July 2018 BETTING INSIDERS SPECIAL REPORT The inside track from the professionals in the know John Burke s Royal Ascot De-brief And Horses To Follow Blue Delta Marketing Ltd, Registered Office: Valentine Cottage, Bittering Street, Dereham, Norfolk, NR20 4EP. Registered in England No. 5566627 VAT No. GB 881 354707 All content is copyright 2018 Blue Delta Marketing Ltd and may not be reproduced in any way without prior written consent
That s another Royal Ascot done for another year. The racing was as ever of the highest class and all the races were as competitive as they always are. But for me, we had to wait until Friday before we saw truly world class performance as the one given by the Jessica Harrington trained Alpha Centuari in winning the Group 1 Coronation Stakes. Now that the dust has settled on last week s action I have had a good chance to look back at look at the races and to pinpoint some horses that should be put into your trackers for races in the coming weeks. Each year Royal Ascot provides plenty of horses that can win races later in the season. Here are I will share with you the horses that have gone into my trackers from Royal Ascot. Royal Ascot Day 1 Tuesday 19th June This year s Royal Ascot began with the going officially described as good to firm. The action all began on Tuesday with the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes over Ascot s straight mile. 2:30 - Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1) 1m This year s renewal of the Queen Anne was won by Accidental Agent at odds of 33/1 beating Lord Glitters at 20/1 into second. A bit of a shock result for punters but reinforced the feeling that the older generation of milers are not a strong bunch. With the first two home running to the form of their 1st & 2nd in Class 2 handicap here over 7f, back in October. Not wanting to take anything away from the Eve Johnson Houghton trained 4-year -old who ran out a deserved winner and gave his trainer a first Royal Ascot winner but Accidental Agent was rated 109 coming into the race and the runner up 107, which shows this year s race wasn t the best. ------------------------------------------------------ 2 ----------------------------------------------------
Lightning Spear always seems to go well in these Group 1 races but once again the 7-year-old fell short of what was required and had to settle for third. Maybe he just doesn t quite get home over a mile on a stiff track like Ascot s but he will probably never have a better chance of winning a Group 1 than he did here. Of the rest it may pay to note the running of the Andrew Balding trained Beat The Bank who was beaten less than 2 lengths into 5th at the finish. A notable improver last year over a mile winning a Group 3 at Goodwood and a Group 2 at Newmarket. The 4-year-old was really unlucky in the run when making his effort between the final two furlongs. With a clear run I think he could have won. The ground would have been plenty quick enough for the gelding whose best form last season came with some ease in the ground. 3:05 - Coventry Stakes (Group 2) 6f It was over to the juveniles for race two. The pre-race betting suggested the race was going to be a match between Calyx and Sergei Prokofiev. The former was sent off the 2/1 favourite at the off and the son of Kingman put up an impressive performance to win a by a length with his market rival finishing 3rd. The winner s performance is worth upgrading as he raced on the stands side whilst the next five home all raced on the far side. Not surprisingly he was made the ante-post favourite for next year s 2000 Guineas on the back of this performance. Both the runner-up Advertise and Sergei Prokofiev look useful colts who can win more races but it s hard to see them reversing form with the winner who clearly likes a sound surface. Of the rest there should be races in Gee Rex who didn t get a run when he needed it but was staying on well at the finish to take 8th, beaten seven lengths by the winner. He s still a maiden after the three runs but he can put that right surely over an extra furlong sooner rather than later. ------------------------------------------------------ 3 ----------------------------------------------------
3:40 - King's Stand Stakes (Group 1) 5f Blue Point who hasn t been finishing his races off at 6f as well as seemed likely. He was well suited by strongly run 5f and showed a good battling attitude to hold off Battaash inside the final furlong. The runner-up seems to lose his races before the start but this was still a good run by the 4-year-old who will continue to be run well in these Group 1 5f races for the rest of the season. Mabs Cross made the improvement required to be competitive here and was finishing her race off as strongly as anything to take 3rd. An extra furlong maybe worth a go as she tends to get going to late over the minimum trip. The real disappointment of the race was Lady Aurelia who won the battle for favouritism but never really looked she would repeat last year s