Royal Ascot tips: Ross Millar's bets for the two-year-old races

Juvenile expert Ross Millar has some big-priced fancies in the races for the youngsters at Royal Ascot on the first two days of the meeting.

The wait is over...Royal Ascot is finally here! Five days of ultra-competitive action, and the two-year old division looks full of quality this year. I’m confident that a couple of bona-fide superstars will be unearthed this week.

You will see plenty written this week about working out draw bias, and pace maps, but in the Juvenile division, I believe such endeavours are largely fruitless (although draw bias may become apparent later in the week). As such, I prefer to focus my efforts on watching, and re-watching performances before making a selection.

Below, I have revealed my fancies in the Juvenile races on Tuesday and Wednesday. This column will be updated after declarations for Thursday are made on Tuesday morning, and my thoughts on the action for the final two days will be available on Thursday.

Enjoy the week, and please remember to gamble responsibly.

TUESDAY - DAY ONE

The current second favourite, Asadna, has been a popular source of discussion on my social media feeds over the past few days, with debate raging over whether he’s the real deal, or yet another over-hyped two-year old.

There can be no doubting that, visually, he was very impressive on his Ripon debut where he was driven out to win by 12 lengths. However, the form is yet to work out as the second, Fifty Grand Slater, was beaten ten lengths on his next start.

While Asadna was undeniably strong in the final furlong at Ripon, he wasn’t the most powerful traveller in the mid-part of the race, and I wonder whether he’ll be able to hold his position in a race that will be run at a searing gallop.

I have no such concerns with the selection, River Tiber. The Irish raider has also, to a lesser degree, divided opinion as he was workmanlike when scoring at Naas last time out having been sent off at 2-9.

It's the battling nature of that win that draws me to him, though. He’ll undoubtedly stay further than this trip in time, so the fact he has been able to produce enough speed to win twice over the minimum trip bodes well.

Unlike plenty in this field, he’ll also know how to roll his sleeves up and battle when it matters. Powerful connections, and his world-class jockey do shorten his price further, but I’m confident he’s the one to beat.

At bigger prices, I could see the appeal of the Charlie Hills-trained Chief Mankato. A son of Sioux Nation, he showed good speed at Windsor before staying on well to make a winning debut over this trip. That form has been boosted, too, with both the second and third winning on their next starts. At a general 22-1, I was tempted by him.

However, at twice the price, my second selection is the Andrew Balding-trained Spanish Phoenix. A son of Phoenix Of Spain, his pedigree is full of stamina for further than this, and his half-brother, Confident Star, needed seven furlongs until he showed winning form.

He ran at Kempton on debut where an inability to handle the bend, and general greenness, compromised his chance. He put that experience to good use next time out though when winning a five-furlong maiden at Leicester where, having jumped smartly, he showed good speed and a strong finishing effort to score by over six lengths

That was only a three-runner contest, but the runner-up ran well on his next start when only denied by a neck. With the benefit of two runs, and from a yard that won this in 2021, I fancy Spanish Phoenix to outrun his chunky odds of 50-1.

Selections: River Tiber and Spanish Phoenix.

WEDNESDAY - DAY TWO

I was disappointed to see that connections have opted to send Porta Fortuna to the Albany, rather than this race, as I thought her strong-travelling style, and electric turn of foot, would be ideally suited to this test.

Her defection makes this a wide-open contest, so I’m again comfortable siding with a couple of selections against the field.

Relief Rally was a rare winning two-year old debutant for William Haggas when she won on soft ground at Windsor in easy fashion. The third, Denruth Diamond, and the fifth, Tears Of A Clown, have both won since, which gives merit to the form.

Watch how Relief Rally scored last time out

She then showed herself adaptable with regards to ground when following up at Salisbury where she comfortably dismissed a decent field that contained previous winner Juniper Berries, and future winner Unbreak My Heart.

With her yard back in top form, Relief Rally is one to have on side.

Archie Watson is synonymous with precocious two-year olds and struck with Bradsell at this meeting last year. He looks to have a good chance of more Royal Ascot glory here with Out Of The Stars who although only won a moderate race at Kempton on debut, it was a performance that merits an upgrade.

