Goldikova, Paco Boy, Rip Van Winkle clash in Queen Anne

Although Goldikova will be making her Ascot debut, she has already crossed

the Channel to plunder a major prize. Last summer, the bay scored comfortably in

the Falmouth S. (Eng-G1) at Newmarket, her only previous race in England.

Regular rider Olivier Peslier will guide Goldikova from post 1. Head struck a

confident tone.

"Everything has been going to plan since her last run, and I expect her to

run a great race on Tuesday," Head said in an interview on At the Races. "It is

hard to say if she is better than ever as she has been so good, but I would

think she is in the best shape I have ever had her.

"She is easy to ride -- you can do whatever you want with her. What we want

is a clear run, and I hope she runs her best. You can put her where you like and

she has a very good turn of foot too. I know she will have to be at her best.

It's not a walkover -- we know it's a top-class race.

Paco Boy, the defending Queen Anne champion, is bidding to become the first

two-time winner of the race in the modern era, since its name was changed to honor Queen Anne in

1930. (Formerly contested as the Trial S., it witnessed its last two-time

winner, Dean Swift, in 1906-07).

The Richard Hannon charge, two-for-two this season, enters in sparkling

form. After notching an effortless repeat victory in the Sandown Mile (Eng-G2),

he got up in time under an ultra-confident Richard Hughes in the May 15 Lockinge

S. (Eng-G1) last out.

"Paco Boy would be as good a miler as we have trained," Hannon said on his

website. "And, while it's true that this year's Lockinge might not have been the

strongest renewal, he could hardly have won more impressively. He seems a

different horse this year, and his extended winter break has played a big part

in that, but both Goldikova and Rip Van Winkle have beaten us before, so we need

to have improved."

"I was surprised to see Paco Boy favorite when the bookmakers started betting

on the race," Hughes noted, "and I think they have now got it right in putting

Goldikova top of the pile. She has won eight Group 1s and is a phenomenal mare,

and she is going to be hard to beat. I also have a lot of respect for Rip Van

Winkle, but, while he beat us easily in the Sussex S. (Eng-G1) at Goodwood last

year, our fellow is never that happy on those Sussex Downs and I think we'll

finish much closer to him here. It's a different Paco Boy this year and he has

an electric finishing kick, but this is a vintage Queen Anne and it will be

tough."

Rip Van Winkle

comfortably accounted for the Queen Elizabeth II S. (Eng-G1) at Ascot last September. The

Aidan O'Brien trainee has not raced since November, however, when he trudged

home a disappointing 10th in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Santa Anita.

"He's in good form," O'Brien told At the Races, "but this is his first run of

the season, and we are a little bit worried as a lot of our horses have improved

from their first run to their second run and their second run to their third.

"He's as well as we could have him, but obviously it is a big championship

race and ideally you would like to be going into it having got a run into him.

We are very happy with him and he's done very well since last year. He's a

stronger horse this year, and you're never sure until they run, but he's been

showing us all the right signs."

Last year, O'Brien hailed Rip Van Winkle as the most natural athlete he'd

ever trained, but chronic foot trouble kept getting in his way. Fourth to the

incomparable Sea the Stars in the Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) and Derby

(Eng-G1), Rip Van Winkle then finished a gallant second to his nemesis in the

Eclipse S. (Eng-G1). Subsequently dropped back in trip to a mile, Rip Van Winkle

handily defeated Paco Boy in the aforementioned Sussex and ZACINTO (GB) (Dansili

[GB]) in the Queen Elizabeth II.

Other contenders in the 10-strong field include Lockinge runner-up OUQBA (Red

Ransom), Prix du Palais- Royal (Fr-G3) winner DALGHAR (Anabaa) and Godolphin

Mile (UAE-G2) victor CALMING INFLUENCE (Ire) (King's Best).

Later, three-year-old milers will square off in the St James's Palace S.

(Eng-G1). The unbeaten MAKFI (Dubawi), who upset the May 1 Two Thousand Guineas,

will look to ratify the form, but the respective runner-up and third-place

finishers from the Guineas, DICK TURPIN (Arakan) and CANFORD CLIFFS (Tagula),

will try to overturn it.

Since their Newmarket joust, Dick Turpin has gone on to miss narrowly in the

May 16 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French Two Thousand Guineas) (Fr-G1) to Lope

de Vega (Shamardal), who came back to romp in the Prix du Jockey Club (French

Derby) (Fr-G1). Meanwhile, Canford Cliffs went to the Curragh and crushed his

opponents in the May 22 Irish Two Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1).

O'Brien will saddle three in the St James's Palace, but his leading hope is

the highly-regarded STEINBECK (Footstepsinthesand [GB]), a solid fourth in his

reappearance in the Irish Guineas. French Group 1 hero SIYOUNI (Pivotal), a

hampered ninth in the French Guineas, is another looking to rebound.

Adding further intrigue is the American shipper NOBLE'S PROMISE (Cuvee), most

recently fifth in the Kentucky Derby (G1). The Ken McPeek pupil has not raced on

turf since his maiden victory at two, but has established his class when coming

close to champion Lookin at Lucky (Smart Strike) three times.