The headlines were taken by the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes which raised more questions than answers and few of them will have satisfactory responses until after declarations have been made for the first race of the summer showpiece and possibly, not even until after it’s been run.

Inspiral and Big Rock may not run with the former possibly going up in trip and soft ground deemed necessary for the latter and underfoot conditions may also, though I suspect not, deter Facteur Cheval. Audience and Charyn will, you would think, have to be there but the opposition will be wise about ignoring Audience for a second time and he will have to go and prove himself all over again.

All of that is reflected by the market where there are some unusually large fluctuations in prices which is good news if you have a strong view but many observers will be as confused as the layers.

One Royal Ascot race that may have become a little clearer over the last 48 hours is the Albany Stakes.

Naturally most eyes were on events at Newbury so it’s only in relative terms that Mountain Breeze‘s victory at Newmarket in the Tattersalls 40,000 EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes went under the radar.

Mountain Breeze didn’t escape the attentions of Paddy Power who introduced her into the Albany Stakes market as their 6/4 favourite after she defied a penalty in the six furlong contest. It is an easy – and possibly lazy – jump to make as this race has been used as a springboard for Royal Ascot of late.

The 2019 winner Daahyeh followed up in June whereas 2022 winner Mawj had to settle for second but she did win a Guineas as did 2021 winner Cachet who was only fifth in Berkshire. There was no race in 2020 and last year’s winner, Jabaara, could only manage 11th in the Albany.

Those four fillies were all having their racecourse bow when winning this race but Mountain Breeze had already run – and won- at the Guineas meeting and the form looks solid with the third successful and the fourth only beaten 2 lengths in the Marygate at York last week. The runner-up has her second start at Carlisle on Monday.

Mawj was beaten into second by Meditate while last year’s renewal went the way of Porta Fortuna and it just so happens that both of those fillies won the Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint Stakes which took place at Naas on Sunday.

Now a Group 3, neither Etoile nor Hermana Estrella went on to Royal Ascot but the winners in 2017 and 2018 did with Alpha Centauri finishing a neck second and Servalan only sixth, albeit just 1 1/2 lengths off the winner.

This year’s renewal saw Fairy Godmother reverse debut form with Sparkling Sea and she was well backed to do so.

Not surprisingly she is now second favourite for the Albany Stakes (although few have priced it up) and is a best of 6/1. The placed fillies, Sparkling Sea and California Dreamer, were only a neck and three quarters of a length behind and are out at 16/1 and 20s in the nascent market.

Alex Merriam was on duty for Godolphin at Newmarket on Saturday and, with the usual caveats, confirmed that the Albany was likely to be next for Mountain Breeze and she may well meet up with Fairy Godmother as her trainer, Aidan O’Brien said: “We thought that she would win the first day, but she was very green and obviously with a first time out two-year-old, anything can happen. The filly that beat her is obviously a very good filly.

“Even though they went slow today, the plan was to drop her in and teach her and we needed to find out what way to ride her in Ascot. Ryan said she’s very classy, gets six furlongs very well, as we saw, and will get seven.

“I’d say she’s an Albany filly, that’s the way she looks. She will have learned a lot from today.”

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