Saga and Hope aiming to crown racing’s coronation celebrations

Adam Morgan
May 5, 2023 10:38 am

Newmarket and Goodwood runners for the King on historic day.

Coronation fever heads to the racecourse on Saturday where only a few hours after the King is crowned in Westminster Abbey, two runners will attempt to carry his colours to a fitting success.

It had been hoped the King would have a runner in the 2000 Guineas in scenes reminiscent of 1953 when, just days after her coronation, the late Queen’s Aureole took part in the Derby at Epsom.

However, the John and Thady Gosden-trained Slipofthepen will instead be aimed at the French version of the one-mile Classic with hopes of a coronation winner resting on Clarehaven’s Saga in Newmarket’s Howden Suffolk Stakes and Richard Hughes’ Candle Of Hope, who will bid for Listed honours in the William Hill Conqueror Fillies’ Stakes at Goodwood.

Candle Of Hope before the Denford Stakes at Newbury last year (Steve Paston/PA)

The daughter of Cable Bay was beaten less than two lengths in her reappearance at Lingfield and John Warren, racing manager to the King and Queen Consort, is hoping the stars will align and add to the coronation celebrations.

He said: “Candle Of Hope is a tough, genuine filly who will probably be at her best when the ground is quick.

“Their majesties will obviously be overwhelmed with events, but they are fully aware of what their horses are doing.

“All we can hope is that we get a little luck that could add to a wonderfully historic weekend.”

The King and the Queen Consort watch the action at Royal Ascot (Aaron Chown/PA)

Saga, meanwhile, came close to providing the late Queen with a final Royal Ascot victory when beaten a head in the Britannia Stakes in the summer and will attempt to go one better when he reunites with Frankie Dettori for the competitive Rowley Mile handicap at 3.55pm.

“He went very close in the Britannia and has always been a horse with plenty of ability,” said Thady Gosden.

“Stepping up in trip on his last start of last year he ran well, he wasn’t beaten a long way and he seems to have done well over the winter.

“He’s been gelded since and it’s a fairly sharp one-mile-one at Newmarket. Obviously it is a very competitive field and there’s a couple of near enough Group horses in there, so we will have to see how he gets on.”