success in the race. 4:20 - St James's Palace Stakes (Group 1) 1m Without Parole hadn t really impressed when winning at odds on at Sandown on his previous start by the return to a quick ground clearly suited the son of Frankel who made it four from four in taking this year s renewal in decisive fashion. He had two much pace inside the final furlong for Irish 2000 Guineas third Gustav Klimt. He is clearly the best 3-year-old colt in Britain & Ireland with probably more improvement to come. He will be tough to beat, if he goes for the Sussex Stakes and gets his favoured underfoot conditions. Tip Two Win who was runner -up in the English 2000 Guineas stayed on late to get 4th and did a lot better than Irish 2000 Guineas winner Romanised who couldn t really get into the race after a poor start. US Navy Flag who had finished second to Romanised at the Curragh set some very strong early fractions that he was never going to be able to sustain. He could go well if dropped back to 6f for the July Cup. ------------------------------------------------------ 4 ----------------------------------------------------
5:00 - Ascot Stakes 2m 4f. The only handicap on Day 1. It looked a good renewal on paper and so it turned out to be and the form of the race looks worth following as a few winners will come from it in the coming weeks. Willie Mullins who had a strong hand in the race had three of the first four home, including the winner Lagostovegas. It s the race that provides today s two eyecatchers. Day 1 Notebook Horses Chelkar, like the winner also trained by Willie Mullins was having his first start for 603 days but was still sent off the 5/1 joint favourite. The 5-year-old was too keen through the race and did well to finish as close as he did in 4th. The lightly raced gelding should improve for the run and given he s only had the six career starts there looks to be plenty of progress in the horse if he stays sound. He looks capable of holding his own in Group company as the season progresses. Given his Australian owners a tilt at the Melbourne Cup seems likely for this high-class stayer. Coeur De Lion who finished 6th could be the other runner to take out of the race. The 5-year-old was well backed before the race on the back of his close-up effort in the Chester Cup consolation race on his previous start. He s now put up his best flat RPR s on his last three starts and this was a good run on ground that was probably a bit lively for this consistent stayer. The gelding has a nice staying handicap in him when he gets more ease in the ground. 5:35 - Wolferton Stakes (Listed Race) 1m 2f. Had previously been a listed handicap. The move to a non-handicap didn t make the race any easier a puzzle to solve, as this was probably the most competitive listed race we will see all season. The race was won by the 4- ------------------------------------------------------ 5 ----------------------------------------------------
year-old Monarch s Glen who was well suited by the use of the first-time hood and was value for more than the 1 length margin of victory. The Roger Varian trained Sharja Bridge was stepping up from 1m 1f and from handicap company but he was well found in the betting. The colt travelled well for a long way and was still in contention at the furlong mark before his stamina seemed to run out and he faded to finish 8th. A drop back to a strongly run mile looks the way forward for him on the evidence of this run. Wednesday 20th June. Day 3 was once again run on almost perfect summer flat racing ground after some watering. 2:30 - Queen Mary Stakes (Group 2) 5f The card opened with a juvenile race for the fillies over the minimum trip. Signora Cabello was clearly well suited to the stiff 5f here and followed up her recent York listed success with a battling performance to land the valuable prize. Less than two lengths separated the first seven home which suggests the form may not be that strong. Still it was a likeable win by the John Quinn trained filly. Servalan, trained by Jessica Harrington, had won a Listed race at Naas over 6f on her previous start but she found the drop back in trip was not in her favour, as she got going too late and had to settle for 6th. She will stay further than 6f, her dam won over a mile and given this was only her third career start there should be more to come from the filly. I wouldn t be surprised if she turned out to be the highest rated of these fillies come the end of the season. 3:05 - Queen's Vase (Group 2) 1m 6f ------------------------------------------------------ 6 ----------------------------------------------------