She was very slowly away and took an age to gather her stride, but she did produce an imposing sectional as she rapidly regained the ground she had forfeited, with greenness costing her many lengths as she struggled to cope with the bend.

Out Of The Stars did plenty wrong en route to victory at Kempton on debut

She showed a tenacious attitude to battle back, though, and she looked a strong individual. As a daughter of Australian sire sensation Zoustar, she’ll appreciate the forecast quick ground, too.

A failure to handle the atmosphere of Royal Ascot will spoil the chance of plenty of young colts and fillies this week and, given Out Of The Stars was taken to post early at Kempton, it’s reasonable to conclude that she’s a highly-strung individual. As a result, I’ll delay backing her until I am satisfied she’s adequately handled the preliminaries.

Selections: Relief Rally and Out Of The Stars (providing she handles the preliminaries!).

It is fair to say that many, myself included, may have underestimated both Havana Grey and Alice Haynes in the early stages of their respective careers. There is no danger of that now, though.

Havana Grey has proved himself to be a sire capable of not only producing tough, durable two-year olds, but also high-class individuals, too.

Haynes has also shown herself to be up there with the best in this country at preparing fast, precocious types, and Maximum Impact is a great advert for the abilities of both Haynes and Havana Grey here.

Maximum Impact looked brave and resilient when winning on heavy ground at Leicester, though a flag start means the winning margin of 12 lengths can’t be taken literally.

His course and distance win on his second start came in a race with plenty of depth, and he showed an abundance of early pace to race prominently plus was noticeably strong in the closing stages.

His owners, Amo Racing ,have a huge battalion of two-year olds to run this week and I think he represents their best chance of a winner.

Being drawn on the wing isn’t ideal but, nevertheless, I can’t let World Of Darcy go un-backed at a general 20-1. His latest second in the National Stakes came behind his exceptional stablemate Elite Status, and that could yet prove to be exceptional form.

His sire, Soldier's Call, has enjoyed a fine start to his stallion career, and a Royal Ascot winner could could be on the horizon.

Selections: Maximum Impact and World Of Darcy.

THURSDAY - DAY THREE

This race has a frustrating make-up for me. When making a selection, I like to be fully aware of the merits of my fancy plus why the opponents have less merit.

I don’t follow the US racing (I think trying to cover all fields around the world is a tough thing for a punter/tipster to do) so short of knowing, like most do, that American Rascal has a top class sprinting dam in Lady Aurelia – winner of the Queen Mary in 2016 and the King’s Stand in 2017 - and having seen his debut demolition via social media, I have no real way of assessing his form. The Wesley Ward trained two-year olds have fallen short at this meeting in the past few years.

US-trained two-year olds have often looked physically superior against their European rivals. This year, I’m confident that the selection will certainly measure up in that department.

Trainer Karl Burke was bullish after Elite Status won in impressive style at Doncaster on debut, suggesting that the strapping son of Havana Grey was only 75% ready for that assignment.

That certainly looked the case as Elite Status took a giant step forward when demolishing the field in what had looked on paper to be an ultra-competitive National Stakes at Sandown last month. He travels powerfully and has a ground devouring stride, looking like he’ll comfortably stay six furlongs when required. This will allow his jockey, Clifford Lee, to keep things simple. I expect him to sit just in behind the pace before hitting the front with a furlong to run.

He’s a short price and, as with all runners this week, he’ll need to handle the atmosphere and get the required dose of luck. But I cannot envisage him getting beaten and fancy he will post the widest winning margin in the juvenile division this week.

For those looking for an each-way alternative, I like the appeal of Thunder Blue.

As is probably becoming apparent I put a good degree of weight behind the benefit that the experience of a second run can give these young immature horses. He was unlucky to not win on his debut at Haydock where he was forced to switch out from behind runners before finishing with tremendous speed. He followed that effort up with a facile win at Goodwood, where he once again travelled with great quality before quickening clear.

This drop back in trip over the stiff 5f looks sure to suit; indeed his dam Kodyanna was twice a winner over this minimum trip. At a double-figure price he merits plenty of respect.