St. James's Palace Stakes Entries: Coroebus the firm favourite of fourteen

The St James's Palace Stakes has seen some of racing's best milers claim glory over the years at Royal Ascot, and this season COROEBUS has the chance to add his name to the honours list. The 2000 Guineas winner is an odds-on favourite and with the defection of stablemate Native Trail he will be the choice of most to lead home this field of fourteen potential runners. We have taken a look at the entries for this Group One on Day One of the Royal Meeting...

The aforementioned Coroebus was already odds on before stablemate and Guineas second Native Trail was confirmed to be skipping this race, and since entries were released he has shortened further from 1/2 into 4/11. It will take something out of the ordinary to beat Charlie Appleby's star miler in Berkshire if he turns up in the same form he was in at Newmarket. Appleby has never won this race but we can expect that to change come Tuesday 14th June.

My Prospero looked out of the ordinary when beating the well touted Reach for the Moon at Sandown last time out, with the pair pulling well clear of the rest of the field. William Haggas has also never won this race but will fancy his chances with this son of Iffraaj and next in the market Maljoom. Both are certainly unexposed heading into this Group One and follow Coroebus in the market. Maljoom is in fact a Classic winner himself with his last performance bringing German 2000 Guineas glory at Cologne. The favourite has undoubtedly achieved more than this pair so far and could have plenty of improvement in him as well, but the Haggas duo are no afterthoughts. A trainer with a successful history in this contest is John Gosden and combining with son Thady this season they have left Mighty Ulysses in at this stage. He has been hammered in the market on the back of this as it was thought he was destined for another Royal Meeting target, but if he does head here he would certainly be of interest. He was beaten last time out at Haydock but looked raw still and could still be destined for Group One glory. 

Sheila Lavery's New Energy is entitled to take his chance after a cracking run at a massive price in the Irish 2000 Guineas behind Native Trail. He was sent off a 40/1 back number but looked to be troubling the favourite at one stage, before the Godolphin star's class pulled him clear. This was a marked step up from his previous performances and another leap forward of the same size could see him give those ahead in the market something to think about. Angel Bleu will represent the Beckett team and after his third behind Perfect Power in the Greenham Stakes last time out it would be a surprise were he to be good enough to trouble the principles. Berkshire Shadow is also set to take his chance for Andrew Balding but it is hard to see a reason why he can overturn the five length deficit with the favourite.

Light Infantry represents David Simcock and had a shocking start to the 2000 Guineas and was lagging behind in last for a long time but made encouraging progress at the end of the race to eventually finish ninth. He looks the type who could enjoy Ascot and at a huge price could be worth an each-way play. The first of two big priced Ballydoyle entries in the market is Aikhal, a son of Galileo we haven't seen since finishing behind the aforementioned Angel Bleu at Saint Cloud back in October 2021 in the Group One Criterium International. Of course, he could have come on a bundle over the winter and be ready to pounce here but it takes a leap of faith to be backing him. 

Wexford Native is another at a big price who would seem to have it all to do after finding the Irish 2000 Guineas too hot last time out for Dermot Weld. Lusail seemed to have no excuse, unlike Light Infantry, for his run in the English 2000 and is another it is hard to make a case for, while Bayside Boy was bitterly disappointing in the French 2000 Guineas last time out and does not look up to this class. Checkandchallenge had only one behind him in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and seems to just be making up the numbers, while The Acropolis is the outsider of the whole field and completes the Ballydoyle pair. He has been on a raid to France recently and was beaten comprehensively in both their Guineas and Derby so this could once again prove too spicy of a contest for O'Brien's runner.