant card in New York and among the familar names in action are 2015 Diamond Jubilee winner Undrafted (7.41), last year’s Arlington Million winner Robert Bruce (10.36) plus dual Dubai World Cup winner Thunder Snow, who takes on McKinzie and Mitole in the Metropolitan Handicap (9.46).

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