Tag: Royal Ascot

Royal Ascot Saturday Preview

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Royal Ascot comes to an end on Saturday with the Diamond Jubilee Stakes being the headline event. With the possible exception of Black Caviar’s sensational visit, this race seems an odd one to feature on the closing Saturday. In fact, I am surprised that they haven’t moved the Ascot Gold Cup to the Saturday as most of the other traditions have gone out of the window in recent years!

The Gold Cup was the highlight of the week for me. What a game effort by Estimate to get so close to winning it for a second consecutive season for Her Majesty. I thought that last year’s runner-up Simenon hinted at a return to form by making up a good deal of ground in the home straight. With Brown Panther also running well on ground faster than he likes, there are plenty of options including the Melbourne Cup again for both horses.

My regular readers will know that I have followed Aljamaaheer throughout his career and that he has seldom let me down. He is quite an easy horse to read in that he loves fast ground, almost always pulls too hard and just barely gets home over a mile. With that in mind, it is not that surprising that Roger Varian has trained him for the sprints this season.

His first attempt came at the Craven meeting where he duly missed the break! It was probably the one thing that could possibly beat him that day, rather like England failing to mark the one player on the pitch capable of beating them on Thursday night!

Hopefully Paul Hanagan will make sure that he gets away on level terms and he will surely run a good race. He is not that easy to win with as he tends to only win in photographs but he looks solid each-way value.

My other bet on the Ascot card is for Sir Michael Stoute’s Telescope in the Hardwicke Stakes. Stoute has only got two top class middle-distance colts and it seems odd that they face each other here. Hillstar could be the biggest threat as he handles this quicker ground but Telescope looked a class act at York last year and we’ll give him one more chance. His form with Noble Mission doesn’t look so bad after that horse won a Group 1 in Ireland.

Telescope 3.45 Royal Ascot at 9-4 Paddy Power, BetVictor

Aljamaaheer 4.25 Royal Ascot at 9-2 Paddy Power

Royal Ascot Friday Preview

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It is no secret that Sir Michael Stoute’s horses have needed a run this season to sharpen them up. Time and again we have seen his runners improve by up to 7lbs from their seasonal debut, Integral being a case in point on Wednesday when comprehensively reversing Newmarket form.

The Newmarket handler has a strong team lined up for Friday and will be very disappointed if he comes away with nothing. Bold Sniper ran a great race at this meeting last year to be beaten just a length by Elidor in a competitive handicap and returns in peak form for the Wolferton Handicap at 3.05.

He was given a lot to do first time out at Newmarket but cut through the pack impressively to finish third to Niceofyoutotellme. As with the rest of the yard, he will surely improve for that run and my only concern is the shorter trip. This race is over a mile and a quarter which must be a minimum for the Royal runner so I’m hoping they go a fast gallop. He will love the ground and may have most to fear from old rival Café Society.

Snow Sky was nibbled at in the ante-post market for the Derby after winning the Lingfield Trial impressively. A minor knock prevented him from taking his chance at Epsom but that may have been a blessing in disguise. The Lingfield form looks weak but he is closely matched with Derby sixth Western Hymn on Newbury form. He was having his first start when beaten by the Gosden horse and his rival may be feeling his Epsom exertions.

Stoute also has a massive chance with Russian Realm in the closing Buckingham Palace Stakes at 5.35. He made rapid late headway to finish second first time out and then bolted up at Goodwood. He was racing off a mark of 88 that day and is now up to 96 but Ryan Moore only needed hands and heels to secure a comfortable win.

With 29 runners it is impossible to be too confident but he won in the style of a potential Listed or Group class winner and looks worth a bet at around 6-1. I would be kicking myself if I did not include Radiator as an each-way bet in the Coronation Stakes. Strictly on form she ought to be outclassed but she ran too freely when just beaten at York and will also improve markedly. The fact that she is running in the Group 1 is a hint in itself.

Bold Sniper 3.05 Royal Ascot at 4-1 BetVictor

Snow Sky 3.45 Royal Ascot at 5-1 Coral, William Hill

Radiator (each-way) 4.25 Royal Ascot at 16-1 Paddy Power

Russian Realm 5.35 Royal Ascot at 6-1 William Hill

Royal Ascot Thursday Preview

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The defeat of Treve on day 2 of Royal Ascot was not as big a surprise as the pundits would have you believe. The going is clearly riding good to firm with Sole Power able to use his blistering speed on the opening day and The Fugue relishing her favourite surface in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes.