A race that used to be run over 2m turned into an Aiden O Brien benefit as he had the first three home. It s also a race that provided me with the first of the days eyecatchers. Kew Gardens who seemed to be on pace making duties in the Derby. Showed he was a much better horse than he showed at Epsom with a fairly comfortable win and become one of the ante post favourites for the St Leger in the process. Southern France finished runner-up. The son of Galileo never saw the racecourse as a juvenile but has made up for lost time by running three times in less than a month, in April/May, winning at Leopardstown and latterly over 1m 5f at Navan. He lacked the experience of his stable mate when it mattered but still ran a nice race when staying on well into second. There should be more to come from this colt with more racing and a step up in distance. The Goodwood Cup would seem a good target for him. As a 3-year-old he would get plenty of weight from the older generation and could give Stradivarius a race. Day 2 Notebook Horses Jeremiah, trained by Charlie Fellowes, came into the race with an official rating of just 81. He had plenty to find with the principals on ratings. The 3- year-old never got involved after an awkward start and will remain on a winning handicap mark off 81. 3:40 - Duke Of Cambridge Stakes (Group 2) -1m The Marco Botti trained mare Aljazzi, who seems at her best when coming into a race after a decent lay off, went one better than last year when proving too strong for her ten rivals. Hydrangea who came in to the race with a Group 1 penalty. ran well below her best but she won over 1m 4f on soft ground last season so a mile on this ground wasn t in her favour. When she steps up in trip and gets a slightly ------------------------------------------------------ 7 ----------------------------------------------------
easier surface is when we should see the best of the Aidan O Brien trained 4-year-old. 4:20 - Prince Of Wales's Stakes (Group 1) 1m 2f Cracksman doesn t seem to be enjoying his racing and like when just getting up to win the Coronation Cup he was never travelling here. Whether we will see the real Cracksmen again this season is a moot point. Take nothing away from the progressive winner Poet s Word, as he won the race on merit and now heads to the King George for another Group 1 win. Of the rest there s not much to say. Cliffs Of Moher has never matched his second placed effort in last year s Epsom Derby and isn t a Group 1 horse. Meanwhile Eminent who was 4th in that same Derby is another who doesn t seem to be going forward and looks below Group1 class. 5:00 - Royal Hunt Cup 1m The first of two handicaps to end Day 2. I backed and tipped up the winner Settle For Bay so I was happy with his performance as he ran like the well handicapped horse he clearly was. Given the lack of high quality milers among the older generation he surely isn t far below Group 2 level on this run. The race provided me with a couple to keep on side for later in the season. Day 2 Notebook Horses Flaming Spear, trained by Dean Ivory, was having his first start since switching from the Kevin Ryan stable. He didn t disappoint his backers and ran a great race to finish 5th on going that would have been plenty lively enough for the 6-year-old. He also did best of those who raced in the far side group. He s only had 15 career starts winning 4 of them but there looks to be a valuable pot or two in the gelding when he gets a slightly easier surface to race on. ------------------------------------------------------ 8 ----------------------------------------------------
Raising Sand, trained by Jamie Osborne, was nibbled at big prices before the race and was another to run a good race with the future in mind. Like Flaming Spear, the 6-year-old raced far side. All his best performances on Racing Post Rating s (RPR s) have come at Ascot over 7f or 1m. He handles other tracks and is effective on good to firm going, although he s 5 wins from 10 runs on good or good to soft. He s the type who needs all the cards to fall right in a big field races but when they do he is capable of winning a nice pot. 5:30 - Jersey Stakes (Group 3) - 7f Expert Eye, was one of the best juveniles in the early part of 2017, He had seemed to be going the wrong way since and was only 10th of 14 in the 2000 Guineas. He bounced back to something like his best and was too powerful in the finish for his 20 rivals. The strong early pace suited the colt as it helped him settle better in the early part of the race Maybe 7f is his optimum trip, although the way he was finishing off his race a mile shouldn t be a problem. He could now head for the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, would need to be supplemented for the race. He put up a tremendous performance at Goodwood last year so no issues with the course for the colt. Is he a Group 1 horse? On this performance I would say yes. Does he stay a mile? The jury is still out on this. Will he back up this excellent performance? Again, his profile suggests he may not. Hopefully Goodwood will tell us more. Thursday 21st June Gold Cup Day got underway on officially good to firm going but if the times are any guide the watering had produced almost perfect good ground. 2:30 - Norfolk Stakes (Group 2) 5f ------------------------------------------------------ 9 ----------------------------------------------------
