Alex Hammond’s Tip of the Day: Sky Sports’ Alex goes for 4/1 chance Nahrain in the 15:05 at Ascot. £10 Risk Free at Skybet.
Day 2 Preview…..
The Group Two Windsor Forest is for fillies and mares over a mile. Emulous is one of the leading contenders for Dermot Weld and she comes here having won a Group Three at the Curragh on her only start this season. She won the Group One Matron Stakes on her final start last term.
Nahrain represents Roger Varian and like Emulous she has a 5lb Group One penalty to carry in this race. Her penalty was for winning the Prix de l’Opera at Longchamp, she was then just touched off in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. She looks to me like the type of filly who can do even better as a four year-old. Chachamaidee would be a popular winner for Sir Henry Cecil. She is a consistent filly and won on the all weather at Lingfield over seven furlongs last time out. The trip suits and she’s a major player. Andrew Balding’s Lay Time disappointed at Epsom, but she can be forgiven that run on a track that doesn’t suit every horse and is another in with a shout.
Selection: Nahrain
The Group One Prince of Wales’s Stakes looks top class and highly competitive. So You Think runs his last race here before heading back to Australia to begin his career as a stallion. He is bidding to go one better than last year when narrowly losing out to Rewilding. French trainer Corine Barande-Barbe won’t make a decision until Monday as to whether her top class gelding Cirrus des Aigles runs as he also has the option of running in France. So You Think wasn’t far behind Cirrus des Aigles in the Champion Stakes.
The Queen’s horse Carlton House comes here having won the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown on his seasonal reappearance and he was expected to come on for that outing. This mile and a quarter trip looks ideal and providing his Sandown efforts haven’t left their mark he could be worth a punt against the favourite who is sure to be a pretty short price.
Selection: Carlton House
The Royal Hunt Cup is the big betting race on Wednesday and it looks tough trying to find the winner. It’s particularly difficult at this stage as we don’t know which stalls these horses will be coming out of, but here are some of the horses to watch out for.
Dimension is Sky Bet‘s 10/1 favourite for James Fanshawe who also has Primaeval (12/1) in the race. Dimension has been a bit frustrating, but he is gelded now and looks the type of horse that his trainer aims at a big heritage handicap like this. Primaeval is part owned by Ant & Dec along with our own Georgie Thompson but there is the chance he could run in the Buckingham Palace on Friday rather than this race as Fanshawe feels he is better at that trip of seven furlongs (I’d strongly fancy him if he were to run there).
Andrew Balding’s Arabian Star (14s) will appreciate the drying ground at Ascot and he’s got a handy weight, David Probert takes the ride. Although David Elsworth has booked Ryan Moore for Bonnie Brae (16/1) I worry that he may not have the stamina for a cavalry charge like this. The Charlie Hills trained Captain Bertie (12/1) put some ordinary runs behind him to win the Spring Cup at Newbury last time out. I’m not convinced by him and he will need luck. Edinburgh Knight (12/1) was fourth in the Lincoln on his only start this season and his trainer Paul D’Arcy put him away after that race with the Hunt Cup in mind. He must have a very good chance off his mark of 105 (just 1lb higher than his Lincoln rating).
The horse who beat him at Doncaster, Brae Hill, is a 25/1 shot in this race for Richard Fahey. Lincoln second Mull Of Killough is also in the race for trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam and is currently 20s. Invisible Man has top weight for Godolphin/Frankie Dettori and is a 25/1 chance. Belgian Bill is another for your shortlist. He is trained by George Baker and significantly Kieren Fallon has been booked to ride. He was fourth in the Britannia last season and is rated just 2lbs higher here. As much as I’d love to unearth a big priced one here I think James Fanshawe is the trainer to follow with Dimension although I respect the chances of Edinburgh Knight particularly.
Selection: Dimension
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