George Boughey has assembled an extremely strong team of horses for Royal Ascot 2023, with the line-up headed by two exciting two-year-olds: Coventry favourite Asadna and Albany fancy Soprano.

SBK ambassador Boughey struck twice at Royal Ascot last year with Missed The Cut taking the Golden Gates Handicap and Inver Park scoring in the Buckingham Palace Stakes, but the desire to add another victory to his tally has never been so great. "I'd bite your hand off for a winner,” he said.

"We have got a strong team going there, but no-one realises quite how hard it is," Boughey added. "You need the draw and ground to be right. It has been quick ground for the last three weeks and it might somehow change to soft ground and all our quick ground horses are kaput and you only have two bullets to fire.

“There is a lot of water to go under the bridge, but I'm very happy with how they are at the moment.”

Two-year-olds

Asadna 

Form figures: 1
Target: Coventry Stakes (Tuesday)

Asadna is probably the most straightforward two-year-old of any level of ability I’ve ever trained. He was more impressive than I had expected on debut at Ripon - he got a little bit unbalanced before they quickened but he did it nicely in the end. Of all the Royal Ascot horses we worked this morning, he was the standout horse on his mental constitution. William Buick was delighted. 

Soprano

Form figures: 1
Target: Albany Stakes (Friday)

Soprano has been in great form. She was a frame of a horse through the winter and there were a few eyebrows raised from her owners when I started working her. She’s always shown a high level of ability at home and we hoped she would do what she did on debut at Newmarket. The form was franked on Saturday by Midnight Affair in the Hilary Needler Trophy, and I’m thrilled with how she’s training. 

Soprano: Albany second favourite having a pick of grass after her morning work. Photo credit: Jason Bax

Muqtahem 

Form figures: 31
Target: Windsor Castle Stakes (Wednesday) or Norfolk Stakes (Thursday)

Muqtahem is probably going to go for the Windsor Castle, but we will give him an entry in the Norfolk too. He showed plenty of pace at Pontefract over six furlongs on his last start so I think we will revert to the minimum trip. He’s a son of Soldiers Call and he weighs 475kg, so I hope there’s more to come from him. 

Graceful Thunder 

Form figures: 1
Target: Queen Mary Stakes (Wednesday)

Graceful Thunder is a filly who was well prepared by John Bourke at the Breeze-Ups. She was a little raw but good on debut, and she has come forward notably and will run in the Queen Mary. It’s a huge ambition of Kia Joorabchian to have a Royal Ascot winner, so to have a two-year-old for him that’s heading towards the meeting with a chance is a big thrill. We’ll be gunning to get those purple and white colours in the winners’ enclosure.

Three-year-olds

Al Dasim 

Form figures: 1-1117
Target: Commonwealth Cup (Friday)

Al Dasim had a busy winter in Dubai so he needed a break. He’s come back in great shape and has developed into a big, strong three-year-old colt. I was going to run him in the Sandy Lane at Haydock but I just wasn’t happy with the ground there. Mentally he’s improving and I think he will handle the occasion and the stiff six furlongs - he sees out the trip very well.

Al Dasim (far-side): worked with Spangled Mac on Tuesday morning. Photo credit: Jason Bax

Concorde 

Form figures: 8-1211
Target: Golden Gates Handicap (Saturday)

Concorde progressed through the Spring and I think the ground has been key to him - he’s bred to appreciate a bit of cut. His work has been good without being sparkling on faster ground, so it would have to rain to see him take his chance. There are plenty of 10-furlong handicap alternatives coming up - there’s one at Newmarket’s July meeting and another £100,000 Racing League Handicap - so he might go to one of those if it doesn’t rain before next Saturday.

Naxos 

Form figures: 12-1
Target: Golden Gates Handicap (Saturday)

Naxos has been a bit of a revelation. He was gelded over the winter and I almost didn’t recognise him when he came out for his owner the other day as he’s grown and strengthened hugely. He wll be in the Goffs London Royal Ascot Sale on Monday, so he could be running in different colours next week. He looks progressive and he should have some improvement to come off a mark of 89.

Pastiche

Form figures: 71-2
Target: Sandringham Handicap (Friday)

Pastiche is a bit of a dark horse and we’re trying to sneak her into the Sandringham Handicap. She had a little bit of a setback in the Spring and made her comeback over six-furlongs, which was a slightly inadequate trip. The Sandringham is over a mile, which will suit her better, and she worked well this morning. She’s a filly with plenty of upside given she’s only rated 80. The cut-off line was 78 last year so fingers crossed she gets in.

Pastiche (near-side): stretching out nicely in her morning breeze. Photo credit: Jason Bax

Conquistador 

Form figures: 3321-1
Target: Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap (Friday)

Conquistador has been a revelation since dropping back to sprint trips. Fast ground, five furlongs and a stiff track are what he needs. He’s jumped through every hoop so far and comes here off a nice weight. I was delighted to see that he remained off 86 this morning.

Older Horses

Cadillac 

Form figures: 234-01
Target: Wolferton Handicap (Tuesday)

Cadillac might not have been fancied in the market at Epsom when he won but we hoped he would run well. Ryan Moore looked after him on very soft ground on 2,000 Guineas day at Newmarket. I hope we see the same horse right-handed as we did left-handed at Epsom. Sam Haggas, who I work very closely with, has been a big advocate that he’s better left-handed and wasn’t surprised to see him win at Epsom. He has got his confidence back and is bouncing at the moment. He’s also been a big improver since being gelded and he’s in as good a shape as any that we’re taking to Ascot.

Cadillac: recent Epsom winner worked a mile under Megan Nicholls. Photo credit: Jason Bax

Koy Koy 

Form figures: 17375-
Target: Royal Hunt Cup Handicap (Wednesday) or Buckingham Palace Handicap (Friday)

Koy Koy is a slightly forgotten horse, too, as he was probably my pick for the Lincoln earlier this year but he didn’t make the race. He might not get into the Hunt Cup, so we have the Buckingham Palace as an alternative for him. We won the race with Inver Park last year and I’d say Koy Koy is ahead of him at this stage. We need to get the ground, the draw and the luck in running, but he goes there with a good chance.

Best chance of the week

A grinning Boughey said: “I think the two two-year-olds [Soprano and Asadna] hold obvious claims. Soprano is the one who has improved more from their debuts. She’s a bigger and stronger filly who has put on 25kg since her first run. Cadillac would be the other who I think goes there with a live chance.”