15:05 Royal Ascot – Ruhm to complete Godolphin treble
Published:Saeed Bin Suroor has trained back-to-back winners of the Ribblesdale Stakes and although leading prospect Khawlah will not line up in the Group Two contest, Rumh can prove an able deputy to land the spoils.
The Godolphin operation has saddled Flying Cloud and Hibaayeb to victory in the past two years and Rumh has certainly displayed the relevant form thus far to suggest that she can complete the treble.
On her first start this year, Rumh took third at Newbury behind Izzi Top and Dancing Rain, with the two subsequently going on to finish third and first in the Epsom Oaks.
Therefore, this form is certainly rock solid and Rumh has since returned to the racetrack herself when making all in a dominant front-running performance again at Newbury last week.
The two big question marks over Ruhm is that the Royal Ascot race is her first attempt over 1m4f, while there may be doubts that her front-running style could play into the hands of her fast-finishing rivals.
However, Ruhm’s long-striding style means that she not have to exert herself too much to dictate the pace and the way she went away from the field at Newbury recently shows that she is no slouch in the speed department if the pace should quicken.
Ruhm is 7/2 in the Royal Ascot odds and eight of the last 14 winners of the Ribblesdale Stakes have come from the first three in the betting.
The favourite this year is Banimpire at 3/1, but the market leader has only triumphed once since 1999.
Banimpire recovered from finishing fifth in the Irish 1000 Guineas to win well at Cork on her latest start and unlike Rumh she is a previous winner in Group company.
But the form of Rumh looks stronger on paper, with Dorcas Lane and Highest potentially liable to battle it out for third spot.
