Royal Ascot 2025: Carl Spackler leads U.S. shippers

Although Wesley Ward will not be represented at Royal Ascot 2025, there is plenty of U.S. interest over the course of the week. 

Carl Spackler, now Australian-trained since his private purchase, makes his first international appearance in the meet-opening Queen Anne (G1) on Tuesday. Sophomore filly Shisospicy furnishes the bookend Friday when she takes on the boys in the Commonwealth Cup (G1).

Several U.S. shippers are expected in the juvenile races, including graduates of both Royal Palm Juvenile events who earned automatic entries and travel subsidies at Gulfstream Park. Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies heroine Lennilu lines up in Wednesday’s Queen Mary (G2) for Patrick Biancone. Runner-up Bibi Dahl, also entered in the Queen Mary, is reportedly bound for Friday’s Albany (G3). Royal Palm star Sandal’s Song goes in Thursday’s Norfolk (G2), one day after his George Weaver stablemate, Tough Critic, contests the Windsor Castle S.

Carl Spackler – Tuesday’s Queen Anne (G1)

When Carl Spackler returned to action with a stellar performance in the April 11 Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) at Keeneland, the Chad Brown trainee appeared to have a stranglehold on the domestic turf milers’ division. The logical spots at his beloved Saratoga were at his mercy. But his horizons were suddenly broadened after Yulong Investments swooped in to acquire him, with a long-term view toward Australia’s Cox Plate (G1). 

The nom de course of Yuesheng Zhang, Yulong has made quite a splash with its recruits. Chief among them is Irish-bred Via Sistina, who recently equaled the great Winx’s record of seven Group 1 wins in a single season. 

Yulong’s interest in Carl Spackler, another Irish-bred, is eminently logical. He’s by the same terrific sire, Lope de Vega, as their Group 1-winning Lucky Vega, a shuttle stallion who is off to a fast start with his first crop.

Carl Spackler, formerly with Brown’s string at Saratoga, will race in the name of Australian trainer Ciaron Maher. Currently based in Newmarket to prepare for his Royal Ascot venture, the flashy chestnut impressed in his recent work over the July course. Maher’s head of bloodstock, Will Bourne, is on the premises to supervise. 

As a multiple Grade 1 winner with an affinity for Keeneland, Carl Spackler might spark a comparison to Hall of Famer Tepin, so far the only non-European to win the Queen Anne. But there are a few contrasts as well. 

The most obvious difference, aside from the fact that Tepin was a mare receiving a weight allowance, is that she was the reigning Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) winner. Carl Spackler was a subpar sixth in last November’s edition at Del Mar, admittedly in a race shape that didn’t suit. He’d beaten Mile winner More Than Looks in their previous meetings. And even in his Mile loss, Carl Spackler wasn’t that far behind third-placer Notable Speech, the Mile favorite, who re-opposes in the Queen Anne. 

Other differences with Tepin may be more salient. Tepin stayed 1 1/8 miles stateside, suggesting that she had the stamina for the straight mile at Ascot. Carl Spackler is untested beyond 1 1/16 miles, and it’s an open question of how he’ll handle a stiffer track. His new connections apparently think he’ll stay about 1 1/4 miles in the Cox Plate, at least on the tight circuit of Moonee Valley. Finally, Tepin picked a good year to invade, but Carl Spackler faces an arguably more robust cast than she did, in a marquee event that he wasn’t originally targeting. 

Carl Spackler has the inherent class to factor, although he’s more of a place hope than win candidate in the circumstances. I would have preferred a long, laid-out plan rather than a dramatic plot twist. Top jockey James McDonald, the regular pilot of Via Sistina as well as Hong Kong legend Romantic Warrior, will give him every chance. 

Lennilu – Wednesday’s Queen Mary (G2)

So impressive was Lennilu in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, her first attempt on turf, that the Biancone runner is trading as the second choice in the antepost market for the Queen Mary. Bettors abroad recognize a parallel with Crimson Advocate, the winner of the inaugural Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, who went on to upset the Queen Mary in 2023. 

Lennilu actually sports a better record (2-for-2) than Crimson Advocate did at this stage. While Crimson Advocate was only third in her unveiling on the Keeneland dirt, Lennilu won first time out in the slop at Keeneland April 6. The 2.75-1 chance chased the pace, angled out, and rallied past the pacesetter by a length.

With a pedigree to relish the switch to turf, Lennilu went off as the 4-5 favorite in her Royal Palm event. She showed plenty of early dash to force the issue, took over in hand on the far turn, and bounded 3 3/4 lengths clear. Her final five-furlong time of :56.42 was just off the :56.30 posted by the colt Sandal’s Song, but he had competition down the lane. 

Lennilu is a superb advertisement for freshman sire Leinster, a classy turf sprinter who set course records at Saratoga and Keeneland. Leinster is himself a half-brother to champion Stormy Liberal, a two-time victor of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1). Moreover, Lennilu’s dam is a half-sister to millionaire Disco Partner, who scorched six furlongs in a record 1:05.67 over the Belmont turf. 

