Royal connections give Estimate favourite’s tag in Gold Cup, says Stoute

Yet top trainer Sir Michael Stoute was last night refusing to be carried away with the groundswell of public support for the Queen’s horse who warmed up for today’s two and a half mile race – the ultimate test for Flat stayers – with a classy win in Ascot’s Sagaro Stakes.

“The opposition was weak,” said Stoute who trained the first of his 65 Royal Ascot winners in 1975.

“Estimate’s preparation has gone very well and I’m very happy with her. She was beautifully relaxed when she won the Sagaro Stakes at Ascot last time, but the question is will she be able to handle the boys in the Gold Cup? She has got to up her game.”

Describing today’s assignment as the toughest of the filly’s career, Stoute was surprised when he heard that Estimate – the mount of Ryan Moore – had been backed into favouritism.

“I think it’s ridiculous. I think she should be in the first four in the betting, but favourite? I believe that has everything to do with who the owner is,” said Stoute whose only Gold Cup victory came courtesy of Shangamuzo in 1978.

When Estimate won the Queen’s Vase last year, the victory celebrations were particularly poignant. After entering the winner’s enclosure at a near canter, Her Majesty collected the owner’s trophy from the Duke of Edinburgh.

He will be absent today following abdominal surgery, but victory for Estimate would surpass each of the Queen’s previous 21 winners at the Royal meeting since Choir Boy won the Royal Hunt Cup in 1953 – Coronation year.

Opposition to the Royal favourite is headed by John Oxx’s Saddler’s Rock, a former Doncaster Cup victor. Not a horse seemingly blessed with a huge amount of luck, he was third in this race last year on unsuitably soft ground and things went badly wrong in the Dubai Gold Cup in March.

Smartly away under Declan McDonogh, his saddle soon slipped and his rider was unable to ride any kind of finish, doing well in the end to be as close as he was.

Francois Doumen remains better known in Britain for his handling of top-class jumpers such as The Fellow and Baracouda, but in recent years has had plenty of success with his Flat runners.

He saddles Group Two winner Top Trip, who was beaten just a nose in the Yorkshire Cup by Glen’s Diamond. “He should run a proper race, he has improved a lot since York. I think he will stay, he’s so relaxed he should stay forever,” said Doumen.

Willie Mullins’s Simenon went into the history books 12 months ago when winning twice during Royal week, in the Ascot Stakes and Queen Alexandra Stakes.

He was a fast finishing fourth in the Chester Cup last month after being saddled with an unfavourable draw.

His in-form rider Johnny Murtagh, who partnered Yeats to two of his record four Gold Cup wins, said: “I was very impressed with him at Chester. We had a bad draw and we got a bit blocked on the inside, but I was very impressed with the way he finished.

“He likes Ascot, I know the Gold Cup is a step up from what he has been doing but he’s the kind of horse that could do it,” said Murtagh.

The field also includes reigning champion Colour Vision who prevailed last year under Frankie Dettori. Following his split from Godolphin, riding duties pass to former Thirsk-based rider Silvestre de Sousa.