Horse Racing Betting Tips: Raise the stakes with Sand and Chilean in the Royal Hunt Cup

ROYAL Ascot features a number of big field competitive handicapsand the most infamous of them is today’s Royal Hunt Cup (5.00pm), a 30-runner cavalrycharge over the straight mile.

This is one of the biggest betting contests of the wholeseason and plenty of gambles have been landed over the years, though some have goneastray too.

In 2008, Luca Cumani’s Bankable was backed into 13/8, anastonishing price considering the competitiveness of the race, but he couldonly finish fifth.

A year later and Jeremy Noseda was landing the valuableprize with the 4/1 favourite Forgotten Voice, but tread carefully, he was thelast winning market leader and since then eight of the last nine winners were doublefigure prices.

The big ante-post mover this year has been James Tate’s NewGraduate ever since he bolted up in a mile handicap at Ripon in April.

The form of that race has worked out brilliantly with thesecond, third and fourth all coming out since and winning at least once.

However, he was rated 90 then and is now up to 105 so he isgoing to have to be every bit a Group horse to be winning this off that mark.

We have no idea if his draw in stall one is going to be anadvantage or not, but only two of the last 10 winners came out of a singlefigure stall so I can’t imagine Tate would have chosen that berth.

At a best price 6/1 with Coral, he simply has to be opposed.

Last year’s winner Settle For Bay is bidding to become onlythe second dual winner of this race and the first in over 70 years after MasterVote went back-to-back in 1947 and 1948.

It wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility as he was aridiculously easy winner 12 months ago and is only 6lbs higher today.

His run at Leopardstown earlier this month was a bit of aneye-catcher in the context of this race, although he will have questions toanswer if the ground turns soft.

My first selection is RAISING SAND, who should bebacked at 8/1 with Coral who are paying six places.

Jamie Osborne’s seven-year-old loves to get his toe in, sohe will have no problems if conditions get testing, and he also adores Ascot’sstraight track, having won here three times in his career.

He is drawn against the stands’ rail which could be anadvantage and it would also be a fantastic story for a couple of reasons.

Just two weeks ago a fire ripped through Osborne’s Lambournyard, while, if successful, Nicola Currie would become only the second female riderto win at Royal Ascot, 32 years after Gay Kelleway took the Queen AlexandraStakes on Sprowston Boy.

If there is a draw bias, it’s worth having one on the farside and even though CHILEAN takes a bit more explaining, I think he isworth adding to the portfolio at a massive 33/1 with Coral from stall nine.

Martyn Meade’s Iffraaj colt won a heavy ground Group Threeover 1m1f at Longchamp on his reappearance last season, beating Study Of Man whowent on to land the French Derby two starts later.

The wheels came off slightly after that but Chilean clearlygoes well fresh and if the ground deteriorates he will love it.

POINTERS

Raising Sand e/w5.00pm Royal Ascot