Only two lengths separated the first five home in this juvenile race which does cast a certain doubt on how good a renewal this was. The filly Shang Shang Shang battled on well to win and provided trainer Wesley Ward with yet another Royal Ascot juvenile winner. Of the rest Konchek was a fair 5th and looks in need of an extra furlong. All in all, though, a race that hasn t grabbed my attention. 3:05 - Hampton Court Stakes (Group 3) 1m 2f Hunting Horn trained by Aiden O Brien, hadn t been beaten far into 6th in the Prix Du Jockey Club (French Derby) on his previous start and in all truth looked a class above his 15 rivals when winning by 4 ½ lengths. Ryan Moore always had the son of Camelot in a good position and this was important in a race where few got into the race from behind. Zaaki, had ran well on all four of his starts as a juvenile without winning. Had switched to Sir Michael Stoute over the winter and won a Thirsk novice race on his first start back in April before finishing 3rd on his handicap debut at Chelmsford. His 3rd placed effort here showed He s a slow burning improver, that his trainer often does well with and who can win races. A step up to 1m 4f could bring out more improvement in the colt. Further down the field I doubt we have seen the best of the Roger Varian trained Masaarr who wasn t disgraced in 7th. He travelled as well as anything coming into the straight before not getting the best of runs. The 3- year-old has only had the six career starts so remains open to a bit more improvement and has the option of dropping into handicaps. 3:40 - Ribblesdale Stakes (Group 2) 1m 4f A race for the three-year-old fillies which was won by good one in Magic Wand. The filly had caught the eye when winning the Cheshire Oaks on good ground. The soft ground she faced at Epsom didn t suit her at all and she only finished 4th to her stable mate Forever Together. ------------------------------------------------------ 10 ----------------------------------------------------
The return to quick ground really suited her, as she beat 1,000 Guineas 4th and Epsom Oaks runner-up Wild Illusion and the highly regarded but inexperienced Sun Maiden in decisive fashion. As in the previous race her jockey Ryan Moore was seen at his best as he had the filly in the right position from the start. The daughter of Galileo showed a nice change of gear when going clear between the final two furlongs. The Irish Oaks is now on the agenda for the winner and probably the third, who could get closer to her at the Curragh. But as long as the ground remains on the quick side Magic Wand will be a tough nut to crack against her own sex over 1m 4f. 4:20 - Gold Cup (Group 1) 2m 4f Only nine went to post for this year s race but still produced one of the races of the meeting. As expected on ratings the first four home pulled clear of their field. The early fractions were not strong so it probably wasn t the strongest tests of stamina but Stradivarius showed a battling attitude to win by ¾ length. Given he finished his race slightly lame and lost a hind shoe this was probably an even better performance by the colt than the final margin of victory suggests. Vazirabad couldn t have asked for the race to pan out better than it did. A furlong out he looked the most likely winner but he was just outbattled in the final 110yds by a horse who just wanted it more. Any doubts about the 2m 4f trip for Torcedor were answered as he battled on well once headed inside the final furlong and almost grabbed second off Vazirabad. He will no doubt be back for this race next year having proved he gets the distance and can be ridden a bit more aggressively. Order Of St George, the 2016 winner and runner up last year, was sent off the 7/4 favourite. Not for the first time he ran below his best on really quick ground in finishing four lengths behind the winner in 4th. The six-year-old ------------------------------------------------------ 11 ----------------------------------------------------
entire looks like he may have his mind on other matters these days although the ground would have been plenty quick enough for him. 5:00 - Britannia Stakes 1m The first of two big field handicaps that concluded day three of the meeting. This one for 3-year-old colts and geldings over the straight mile. Thirty went to post for the race but few got into it. The improving Ostilio was given a great ride by Silvestre De Sousa. Leading down the middle he was soon in the clear and his jockey allowed him to drift over to the stands side. He was not for catching and won with a bit more in hand than the final margin of 1 ¼ lengths suggests. Granted he got the run of the race out in front and it was never going to be easy for the hold up horses to come from behind in the circumstances. The Hugo Palmer trained Curiosity did best of those coming from the rear but never looked like he would catch Ostilio and would have preferred a stronger overall gallop. Corrosive also trained by Hugo Palmer was another not seen to best advantage by the pace of the race