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I have always loved this race.’Chief Singer’ was my very first Royal Ascot winner back in 1983 as a teenager when he won this but I waited 8 years for ‘Dilum’ to be my 2nd ‘Coventry’ winner,both black beauties they were too.’Stonehatch’ and ‘Royal applause’ gave me a further 2 more victories in the 90’s before a massive 10 yr gap to my 5th winner ‘Three Valleys’ who I lumped on for the 2004 2000gns at 12/1 only to fail miserably.I had got it in my head that ‘Coventry’ Winners could be 2000 gns horse at this time so 2yrs later I was on the winner ‘Red Clubs’ but he only managed to lead ‘George Washington’ for 7f’s in the 2006 Guineas.I finally got the ‘Coventry/Guineas’ double with ‘Henrythenavigator’ in the 07/08 season,having taken the 10/1 on ‘Henry’ straight after the ‘Coventry’ I never expected to get the 16/1 just 2 weeks before the Guineas itself but thats how it panned out with O’Brien playing musical chairs.A year later I was on ‘Art Connoisseur’ for both again but it soon transpired that Michael bells horse was a sprinter.4 years later another fav of mine ‘Dawn approach’ did me proud and he again did the double in the 2012/13 season.2 years ago I was on ‘Buratino’ at 16/1 and 40/1 for the Guineas but he failed in the latter and never really trained on.Last year I couldn’t decide between ‘Peace Envoy’ at 16/1 and ‘Caravaggio’ at 12/1 so did them both and both will win Group 1’s this year.This years race is just as easy as last seasons and its between Declarationofpeace now 8/1 after todays stroll and ‘Dali’ 16/1 who should run at the Curragh on Saturday,both should turn up at Royal Ascot for either this or the Norfolk and whoever runs in this will go off a lot shorter price Fav than they are now.
I got on with betfair sportsbook earlier for a few quid at 12’s on Declarationofpeace
Agree he looks a class act, I’d say he’d be Coventry bound.Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Love this race. Probably my favourite at the meeting.
Caravaggio was my antepost NAP last year after his rapid time on a slow surface in Ireland and be of course duly delivered. Shame he didn’t run in the 2000 Guineas though as I’d also backed him antepost for that.
Declarationofpeace was mightily impressive today but that field is hardly even going to be listed runnere let alone the level of a Coventry Stakes.
Nothing has sprung to me yet
I think i’ll wait and see what brute Wesley Ward enters before i have a bet.
Ward doesn’t do that well in the Coventry. The Norfolk and Queen Mary are normally the races for his muscle bound titans.
I Richard Hannon’s Denaar before and after his last race. I was surprised to see him end up 2/1 last time and he did it nicely at Newbury. The 20/1 I took for the Coventry didn’t last long.
I noticed Dali was a flop last time. He did meet with interference but was struggling anyway.
Declarationofpeace hosed up last time but he beat a poor bunch that day. He is a colt with scope but rocketing in to favourite for the Coventry seemed a bit premature.
Brother Bear is entered in the Marble Hill at the weekend and could become a contender for the Coventry. Romanised, who won Declarationofpeace’s debut race is also entered.
Masar looked a promising sort for Godolphin on debut, despite only winning narrowly.
I am a bit surprised to see Denaar so short now (7/1) but I am happy with 20/1
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
I Richard Hannon’s Denaar before and after his last race. I was surprised to see him end up 2/1 last time and he did it nicely at Newbury. The 20/1 I took for the Coventry didn’t last long.
I noticed Dali was a flop last time. He did meet with interference but was struggling anyway.
Declarationofpeace hosed up last time but he beat a poor bunch that day. He is a colt with scope but rocketing in to favourite for the Coventry seemed a bit premature.
Brother Bear is entered in the Marble Hill at the weekend and could become a contender for the Coventry. Romanised, who won Declarationofpeace’s debut race is also entered.
Masar looked a promising sort for Godolphin on debut, despite only winning narrowly.
I am a bit surprised to see Denaar so short now (7/1) but I am happy with 20/1
Denaar has that proper daisy cutting action so that win at Newbury on softened ground was good, and I’m looking forward to him on faster going.
Well Dali was a big fat miss
However my second guess with Brother Bear I’m hoping can be more successful… he already has very good form, good speed figures and is coming from a stable with an excellent record with two year olds this year
He impresses me as a horse with bundles of class and 11-2 is hardly tight… Denaar impressed me last time and I agree with his action he reminded me somewhat of Canford Cliffs who made it look so easy in his Coventry
but at the odds it has to be the bear
Think Aqabah could be interesting if going here
Would have to reverse form with brother bear though
It looks like VERBAL DEXTERITY may turn up in this current price 10/1 and as we know 7f maiden winners have decent record in this.Did not think he come here thought he stay in Ireland.Only got a entry at Ascot but it be intresting if he runs here.
All this Declarationofpeace talk, to be honest I was more impressed with Murillo.
Anyway, for me Red Roman is ludicrously overpriced and I’ve gone in and taken some of the 33/1 offered by Corals. He learned plenty for his debut in a hot maiden on Guineas weekend finishing ahead of De Bruyne Horse before powering away from a subsequent winner back at HQ 4 weeks ago. I loved the way he visibly lengthened stride and quickened clear when asked 2 furlongs out. A certain Mr Soumillion will be in the saddle and by all accounts connections are very keen on taking their chance.