Treve won a soft ground Arc over a mile and a half and it is little wonder she was running like a crab in the closing stages of a mile and a quarter race on quicker ground. Of course, we would not have taken a lot of encouragement about The Fugue’s prospects from her previous run or the typically downbeat Mr Gosden.

Thursday is Ascot Gold Cup day and a year ago we were celebrating an ante-post 1-2 as Estimate and Simenon fought out the finish. Both horses are back again tomorrow but they have had mixed fortunes since. Estimate has only managed one further racecourse appearance while Simenon has run in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Dubai!

According to the bookmakers, Leading Light is already past the post. The St Leger winner handles this quicker ground having won at the corresponding meeting and was impressive first time out this season. The ground is most definitely against Altano, Brown Panther and Tac De Boistron so each-way options against the favourite are limited.

One horse that will like the ground is Ahzeemah. This horse has been crying out for fast ground and looks worth a bet at around 25-1. The Godolphin horses haven’t been setting the World alight so far this week but one big win would put matters right.

Early birds have already snapped up the value with Cannock Chase in the 3.05 race. Sir Michael Stoute’s promising colt looked to have a few pounds in hand when winning the London Gold Cup and this doesn’t look the strongest race of the week by any means. Integral gave the yard a boost on Wednesday and Cannock Chase can follow suit.

John Gosden has a fine record in the Britannia Handicap and his horses are clearly running out of their skins with the victories of Kingman and The Fugue. Hunters Creek is his runner this year and you can ignore his recent form as he has not been getting home over ten furlongs. At the furlong pole he was bang in contention with subsequent easy winner Master Carpenter last time and that form gives him better than a 16-1 chance.

Cannock Chase 3.05 Ascot 5-2 Bet365

Ahzeemah 4.25 Ascot 25-1 Ladbrokes, Bet Victor

Hunters Creek 5.00 Ascot 18-1 Betfair

Royal Ascot Wednesday Preview

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We had a couple of short-priced winners on the opening day but it should have been better. I was kicking myself for not including Sole Power with the sun beating down to give him his favoured fast ground. The second day is probably the best betting day of the week with plenty of runners and a fine mix of handicaps and group races.

I usually fancy something strongly in the Jersey Stakes as the seven-furlong trip is ideal for horses that don’t quite get home in the Guineas. Unusually, there is no 2000 Guineas “flop” in the field although there are horses from the French and Irish races. Richard Fahey’s Parbold has become expensive to follow and even his trainer admits to being puzzled by the colt. He did little wrong at Epsom last time when getting within a whisker of ending That Is The Spirit’s winning run. They are both set to go off at huge prices here so can carry each-way support.

I had convinced myself that Tiggy Wiggy would win the Queen Mary after she flew home in the National Stakes. That was until witnessing the American horse bolt up in the two-year-old event yesterday. I am now going to have to include Spanish Pipedream but at least Tiggy Wiggy will be an each-way price.

Treve should win the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes but there must be slight concerns over the shorter trip and quicker ground. I cannot support her at odds-on with the likes of Magician, Dank and The Fugue in opposition but I expect her to come through the test.

There does not seem to be the same stable confidence behind Sky Lantern as there was behind Toronado in the Queen Anne. The popular grey has the form to win on Wednesday having beaten Integral last season at Newmarket but it should be close between the pair.

The cavalry charge for the Royal Hunt Cup sees Abseil bidding to justify heavy ante-post support. Having collected on him at Yarmouth and Epsom, I feel obliged to follow him here but will also take some each-way about Stirring Ballad. Richard Hughes suffered a nightmare ride on her 12 months ago and David Probert now does the steering. She has not been on the racecourse since but stranger things have happened!

That Is The Spirit 2.30 Royal Ascot 14-1 Paddy Power

Parbold 2.30 Royal Ascot 18-1 Bet Victor

Spanish Pipedream 3.05 Royal Ascot 5-2 Bet365

Tiggy Wiggy 3.05 Royal Ascot 6-1 Paddy Power

Integral 3.45 Royal Ascot 3-1 Ladbrokes

Sky Lantern 3.45 Royal Ascot 4-1 Ladbrokes

Abseil 5.00 Royal Ascot 11-2 Coral

Stirring Ballad 5.00 Royal Ascot 23-1 Betfair

Royal Ascot Tuesday Preview

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Royal Ascot kicks off on Tuesday and it will be interesting to see how it competes with the World Cup in Brazil. It will certainly lose some valuable column inches and I think Channel 4’s viewing figures will be down but none of that concerns the true racing fan.