and it should pay to ignore this run. Day 3 Notebook Horses George Of Hearts looks to be the one to take out of the race for the future. Dropped into the rear, he settled nicely enough but was never really able to land a blow on the principals and finished 9th of 30, beaten about 4 ½ lengths by the winner. In the circumstance it was a decent performance, given he didn t get the clearest of run between the final two furlongs. But even with the smoothest of passages the colt wouldn t have won although he might well have sneaked into the first five. That s two good performances at Ascot from him now and the market support he received before the race indicates a mark of 92. He s only had the ------------------------------------------------------ 12 ----------------------------------------------------
five career starts so there should be other days for the over a mile or strongly run 7f. 5:35 - King George V Stakes (Handicap) 1m 4f Eighteen 3-year-olds went to post for this Class 2 handicap. Unlike the previous race this was run at strong pace from the off. The well-bred Baghdad, one of six Mark Johnston runners in the race showed a good battling attitude inside the final furlong to hold off the challenge of Hughie Morrison trained Corgi. Both the winner and runner-up look good horses who can win more races this season. The unlucky horse of the race was First Eleven. The colt, like the winner, a son of Frankel got no sort of run between the final two furlongs. Once in the clear he was finishing his race off best of all and was beaten less than half a length at the line. With a clear run the Gosden horse would surely have gone onto win. Day 3 Notebook Horses My horse to take out of the race isn t First Eleven but the Ralph Beckett trained Occupy. The colt won on his sole start as a juvenile at Kempton last November. He left his moderate seasonal reappearance behind when finishing 3rd at Nottingham back in May. Making his handicap debut off 88 and stepping up to 1m 4f for the first time, he was another not to get the clearest of runs when making his effort between the final two furlongs. With a better run he would have finished closer tan he did in 5th. There should be other days and races for this lightly raced horse who proved his stamina for 1m 4f in this strong run race. Friday 22nd June Day four continued on good to firm ground but times indicated that the round track was faster than the straight course. 2:30 - Albany Stakes (Group 3) 6f ------------------------------------------------------ 13 ----------------------------------------------------
We didn t see a stand out juvenile filly at the meeting but the one that I liked most was the Mark Johnston trained Main Edition. A big strong filly in the paddock she made it 3 from 3 with a battling success here. She looked like she might go on to win by more than she did coming to the final furlong but didn t pull clear of her rivals. Once challenged by the eventual runner-up she pulled out more to win. The daughter of Zoffany should get a mile as three-year-old and maybe needs a step up to 7f now. She s now won on Good to firm(twice) and soft so she seems ground versatile and given her attitude behind the bridle she can win more races this season. It will take a good filly to lower her colours. 3:05 - King Edward VII Stakes (Group 2) 1m 4f This year s 3-year-old colts don t look a great bunch in all truth and this race didn t look the highest class on paper. Old Persian won the race nicely for Charlie Appleby. The colt was always well placed in race where it paid to race handily and was always holding the late challenge of Rostropovich inside the final 110yds. I felt that the runner-up could reverse form with the winner if they met again and that proved to be the case in the Irish Derby. Of the rest Wells Farhh Go ran a decent enough race. He was unbeaten as a juvenile with both wins coming with ease in the ground at York. The good to firm going isn t seeing him to best advantage at the moment. He shouldn t be underestimated in this Class when the ground eases more and his stamina can be brought into play. 3:40 - Commonwealth Cup (Group 1) 6fcp The recent introduction of this race for the 3-year-olds has been a tremendous success and this year s renewal attracted a field of twenty-two sprinters. The Sir Michael Stoute trained Eqtidaar was a game winner by ½ length and continued his trainer s good run of form at the meeting. The colt had shaped with promise when runner-up over C&D on his seasonal ------------------------------------------------------ 14 ----------------------------------------------------
