Last year’s race

• Winner: Time For Sandals
• Jockey: Richard Kingscote
• Trainer: Harry Eustace
• Owner: Mr D Bevan and Mrs D Bevan
• Age: 3 Weight: 8st 13lbs
• Starting Price: 25/1
• Season Form Figures: 32
• Previous Best: 2nd - Sky Bet Lowther Stakes (Fillies’ Group 2), York (August 2024)

By Paul Jones

This will be the 12th edition of this Grade 1 race over 6f for three-year-olds, which has proved to be such a hit, so race trends are only just starting to bed in hence the lack of pointers in the final summary.

Proven quality has paid so far, with seven of the 11 winners officially rated between 114-119 beforehand (three of which were rated 117+). The 2023 winner Shaquille didn’t fill this criterion as he entered the race rated 111 (and neither did Time For Sandals last year) but he followed up his success here in the July Cup despite rearing leaving the stalls on both occasions and ended the campaign as Champion Sprinter. In its first year the Commonwealth Cup was won by another to-be Champion Sprinter, Muhaarar, beating the subsequent July Cup winner Limato into second.

Returning to sprinting proved to be key for Muhaarar, Advertise, Perfect Power and Inisherin in their winning years after they had run in a Guineas, so the likes of the Karl Burke-trained Venetian Sun would fit into that profile if. Like her, expect contenders that didn’t stay a mile in various Guineas to line up here back down at 6f.

After finishing a non-staying 11th in the 1000 Guineas after being sent off 9/2 second-favourite, Venetian Sun, who won last season’s Albany over the Commonwealth Cup course and distance, then successfully dropped back 2f in distance to win the Sandy Lane Stakes in a breeze catapulting herself to the top of the market. Campanelle, Quiet Reflection and Time For Sandals have won for fillies from limited representation.

That Group 2 contest at Haydock has been the best guide as, in addition to Inisherin in 2024, the Burke-trained Quiet Reflection also won both races in 2016. Furthermore, the Sandy Lane has featured another Commonwealth Cup winner, three seconds and a third, while 2023 winner Little Big Bear only found Shaquille too good at Royal Ascot. Moreover, back in 2021 Rohaan beat Dragon Symbol into second but was ineligible to run here being a gelding and so won the Wokingham instead, so he must have gone close as the runner-up passed the post in front in the Commonwealth Cup only to be disqualified.

The Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury a week earlier is another Commonwealth Cup guide. Shaquille won the Carnarvon before his Royal Ascot success and Eqtidaar was only fourth at Newbury before winning at Royal Ascot. In fact, the Carnarvon winner has won at two of the last five Royal Ascot’s as Creative Force then added the Jersey Stakes on his next start so it’s a key guide to the meeting. Song Of The Clyde beat Albert Einstein into second in this season’s running.

In addition to winning the Sandy Lane, Rohaan also took the Pavilion Stakes at Ascot in April, which was won this season by Coppullwho had the subsequent Sandy Lane runner-up, Division, back in third. 

Eqtidaar also used that race as a prep before winning the Commonwealth Cup and three more placed runners here ran in the Pavilion as part of their Royal Ascot preparations. Therefore, Eqtidaar was beaten in both the Pavillion and Carnarvon before winning the Commonwealth Cup, which is what last season’s Middle Park winner Wise Approach may attempt to do.

Golden Horde was a winning seasonal debutant in 2020, but that was the season that began only two weeks before Royal Ascot due to Covid. Campanelle was another when awarded the race in the stewards’ room. No winner had run more than twice earlier in the season.

The only Irish-trained winner to date is Caravaggio for Aidan O’Brien.