The highlight of day 1 is undoubtedly the clash between Irish 2000 Guineas winner Kingman and his Newmarket conqueror Night Of Thunder. After Kingman’s effortless Newbury win in the Greenham I fully expected to collect on my 16-1 ante-post tip but 40-1 shot Night Of Thunder came to the bookies rescue.

With the benefit of hindsight, Night Of Thunder ran a perfectly good trial at Newbury but was no match for Kingman. He should not have been 40-1 but I have to favour Kingman to gain his revenge on Tuesday. Much has been made of the draw on Guineas day being a factor but Night Of Thunder did hang badly in the closing stages but still got up to win.

Tactics will play a part but there is only a small field and I’m guessing that Toormore will be allowed to dictate the pace with Kingman and Night Of Thunder held up behind. It should be a great race but Kingman can establish himself as the best miler of his generation.

Last year, Dawn Approach appeared to have done exactly that when holding off Toronado in the same race. Toronado finally got the better of him at Goodwood in the Sussex Stakes before flopping over a mile and a quarter at York. He reappears here and is the class horse in an otherwise modest renewal. He has not raced for 300 days so even money does not offer great value but he should win if sharp enough.

War Command was a brilliant winner of the Coventry Stakes 12 months ago and I doubt very much whether anything will win as easily this year. Adaay looks a nice colt and beat a speedy type in Mind Of Madness at Yarmouth. My only worry is that he may be run off his legs a bit early on and you can get some funny results in big fields here. I’m going to have a saver on Godolphin’s Portamento. He was well beaten on his debut but was slowly away and put up a much better show at Goodwood. He slammed a subsequent winner with ease that day and 16-1 is too big to refuse.

I’m not a great fan of the sprints at this meeting but the King’s Stand looks top class tomorrow. Sole Power, Shea Shea and Pearl Secret are all entitled to respect but Hot Streak won with a little in hand at Haydock and could have the legs of them. Oisin Murphy rode him that day but Jamie Spencer is back on board and just gets the verdict in a very tight race.

Toronado 2.30 Royal Ascot at Evens Paddy Power

Adaay 3.05 Royal Ascot at 6-1 Boylesports

Portamento 3.05 Royal Ascot at 16-1 Totesport

Hot Streak 3.45 Royal Ascot at 9-2 Paddy Power

Kingman 4.25 Royal Ascot at 11-10 Bet Victor

Newbury Thursday Preview

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With Royal Ascot less than a week away, horse racing finds itself facing an uphill struggle for column inches as the World Cup gets under way in Brazil. With the US Open also taking place this weekend, the build up to the Royal meeting is certainly going to be well down on recent years.

I think it has already had an impact because I have not even had an ante-post bet on the meeting! It does seem to be right on top of the Epsom Derby meeting this year and I would be very surprised if we see any classic runners pulled out again so quickly.

Newbury stages a more modest card on Thursday but there are some interesting contests and the all-conquering John Gosden team are out in force. The quality race on the card is the Lord Weinstock Memorial Stakes at 3.25 for three-year-old fillies.

Gosden’s Eastern Belle would probably not get within a bargepole of Taghrooda but has acquitted herself well at Newmarket and Goodwood and is the form choice. She easily holds Jordan Princess and Uchenna on her second to Marsh Daisy on the Sussex track. The proximity of Jordan Princess in the betting suggests that the Cumani team had an excuse for her poor effort last time. She was six lengths behind the Oaks winner in the Pretty Polly Stakes so must be considered the obvious threat.

Gosden then saddles The Third Man in the one mile handicap at 4.00. On the face of it, the grey colt has a tough task with 9st 7lb and only one race under his belt. That race resulted in a victory in a modest Lingfield maiden but he fairly rattled home that day and 75 seems a low estimate of his potential.

I don’t know why it has taken this long for Mr G to get him on the track but the fact that he is running in a handicap suggests he has a chance. Most of the opposition have far more experience and seem well exposed, the possible exception being Spirit Raiser. James Fanshawe is no mug and it will be interesting to see how the Hayley Turner-ridden filly gets on here.

The handicap at 4.30 looks tricky but I liked the run of Suitsus at Salisbury last time and he is worth a bet at around 6-1. Steve Drowne tucked him just behind the pace that day and he looked like challenging the winner Iseemist until lack of fitness told.

Eastern Belle 3.25 Newbury at 7-2 BetVictor

The Third Man 4.00 Newbury at 2-1 Paddy Power

Suitsus 4.30 Newbury at 6-1 Betfair