reappearance on soft ground. The good even gallop helped the colt to settle much better than he had done on his previous two starts. Any doubts about quick ground for the colt were dispelled although the suspicion remains he could be even better horse with a bit more ease in the ground. He will now head for the July Cup to take on the older sprinters, a race that promises to be a real cracker. The runner-up Sands of Mali got the run of the race when winning a Group 2 at Haydock on his previous start and probably didn t quite get it here. He did best of those who raced in the group on the stand side. He might well have won the race if he had been racing closer to the Stoute horse. He could well also head to the July Cup but the slightly extra distance of the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville was mentioned as a target for this likable colt. Hey Jonesy ran a cracker for Kevin Ryan in 4th. Both his career wins had come in lesser company on the all-weather but he showed he s just as good on the grass. Off the rest Sioux Nation the 11/4 favourite was never in the race and this surely wasn t his true running. The well touted Equilateral who had created a good impression when winning a Doncaster novice race, by a long looking 8 lengths, on his seasonal reappearance. He showed up well until the final furlong before fading out of contention. Given his trainers horses were racing below par during the week he showed enough to suggest he s worth another go in this company. The one to take out of the race could be Heartache, trained by Clive Cox A high class juvenile filly who won the Queen Mary here before ending the season with a good win against the boys in the Group 2 Flying Childers at Doncaster. She s been slow to come hand this season but got a lot closer to Sands Of Mali here than she did on her return to action at Haydock. Only beaten 2 ½ lengths into 7th this was a step back in the right direction and hopefully she can continue to progress through the rest of the season. ------------------------------------------------------ 15 ----------------------------------------------------
4:20 - Coronation Stakes (Group 1) 1m My performance of the week, like probably most punters, has to be Alpha Centauri s six length, demolition of what looked a good field of 3-year-old fillies Coronation Stakes on Friday. The Irish 1000 Guineas winner just bounces off quick ground and she must have a great chance of beating the colts and the older generation in the big Group 1-mile races as the season progresses. Given her owners, a tilt at the Breeders Cup Mile looks a likely end of season target for her. She was just awesome but she does probably need quick ground to be at her best. Of those behind there was plenty of encouragement in the performance of Veracious in finishing 3rd. Very weak in the market she was clearly expected to need the run on her first start since winning a Newmarket maiden back in October. She had no answer to the winner as she swept past her at the furlong mark but she kept on well to hold 3rd. The daughter of Frankel will come on for this run and she will be suited by slightly easier ground. 5:00 - Sandringham Stakes (Handicap) 1m The Britannia handicap for the 3-year-old fillies. A field of 23 fillies went to post for the mile race over the straight mile. It looked a competitive on paper but there was a handicap blot in the field as the well backed Agrotera showed she was the well handicapped filly her connections thought she was by winning comfortably off a mark off 88. She will now be heading into Group company after this win. Day 4 Notebook Horses Besides the winner the one to take out of the race looks to be the Joseph O Brien trained Ship of Dreams. The daughter of Lope De Vega had finished runner-up in a Leopardstown Group 3 on her previous start and was making her handicap debut here. She put in a career best here despite only finishing 6th. However, he performance can be marked up as she didn t get the best of runs when making headway between the final two furlongs. The ------------------------------------------------------ 16 ----------------------------------------------------
filly got within 3 ¾ of the second and with a better run would have finished much closer than she did. 5:35 - Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes (Handicap) 1m 4f A traditionally competitive end to day four with 18 runners going to post for this middle-distance handicap. One again it paid to be drawn high in the race with the winner Dash Of Spice coming out of stall 14. The 4-year-old came into the race on the back of a win in a valuable handicap at Epsom on Derby Day. An 11lb rise in the weights was no problem for the colt who won by 2 ¼ lengths from the strong finishing Sir Chauvelin, who has since gone onto finish 3rd in the Northumberland Plate. Day 4 Notebook Horses Appeared, trained by Roger Varian, had finished runner-up in this race last year and ran to a same level of form here when finishing 4th this time around. The 6-year-old was having his first start for 301 days but given he s won first time up in previous seasons. I doubt he was lacking for fitness here. Still this was a solid effort in defeat from the lightly raced gelding whose had just the 12 career starts. His top four RPR s have come over C&D, so Ascot is a track he really likes. He will no doubt be heading back here for a valuable C&D handicap at the end of the month like he did last year before heading to the Ebor meeting at York. Given his powerful connections have kept the gelding in training they must think there is a decent prize to be won with him. Saturday 23rd June For me this is the weakest of the five days. Like the previous four days the meeting was run on going officially described as good to firm. 2:30 - Chesham Stakes (Listed Race) 7f ------------------------------------------------------ 17 ----------------------------------------------------
