STAR IN HIS EYES

Our trainer columnist Ed Walker hash the latest on his Diamond Jubilee favourite Starman, plus the rest of his Royal Ascot team

I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to Royal Ascot, where I’ll have the biggest and strongest team I’ve ever taken.

I was thrilled to win with Agrotera there three years ago andd thithis meeting is the pinnacle of our sport. The Oaks, the Derby and Royal Ascot are what captures the attention of the nonracing public in the outside world and I’m really excited about this week.

I’ve got two chances of finally landing a first Group 1 winner. Not having one has been bugging me for a long time and I’m desperate to shake it off.

We’ve been second in five Group

1s so it’s about time we broke our duck!

The horses couldn’t be in better form and my only worry is the forecast for thundery showers – they could amount to nothing, they could throw down a lot of rain.

My team are all fastground horses. The only one who wants it soft is

Stormy Antarctic – who iironically,ill I hadhd tot taketk outt of the

Wolferton on the first day because the surface was too quick!

Fingers crossed conditions will be fine for Starman

(below). I can’t wait to run him in Saturday’s Diamond Jubilee Stakes, which has been his target pretty much since Champions day last autumn. t

We were delighted with his hugely satisfying comeback win in the Duke of York Stakes and Oisin Murphy, who knows him well, is on board again.

Everything has gone to plan since York, he looks awesome and we’re extremely excited about his chanceh – it wouldld bbe heart-ht breaking if the ground messed it up.

The going was on the soft side at York but he’s at his absolute best – which you need to be to win a Group 1 – on a fast surface.

The more rain that falls, the more the pendulum swings in favour of the York second Nahaarr because he does want it soft; the quicker the ground, the more

confident I am that we can confirm the form.

Great Ambassador

will have a cracking chance in the

Wokingham Handicap if

he gets in, though he’s another fast-ground horse.

He won well at Kempton and though he was a bit disappointing at Newmarket they went a slow pace there and he was a bit keen – he won’t be quite so fresh this time and he should get a strong gallop.

Great Ambassador was also found out slightly by the ups and downs at Newmarket and he’ll be better suited by this flatter track. This looks the perfect race for him.

I fear that Alabama Boy, who failed to make the cut for the Britannia Stakes, will also miss out on the Golden Gate Stakes.

That’s a shame because he’s a very progressive horse and the step up in trip would be no problem for him. But there are lots of nice races for him later in the year.

Our first chance at a Group 1 is with Primo

Bacio, who’s in cracking form ahead of Friday’s Coronation Stakes.

She hasn’t missed a beat since her fine win in the Michael Seely Stakes York. She did her last piece of work on Saturday and it was excellent. We’re very happy with her and she looks fantastic.

That said, it’s a big step up from a Listed race to a Group 1. It’s flattering that she’s as short a price as she is but she could be taking on two Guineas winners.

Then again, it was a very good performance at York and if she can reproduce that form she’ll run a big race.

She showed a great turn of foot and Andrea Atzeni, who rode her beautifully that day, is on board again.

I’m also really looking forward to seeing

Popmaster run in the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes as I think he’s an exciting contender.

He’ll be suited by coming back to five furlongs and he’s in blinding shape. This has been the plen for a long time and he has some great form in the book – he could actually be five from five going into the race.

Things didn’t quite go right for him at Lingfield or Pontefract then at Doncaster we felt he slightly chucked it away as he wasn’t quite concentrating.

He’s been gelded since then and we’ve been working him in a visor to see if that helps. Either way, he’s a talented horse and I think he’s still well handicapped.

I hope that Parachute remains on a decent mark in Thursday’s King George V Handicap, raised just 4lb after his good win at Newmarket last month.

We’d also entered him in the Queen’s Vase and if we thought he could be competitive in that, he has to have every chance off 88 in a handicap. It was a nobrainer to choose this option, especially as there is no question mark about the trip.

I think Dreamloper has a cracking chance in the Kensington Palace Handicap on Wednesday. This has been the long-term plan: from the moment we knew this race was going to be on the programme this year we identified her as the perfect filly for it.

She’s got great form at the track and the trip, though top-of-the-ground is key for her. That said, she ran well on a softer surface there last time when she wore a hood to teach her to settle better - we’re taking that off this time and that should make her sharper in the finish as we felt it slightly blunted her in the final furlong.

Matthew Flinders is in flying form for the Royal Hunt Cup and everything is very positive for him.

I was very pleased with his run at Newbury because he missed a week with a foot issue leading up to the race and he needed it slightly. And though I was disappointed with him next time at York, he’s run below expectations three times there now and I’m happy to blame the track. I’m looking forward to him bouncing back.

This stiff mile on fast ground would be ideal – I just hope they don’t get the rain!