Racing Farringdon looks ahead to next week’s Royal Ascot meeting
WITH the racing this weekend hardly being inspiring, I have decided to take a look forward to the big Royal Ascot meeting next week (Tuesday through Saturday inclusive).
It is a mix of ultra-competitive big-field handicaps, the start of the big races for the juveniles and of course plenty of group race action from the highest level down to Group three events. So here are my best of the next few days based on good to firm ground.
Tuesday
Winners of the English and Irish 2,000 Guineas, Chaldean and Paddington are sure to be popular for the St James’s Palace Stakes (4.20) and both probably have their best days ahead of them, but at respective odds of 2/1 and 9/4, I would much rather have a hefty each-way play on INDESTRUCTIBLE.
A clear-cut winner of the Craven Stakes, he then found the ground too soft in the first colts’ classic. However, back on a sound surface I think he has an outstanding chance of hitting the frame at a massive 40/1.
There is a strong overseas challenge for the King’s Stand Stakes (3.40), but dropping down to five furlongs for the first time in his career could well be the making of the Archie Watson trained BRADSELL.
Last year’s Coventry Stakes winner has raced exclusively over six furlongs in his career, but has bundles of early pace and is another huge priced each-way play.
NATIVE TRAIL can turn over stable mate Modern Games in the opening Queen Anne Stakes at 2.30, while GOSHEN could be interesting in the Ascot Handicap Stakes at 5.00.
Wednesday
I shall be doubling up in the big betting race of the day, the Royal Hunt Cup (5.00) with the well handicapped DAWN OF LIBERATION and the 2021 Britannia Stakes winner PEROTTO.
The last named will hopefully sneak in at the bottom of the weights being number 29 on the entry list.
There is no way that LIGHT INFANTRY should be a 40/1 shot for the Princes of Wales’s Stakes at 4.20 if he runs here in preference to the Queen Anne on Tuesday.
Thursday
If a recent wind operation has worked and we get the expected rain then there is no way that TRUESHAN is a 20/1 shot for the Ascot Gold Cup at 4.20.
If he doesn’t find his old form and/or the ground is a shade on the fast side as well then he could be vulnerable to Ascot specialist and ante-post favourite Coltrane, as well as the forgotten about Broome. The last named is particularly interesting as he won last year’s Hardwicke Stakes over a mile-and-a-half from the front.
He has since shown that two miles, at the very least is within his scope, and his last run in the Yorkshire Cup can safely be consigned to the dustbin as he was never able to quicken off what was a moderate pace, but then stayed on strongly in the closing stages.
I suspect two-and-a-half miles will be well within his compass if he settles well into the race.
But the best bet of the day could come in the form of RUNNING LION in the Ribblesdale Stakes at 3.40.
She was unfortunately withdrawn from the Oaks, but the manner of her win in the Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket suggested that she would have gone very close at Epsom.
Alice Haynes can continue her superb season by landing the Norfolk Stakes (2.30) with MAXIMUM IMPACT.
The son of Havana Grey has looked smart in going two from two at Leicester and the Two-Year-Old Trial Stakes over the course and distance last month.
Friday
I thought that Little Big Bear was flattered by his win in the Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock Park last month running against the favoured stands’ side rail.
I fancy he could be vulnerable to SAKHEER, who travelled beautifully into the 2,000 Guineas before stamina became an issue and he wasn’t given too hard a time in the closing stages by David Egan.
That kindness can be repaid here at the main expense of the Aidan O’Brien hotpot and the smart filly Lezoo.
Noble Style is another coming back to sprinting after plainly not seeing out the mile at Newmarket, but then looked badly out of sorts when only a laboured third at short odds in the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury.
A staying on seventh from an impossible position in the Epsom Derby, ARTISTIC STAR would be very interesting should he line up in the King Edward VII Stakes, while I am going to take an each-way chance on ELECTRIC EYES on her belated three-year-old debut in the Coronation Stakes.
Saturday
The layers are offering 8/1 the field in the Wokingham Handicap (5.00) and at the time of writing and in such a big field we can have two stabs at the first prize.
LETHAL LEVI has bean aimed at this prize and was a shade unlucky not to get to Bielsa at York last time out. Combine him at bigger odds with outsider SPANGLED MAC. George Boughey’s charge completed a rapid four-timer last summer and was only just beaten off 94 on his five on the bounce run. Only 1lbs higher here, if he gets in at the bottom of the weights, the four-year-old is better than his current odds suggest.
CHANGINGOFTHEGUARD (4.20) is the each-way play in the Hardwicke Stakes, while the feature Jubilee Stakes (3.40) may go to the over priced RUN TO FREEDOM.