The Tom Dascombe trained Arthur Kitt provided the heart-warming story of the meeting. But there was also plenty to like about his win too. The son of Camelot who had won over 6f on his racecourse debut needed the extra furlong to win. He and the runner up Nate The Great pulled nicely clear of the rest of the field. Nate The Great advertised the training skills of Archie Watson. The son of Nathanial an easy winner at Carlisle on his racecourse debut was doing all his best work at the finish but found the line coming just to soon. There will be more improvement to come from the colt who will get a mile this season no problem. The first two home are smart colts who can win more races. Although I wouldn t be surprised if the Archie Watson horse got the better of Arthur Kitt should they meet again. 3:05 - Hardwicke Stakes (Group 2) 1m 4f A disappointing field of just four went to post for the race. Crystal Ocean was long odds on to make it 3 from 3 in 2018 and he didn t really give his backers too much to worry about as he won with plenty in hand at the finish. He was made favourite for the King George on the back of this win and he will bid for his Group 1 success in the race. 3:40 - Windsor Castle Stakes (Listed Race) 5f A big field of 28 runners went to post for this Listed juvenile race. Following on from the great performance of Nate The Great, trainer Archie Watson went one better to land his first Royal Ascot winner with Soldier s Call. The son of Showcasing led the group racing on the stands side showing plenty of pace but he still had enough left in the tank to hold off the fast finishing Richard Fahey trained Sabre. The form of the race looks solid with the 4th Van Beethoven having since gone to win a Group 2 at the Curragh. ------------------------------------------------------ 18 ----------------------------------------------------
Day 5 Notebook Horses Plenty of winners should come out of this race in the coming weeks. The one that took my eye most was the Joseph O Brien trained Dom Carlos. The colt had broken his maiden tag at the third attempt with a decisive win at the Curragh 15 days earlier. The son of first year sire Gale Force Ten raced in the far side group he came form further back than the first two but was arguably finishing his race off best of all. He remains a juvenile sprinter with plenty of potential. He should get an extra furlong like his halfbrother Red Pike whose five career wins have come over 6f. As the season progresses he could rate the best of this field. 4:20 - Diamond Jubilee Stakes (Group 1) 6f The race of the day without any shadow of a doubt. It was a case of job done by the ex-australian trained sprinter Merchant Navy, albeit by only a short head at the finish. It was close shave for the Aidan O Brien trained horse who just held the fast finishing French trained City Light by a short head. Indeed, the runner up would probably have won in a few more strides. Bound For Nowhere ran an extraordinary race for Wesley Ward, the colt who had finished 4th in the previous years Commonwealth Cup showed blistering speed when racing all alone down the centre of the track. He hung badly left inside the final furlong losing plenty of lengths in the process. In the circumstances he did really well to finish ¾ length behind the front two at the line. If he had he had kept straight he would surely have won this. The Tin Man who had won the previous years race got going too late but managed to get within 2 lengths of the principals at the finish. The front two in the betting both failed to give their running. Favourite Harry Angel s Ascot hoodoo struck again. The 4-year-old lost his chance in the stalls, he missed the start badly after getting one of his hind legs trapped and had no chance after that. Australian sprinter Redkirk Warrior was well backed into joint second favourite but he never gave his backers much hope ------------------------------------------------------ 19 ----------------------------------------------------