My insane bet for the week is also in at an early stage with Chookie Dunedin being tentatively supported at 100/1 (Betfair Sportsbook). I was quietly impressed with his professional attitude when winning at Ayr over 6 furlongs on quick ground 3 weeks ago. The form looks good with 2 horses in behind that day recording subsequent wins. I know the Al Shaqab colt has disappointed when odds-on since but at Newcastle where the form is really not to be trusted (some horses just don’t run well there full stop). I expect Costello to be handy and if he can hold on for a place I’ll be chuffed.
If you’re having a bet in the Coventry at the current prices, you’re a better punter than me. Anything with any conceivable chance of winning is hideously bottled up and even the balls-out ante-post firms are betting to a zillion %. Surely the angle is to wait for the day and either play Betfair when anything hits your price or pounce when the bookies are betting to on-the-day percentages. Royal Ascot offers and concessions will be on your side too.
Also, trying to think tactically about betting on this race, I suspect something will be smashed into a ridiculous price (probably Declarationofpeace), take too much of the book and create value elsewhere. If you’ve got an angle against one of the sexy ones like Declarationofpeace or Arawak then the last 30 mins before the race might well be the right time to play. Especially if Ribchester wins the Queen Anne and bookies start quaking about their Day 1 fav acca liabilities!
With three or four completely disconnected lines of form in play, this is a total guess-up. Even a few of the 20/1+ shots are lovely types. It feels like an especially strong renewal. I’ll try to talk about some of the contenders and give a ballpark price that I’d take.
With that in mind, I wonder if Declarationofpeace is already too short. On bare form, he’s certainly entitled to be in the mix but, even after the second franked the form, his Dundalk maiden win isn’t exactly the stone cold nuts. I think it’s interesting that Arawak and Murillo are both being spoken of as likely runners and live contenders for Coolmore as well. Coolmore have a good recent record in this race but they tend not to waste any live bullets by running two stars in the same race – they prefer to keep proper crack juveniles apart as they did with Caravaggio and Churchill last year. If they do run all three, perhaps that is a negative for all of them. I don’t think he’ll hit a price I can take between now and the off.
Aqabah is an absolute beauty. He looks like a three-year-old already. He looked less forward than most of the Charlie Appleby juveniles when winning on debut at Ascot, running green before storming home to pick up key yardstick horses like Cardsharp and Haddaf. You can totally write off his Irish run on bad ground, where he was visibly wheelspinning all the way. It was, however, a positive sign that Godolphin wanted to take Brother Bear on. It’s also positive that they haven’t bought Brother Bear outright as you’d imagine that horse’s owners are more susceptible to an offer than most. Appleby isn’t my favourite trainer and others probably cover him on form.
Arawak – another juiced-up Wesley Ward project. Hard to know what to expect but my mob-handed Coolmore theory makes me think they’re all a notch short. Ward has been a bit lukewarm about this one in the build-up. We’re just guessing though. If it wins, it wins without my money. Otherwise it probably goes off double figures on Betfair and fuses out after five furlongs!
Brother Bear – a real professional, a strong traveller who finds plenty off the bridle. Hard to know whether the Marble Hill is a fruity piece of form with Aqabah failing to handle the ground. You wonder if his straightforwardness leaves him with less scope for progression than a few of the others, especially since he already looks like a horse who wants further. Grinders don’t have a great record in this race with silky bridle performers dominating the last 15 years. Worthy of major respect but probably won’t reach a backable price.
De Bruyne Horse made a big impression on me when crushing good marker horse Cardsharp at Epsom. That came despite failing to handle the track and allowing the nippy Johnston horse first run. The form has been franked since and puts him ahead of Aqabah (and possibly, therefore, ahead of Brother Bear). Might become a bet at double figures as he’ll probably get a second-tier jockey booking and be a makeweight for other shorteners.
Denaar is hard to evaluate but, like De Bruyne Horse, he overcame plenty of problems to win last time. Soft ground and intimidation from the second weren’t enough to stop him. Last year’s second Mehmas instantly springs to mind given all the similarities in their profiles. Again, solid claims but not missed by the market and unlikely to drift to a point of value.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see Murillo finish ahead of Declarationofpeace. I doubt whether either will win, but I was so impressed with Murillo’s win at Tipperary. Believe me – Wolfofbaggotstreet is a very good marker. He allowed that horse to enjoy an easy lead, ran green and still picked him off nicely. With Seamie Heffernan likely to keep the ride, I can see his price going out beyond 20 on Betfair. I’d chip away at the 3 and 4 places derivatives if so.
Anyone watching Oddschecker before Westerland scrambled home would know that I don’t rate Nebo‘s line of form at all. Charlie Hills is having an eccentric up-and-down season and I’ll be steering well clear of this one. Red Roman is a nice straightforward type but his Newmarket speed figure was poor and there’s a strong suspicion that softer ground helped him that day.
Romanised is an interesting one. His debut win over Wolfofbaggotstreet and Declarationofpeace might not be a piece of form to take 100% literally, but there are reasons to be positive about Romanised in general. He won despite running green and belied a pedigree that suggests time and distance are what he needs. He did reportedly have a training setback and you’d be trusting Ken Condon to prime and progress one. I’ll probably leave it alone with even a drift to 35+ suggesting bad tidings in the circumstances.
Jim Bolger was willing to risk Verbal Dexterity on soft ground at seven furlongs on debut, which doesn’t exactly scream Coventry material no matter how impressively he won.
After all that analysis, I expect Murillo and De Bruyne Horse will be the main two in my portfolio on the day. Hopefully that will comprise:
DBS win-only at 10.0+ and money back offer grabbing
Murillo – small digs at 4 and 3 places on Betfair if win-only price goes 20+.
Declaration of peace is very well related I notice
although I guess so are so many of O’Briens
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