Dubai: As we all know, flat racing is a game of opinions and conjectures.

You may not like an opinion I have while I might disagree with your hypothesis Either way, the sport has an undeniable magic that goes beyond individual sentiments and views.

And that magic could not be more ubiquitous than at Royal Ascot, the most pleasurable and entertaining five days of racing anywhere in the world.

This year has been no different, and at the risk of sounding overly patronizing, I would like to believe that this has been a vintage event.

The ‘wow’ factor that lifts an occasion was ever-present from an absorbing opening day’s action where the brilliant French horse Solow cemented his place as the best miler in Europe with a deserving victory in the Queen Anne Stakes, while Ireland’s Gleneagles continued to plunder the big three-year-old races by landing the St. James’s Palace Stakes.

Royal Ascot is an engaging experience and the victory of Team Godolphin’s Buratino in the Coventry Stakes must have delighted racing fans in the UAE.

Most of the races that form the five-day card at the fabulous Berkshire track have been tested and proven pointers to the future and Buratino showed he was plenty of promise as he stayed on strongly to beat a strong field.

He is now the favourite for next year’s 2,000 Guineas, which is almost ten months away. At this very early stage he represents a good bit of value for the Classic where he is a joint 20/1 chance with Air Force Blue.

However, if you ask me what was my favourite moment I would have to say it was Muhaarar’s imperious performance in the Commonwealth Cup, the new race that aims to create a better Pattern racecard for young sprinters and improve the overall quality of sprint races in Europe.

Royal Ascot’s program of races are constantly evolving, so it was encouraging to see them incorporate a third major sprint contest in their timetable.

I’m not sure weather a lot of the UAE-owned runners got the credit they deserved for slamming their rivals, but hats off to Team Godolphin’s Space Age, a big winner of the King George V Stakes and Al Asayl Stable’s Balios, who captured the King Edward VII Stakes.

Both winners had a lot in common, winning in style and certainly look open to improvement. How much they can improve is a matter of conjecture, but I believe that they both have plenty of promise and that there are bigger races to be won.

It was a fun and exciting five days and an experience like no other. The quality of racing, the over 350,000 people who attend this year’s meeting and aura made it another unforgettable experience.