they would be collecting and he eventually finished a well beaten 10th of 12. He didn t give his true running. Last season s Champions Day Sprint winner Librisa Breeze was well backed before the off but he didn t ever look like playing a hand in the finish and was well beaten in 9th. He needs soft ground to win at Group 1 sprint and will be seen to better advantage when he gets his favoured underfoot conditions in the autumn. There s a slight chance that the winner could stay for the July Cup but he s due to return down under to take up stallion duties. 5:00 - Wokingham Stakes (Heritage Handicap) 6f. The annual cavalry charge is one of the big betting races of the week. Despite the competitive nature there was only one horse that punters wanted to back and that was the John Gosden trained Dreamfield who ended up going off 2/1 for one of the most competitive handicaps of the flat season. The 4-year-old just failed to land the gamble being beaten a neck by another lightly raced 4-year-old in the shape of the Brian Meehan trained Bacchus, who was making his seasonal reappearance. It was a great training achievement which seemed to fail to get the recognition it deserved with all the attention focused on the runner-up. Make no mistake Bacchus was a worthy winner who could easily hold his own in Group company but as I wrote in my Monday Daily Punt column: James Doyle a jockey I rate highly, wasn t seen at his best on the favourite. I thought he used his whip far too early, which led to the horse drifting left at the furlong mark. But for that he might well have won. Still it was a great performance by a horse whose only had the four career starts. Dreamfield, will now take his chance in the July Cup and at the time of writing he can be backed at a tempting 14/1 with William Hill for that race. Day 5 Notebook Horses ------------------------------------------------------ 20 ----------------------------------------------------
As ever plenty of future winners will come out of the race. My four for the tracker are Tis Marvellous. The 4-year-old was a high class juvenile sprinter, who missed his 3-year-old season due to injury. The gelding didn t really fire on his two starts back at Meydan but shaped a lot better when a close up 5th of 15 at Newmarket in May. His 4th placed effort was another step back to form and there should be a decent sprint handicap in before the season is out if he stays sound. Gilgamesh a fast finishing 7th in the Victoria Cup before winning a 7f handicap at York was surprisingly dropped down to 6f. He found things happening too fast but was doing his best work at the finish to take 7th. A return to further will suit the gelding who has another valuable handicap in him before the season is out. The Bunbury Cup at Newmarket on fast ground could be the ideal race for him. Spring Loaded, trained by Paul D Arcy, had bolted up in the valuable Portland Handicap at last year s St Leger Festival off 11lb lower. The 6- year-old had looked in the grip of the handicapper after that win but he showed here that he can still be competitive off this sort of mark. Returning from a 217 day break he couldn t get a run when he needed it and in the circumstances he did well to get within 3 ¼ lengths of the winner in 9th. Al Qahwa, trained by David O Meara, was noted staying on into 12th at the finish. He was never in with a chance on quick ground. The 5-year-old best performances on RPR s have come with soft in the going description. He s 2lb above his last winning mark but when gets soft ground again he could pop up in one of these big field sprint handicaps when all the cards fall right. The gelding has twice run well off long layoffs. 5:35 - Queen Alexandra Stakes 2m 5 ½ f One of the longest flat races of the season and I have to say I am no fan of this race which brings down the curtain on Royal Ascot each year. This year s race was won by the quirky 9-year-old Pallasator, now with Gordon Elliott who saw off the challenge of another 9-year-old in Renneti, ------------------------------------------------------ 21 ----------------------------------------------------
trained by Willie Mullins. It was a race worthier of Punchestown than Royal Ascot. Well I hope you have enjoyed my Royal Ascot reflections and hopefully the highlighted eyecatchers will provide you with some nice priced winners over the coming weeks of the season. John Burke John Burke is a regular contributor to the Betting School Insiders Club where he posts daily selections for club members. Find out more about the Betting School Insiders Club here https://bettingschool.com/joinus Blue Delta Marketing Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise, without the written permission of Blue Delta Marketing Ltd. The views and opinions expressed in the Betting Insiders Members Report are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editor. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of all editorial material; however we disclaim all liability for any errors or omissions found in this publication. Blue Delta Marketing in no way encourages reckless gambling and it is recommended that readers who engage in gambling do so responsibly and set financial limits. Anyone concerned about problem gambling can contact GamCare on 0845 6000 133 or gamcare.org.uk for further information. All correspondence should be sent to Blue Delta Marketing Ltd, Vale Farm, Norfolk, NR14 8PT ------------------------------------------------------ 22 ----------------------------------------------------