QUEEN ANNE STAKES  (G1)  ROYAL ASCOT  1600M   (11.30PM  AEST)

1   ALEXANDROS  (Kingmambo – Arlette by King Of Kings)
2   AQLAAM  (Oasis   Dream – Bourbonella by Rainbow Quest)
3   ARABIAN GLEAM  (Kyllachy – Gleam Of Light by Danehill)
4   CESARE  (Machiavellian – Tromond by Lomond)
5   DREAM EATER  (Night Shift – Kapria by Simon Du Desert)
6   GLADIATORUS  (Silic – Gmaasha by Kris)
7   MAC LOVE  (Cape Cross – My Lass by Elmaamul)
8   MAIN AIM  (Oasis Dream – Orford Ness by Selkirk)
9   PACO BOY  (Desert Style – Tappen Zee by Sandhurst Prince)

The Queen Anne Stakes launches the 2009 Royal Ascot carnival on Tuesday night and Godolphin can win it for the eighth time with Gladiatorus.  A cheap $8,000 buy at a Fasig-Tipton Yearling Sale in October 2006, his dam is an unraced sister to half-sister to English 2000 Guineas winner Haafhd.

Gladiatorus was an extra smart juvenile in Italy at two but missed all of last year due to injury.  Switched to Sheikh Mohammed’s operation, he quickly made up for lost time with domineering front-running wins in the Al Fahidi Fort (G2) and Dubai Duty Free (G1) earlier this year.

He defeated subsequent Hong Kong Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) winner Presvis (Sakhee) by three lengths in the Duty Free and that was sufficient to catapult him to the top of the world rankings.

“Gladiatorus is an exciting horse,” trainer Saeed bin Suroor commented.  “He is working well and seems in good form.  He has shown his class this year and we are expecting a good run in the Queen Anne.”

Godolphin’s list of victors include the multiple Group 1 winners Ramonti, Refuse to Bend and Dubai Destination, but the operation has also scored with several long-shots and this year’s second-stringer Alexandros has sound claims, just like Cape Cross in 1999.

He was placed in the Dubai Duty Free before returning to Europe to be nosed out by Virtual in the G1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury in May.

Paco Boy is the pick of the rest.  A relative disappointment in the Lockinge, he should be forgiven one bad run going on his impressive wins in the 2008 Prix de la Foret (G1) and the 2009 Sandown Mile (G2) in April.

TIPS:  1 GLADIATORUS,   2 ALEXANDROS,   3 PACO BOY

BETTING;   5/2 Gladiatorus,  3/1 Paco Boy,  4/1 Main Aim,  8/1 Alexandros,  9/1 Cesare,  10/1 Aqlaam,  25/1 Arabian Gleam,  33/1 Dream Eater,  50/1 Mac Love.