Ghostwriter a late non-runner in Thursday feature - who can capitalise in his absence?

Ghostwriter is a late withdrawal from the Group 2 Princess of Wales's Stakes after rearing over in the pre-parade ring. His trainer Clive Cox said: "I’m sorry to say he’s sore. It was just a freak accident. I was putting the saddle on when he reared over backwards and sat down. He’s obviously not going to be running after that, and I’m very sorry for everyone not least his owner. He’s sore, so we’ll keep checking him and keep everyone aware of it."

Here is the lowdown on the remaining contenders:

Group 1 winner Palladium out to shine again 

The most interesting runner from a form perspective has to be Palladium.

The field's only Group 1 winner, courtesy of last year's Deutsches Derby, was bought for €1,400,000 by the Bamfords to go juvenile hurdling with Nicky Henderson. He had only one start, winning by two lengths at Huntingdon, and has since been switched to John and Thady Gosden for a Flat campaign, finishing third in a Listed race at Goodwood and fourth in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes.

Palladium: bids to bounce back after Royal Ascot defeatCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Palladium must buck a historical trend, namely the poor record of Royal Ascot runners in the Princess of Wales's Stakes. Since 2015, only two winners had run at the royal meeting , Communique (2019) and Sir Ron Priestley (2021), who were both unplaced in the Hardwicke. Of the 33 Royal Ascot runners to line up in this contest, six finished second and two were third.

How to evaluate his form in the wider context of this race is the biggest difficulty and deputy betting editor Graeme Rodway said: "His Ascot run was a step in the right direction according to Racing Post Ratings and a career-best figure of 115 suggests the Gosden team have already found the key to him.

"He might be the only Group 1 winner in the field, but top-level German form rarely equals the same level in Britain and the average RPRs for winners of such contests proves that. Since the start of 2010, an average winner of a German Group 1 has achieved an RPR of 115 and that's 1lb lower than the equivalent median for a Group 2 winner in Britain."

There is an acceptance from the Palladium camp that he has somewhat lost his way and Henry Lascelles, racing manager to Lady Bamford, said: "He ran very well to be fourth at Royal Ascot and has come out of that very well. He handled top of the ground in the Hardwicke and should have a similar surface again, but with only a small field it could be tactical. There's no grand plan with him and we're just taking it race by race."

What they say

Charlie Appleby, trainer of Arabian Crown and El Cordobes
El Cordobes is coming back in distance from York, where we felt he didn't stay a mile and six furlongs. He has a bit to find on the book but, back at this trip, he should be competitive and the quick ground will be no problem. Arabian Crown has been gelded since his last start and stepping back up to a mile and a half will suit. If he can recapture some of his earlier form, he's sure to be a player.

James Owen, trainer of Wimbledon Hawkeye
He's training well. He's going against the older horses and gets the weight allowance, and has been running really well against his age all year. He takes his racing fine, has run well at the track before and the trip should be perfect for him. Sean Dylan Bowen is a big part of our team and it's a reward that he's getting a ride like this. It's a big week ahead for him but he's already shown how good he is in the saddle as the champion apprentice. He deserves to be getting these opportunities.
Reporting by Stuart Riley

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