Tough Critic – Wednesday’s Windsor Castle S.

Thanks to Crimson Advocate, Weaver is already on the Royal Ascot honor roll. He returns not only with Sandal’s Song, who picked up the Royal Palm perks, but also with his Keeneland debut winner, Tough Critic. 

Bred for success here, Tough Critic is a son of Caravaggio, who twice won at the Royal meeting as a well-backed Aidan O’Brien favorite. He captured the Coventry (G2) at two and justified odds-on favoritism in the Commonwealth Cup at three. Tough Critic’s dam adds another Royal Ascot element as a half-sister to Radiohead, the upset winner of the 2009 Norfolk. 

Off a beat slow in his April 24 premiere on the turf at Keeneland, Tough Critic launched a sustained rally to prevail at odds of 6.72-1. His cause was assisted by the leader’s tiring. Still, Tough Critic was the only one able to capitalize. He won going away by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:04.73 for 5 1/2 furlongs. 

Tough Critic was immediately supplemented to Keeneland’s April Sale. It could be significant that Weaver put together a partnership to buy him for $350,000, thereby ensuring that the promising juvenile stayed in his barn. 

As a New York-bred, Tough Critic will have many opportunities to be a money-spinner in the restricted stakes ranks. That might be more realistic than Royal Ascot, but as with all the two-year-olds in these ferociously contentious affairs, he has a license to improve.

Sandal’s Song – Thursday’s Norfolk (G2)

Sandal’s Song stamped himself as a potentially smart performer not just by winning the Royal Palm Juvenile in his career debut, but by the way he did it. 

Drawn in the potentially problematic post 1, the 7.90-1 shot didn’t help himself by taking a hop out of the gate and getting away last. Sandal’s Song raced through his gears with alacrity to secure a good stalking position, and he was traveling like a man among boys when seeking room on the far turn. He drove through the seam, attacked 9-10 favorite Squire (Lennilu’s stablemate), and pulled away despite sticking to his left lead. Sandal’s Song clocked a slightly faster time of :56.30, compared to Lennilu’s :56.42. 

The Weaver pupil caught the eye of Wathnan Racing, the Qatari-based entity with a flair for snapping up Royal Ascot contenders. He will add to their already loaded team.

Sandal’s Song is bred to be more than a precocious sprinter. By Mendelssohn, the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) hero and a top-caliber dirt horse at three, he is out of a mare who is closely related to a pair of notable winners. His dam is a three-quarter sister to two-time Bernard Baruch (G2) scorer Qurbaan and to Dubai dirt veteran Qareeb, winner of this year’s Jebel Ali Mile (G3). 

Bibi Dahl – Friday’s Albany (G3)

Bibi Dahl’s debut second to Lennilu in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies indicated that a step up in trip was advisable. Thus, the six-furlong Albany is her port of call, according to Daily Racing Form.

Owned by Kia Joorabchian’s burgeoning Amo Racing USA and trained by Jorge Delgado, Bibi Dahl showed a good attitude when easily best of the rest at Gulfstream. The 7.20-1 shot was ridden along early to secure position a few lengths off the lead, but she kept responding and hit her best stride down the lane. Bibi Dahl emerged as the only rival able to stay in the picture with Lennilu, if at a respectful distance, and she drew 5 1/4 lengths clear of third. 

Although Bibi Dahl needs to move forward as a once-raced maiden, her stock would rise if Lennilu runs up to her reputation in the Queen Mary. And as a $1.35 million Keeneland September yearling, Bibi Dahl has pedigree power. The American Pharoah filly is a full sister to the brilliant Forbidden Kingdom. Their dam, Just Louise, peaked at two when she landed the Debutante (G3) at Churchill Downs. 

Shisospicy – Friday’s Commonwealth Cup (G1)

Trainer Jose D’Angelo, who nearly won last year’s Windsor Castle with Gabaldon, sends out the blazing Shisospicy in the Commonwealth Cup for three-year-old sprinters.

As with Carl Spackler, however, Royal Ascot wasn’t on the itinerary until new ownership got involved. In her case, Qatar Racing has bought an interest from Shisospicy’s owner, Morplay Racing, who will now campaign her in partnership. Unlike Carl Spackler, she’s staying with her trainer and is slated to resume her career stateside after this British detour.

The well-named daughter of champion sprinter Mitole has been a revelation since taking her game to the turf. A perfect 3-for-3 on the surface, Shisopicy has displayed warp speed in turf dashes of five to 5 1/2 furlongs. A rain-affected course at Keeneland kept her margin to a mere half-length in the Limestone S., but the fireworks were back on firm ground at Churchill in the Mamzelle (G3). 

Although a sunny forecast offers hope of quick conditions at Royal Ascot, a stiff six furlongs down the straightaway is liable to stretch her a bit, especially at this level versus males. The Breeders’ Cup around a turning five furlongs at Del Mar, her ultimate goal, would cater more to her strengths.