Hats off to Royal Ascot

The jockeys who are particularly adept in these conditions are Frankie Dettori (whose judgment of pace was seen to such great effect on Kazzia in both the 1000 Guineas and the Oaks), Philip Robinson (worth following on some longer-priced chances), Jamie Spencer (who should win the Coronation Stakes on Gossamer on Friday), Richard Hills (brilliant from the front) and Kieren Fallon (who stokes his horses up a long way from home, asking them to lengthen their stride rather than suddenly asking them to quicken).

The dominant trainers are likely to be Aidan O'Brien (naturally), Saeed bin Suroor (who despite claiming that he is fielding a belowpar team, has been leading trainer for three of the past six years) and in the sprint handicaps, David Nicholls. One unusual name on the board will be trainer Jim Chapman, from America, who bids to provide his native country with its first ever Royal Ascot winner. He runs Western Pride in the opening race of the meeting and Caller One in the Golden Jubilee Stakes on Saturday.

Caller One is the best sprinter ever to come over here from the US and, having overcome a setback in training, is now on course for a supersonic showdown with last year's champion two-year-old Johannesburg, trained by the allconquering O'Brien.

Also prepared by unassailable Aidan is Rock of Gibraltar, who is an odds-on favourite for the St James's Palace. If successful, he will be led in by one football manager who is ecstatic not to be at the World Cup. Sir Alex Ferguson has watched "the Rock" win both the Sagitta 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Irish 2000 Guineas (on soft ground) but to win a race at Royal Ascot would cap his season.

Seeing the best horses competing against each other is the major attraction of the Royal Meeting and if the Dubai Sheema Classic winner Nayef, last year's Sussex Stakes winner Noverre and the Breeders Cup Mile winner Banks Hill all turn up for the Prince of Wales's Stakes on Wednesday, it will be the race of the week.

Other headlines could be made by Henry Cecil, who has had a horrible time of it for the past few years. The break-up of his marriage, the death of his beloved twin brother David and a decline in the quality of horses in his yard would have prompted a lesser man to retreat into a hermit's hut. Cecil is only too aware that he no longer has a yard full of Classic contenders and has described himself as "just a handicap trainer now". Be that as it may, the handicaps still take some winning and he has a chance in one of the biggest of them with Sea Star in the Royal Hunt Cup.

Flat racing produces few horses which inspire the depth of feeling or the mass popularity of their jump racing counterparts but Persian Punch has been around long enough to establish a genuine fan base. Only just beaten in last year's Gold Cup, if he were to hang on in front this time around, the stands will fall down as thousands pound their way to the winner's enclosure to cheer him in.

Most moving would be any victory for trainer John Dunlop.

Thirty-seven years with a licence and a standing dish at the major meetings around Europe, Dunlop nearly lost his life seven months ago when he was rushed to hospital for an emergency operation on a ruptured aorta. Having survived the operation, he then caught a superbug infection from which he recovered but it left him very weak. He went back to the hospital for a check-up at which it was found that his haemoglobin count was dangerously low. So low, in fact, that the nurse told him he was "technically dead".

Dunlop is typically self-effacing when describing his brush with death, saying nothing more dramatic than "one was very lucky, really". Racing is certainly very lucky that he is still around and will no doubt show its appreciation should he register on the winner's board. Most of his team would prefer faster ground but the rain won't bother Millenary, who runs in Saturday's Hardwicke Stakes.