FOOTBALL TIPS
Royal Ascot Day 4 Tips
After a mixed day yesterday at Ascot with some upsets and wins for the King and Frankie Dettori we are on to Day 4 already. There is Derby form on show on Friday plus Little Big Bear is back after a great win here last year.
I have kept it simple with me 10/3 Double but gone big with my 3500/1 Lucky 15 which should make Friday very interesting.
I am going for the bet365 £100,000 6 Horse Challenge again on Day 2 of Royal Ascot, get my 6 picks here. It is free.
Some really nice fillies lining up for the Albany this year as you’d expect and SOPRANO impressed me enough on debut at Newmarket to make her a strong play here. She was quite fresh and keen which is obviously perfectly normal first time out but I loved the way she travelled into it and she won despite learning on the job. The runner-up Midnight Affair ran creditably in the Queen Mary earlier in the week and the third Indispensable won next time out so the form certainly has substance. I expect her to leave that bare form behind anyway as she is open to plenty of improvement and looks a leading player under William Buick.
Jabaara overcame inexperience to win on debut and it was quite taking how she hit the line. She has a bit to find on the clock but clearly has a bright future so might be the danger. Carla’s Way was also impressive on debut and she will likely also be in the mix.
On ratings there is a clear standout in LITTLE BIG BEAR who is rated 10lbs clear of everything in the field. He started the season in the 2,000 Guineas where he ran no sort of race but back down to this trip last time he was back to winning ways in the Sandy Lane at Haydock. I think he will be even better for the run and is the one they all have to beat.
There are potential improvers who could prove dangers, Sakheer like the selection ran in Guineas with credit but was always better that this trip and with a bit of progress from last year has to be a player. Lezoo is a course and distance winner and other than her 1,000 Guineas run always went well so has to be considered for a place at least. Of the rest Shaquille has been brought a long nicely but needs to improve again to make it 5 wins in-a-row.
Any number of these could win this so it won’t surprise you that I’ve taken two against the field. I like TEUMASSIAS FOX for Andrew Balding. This son of Lope De Vega arrives on a hat-trick after winning emphatically at Kempton back in March and then following up after a short break at Newmarket last month. He merely had to be ridden out to get the job done last time and a further 7lb rise might not be enough to stop him. He’ll need a bit of luck and a low draw isn’t ideal but he is thriving and I still want to chance him.
The other one I like is AIMERIC at a double-figure price. This son of Frankel showed a really good attitude to get up at Doncaster and the front pair pulled 2 and a half lengths clear from Educator who is a decent yardstick back in third. He is only up 4lb from that and should get seriously competitive. Plenty of dangers including Al Nafir who won the Old Rowley Cup at Newmarket when last seen back in October last year. If ready to fire fresh he is a big player along with Nagano who could still have more to come.
It is hard to get away from the odds-on favourite TAHIYRA who is 3 wins from 4 runs. She was a bit unlucky to pick up a knock in the lead up to the English 1,000 Guineas and still only just lost. She made up for it in the Irish Guineas and she should be at peak finish for this and it is hard to see her beat.
Meditate has been beaten by the selection a few times and whilst she is a very good horse they would need to get very tactical to reverse the form. Queen For You and Mammas Girl are the ones I think could take big steps forward and possibly give Tahiyra something to think about.
With 2 wins from her first 3 starts the well bred COPPICE could be the way to go for the Sandringham this year. She won readily at Newcastle last month and looks a filly with plenty of untapped potential. She goes handicapping off an opening mark of 97 and on what is just her second start over a mile and first over the trip on turf we could see a big performance. It is no surprise to see her strong in the betting and I expect to see that in the run up to post time as well.
Given we have 30 runners heading to post at the time of writing I’m also going to have an each way saver in the shape of CHELSEA GREEN for Hugo Palmer. This filly looked a different proposition winning easily at Newmarket on return. I loved the way she went through the line on that occasion and with further improvement to come up just 3lb she is definitely a lively player and probably overpriced. Jackie Oh represents Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore and she looked promising winning on debut. Beaten twice since but had excuses and ran in Group 1 company last time so definite claims.
I usually try to oppose horses backing up here after the Derby but the race has cut up so much it is hard to be against KING OF STEEL. He really stepped forward to Epsom on just his first run of the season and clearly loved the longer trip. He will get the same fast ground here and if there is enough pace on he is the one they all need to beat and get redemption for coming 2nd in the Derby.
Arrest I didn’t think would be as good on fast ground and ran no race at Epsom. I still think ti will be a bit quick for him to be at his best and Artistic Star could well be the main danger. He hated Epsom and likely has plenty more to come. Continuous ran in a messy race in France last time and could well be better here.
Hard to be massively confident on anything in here with 28 heading to post but I did like the way FRANKNESS won at Goodwood earlier this month and she has always been a filly I have thought a fair bit of. She is 5lb higher but dropping back to the minimum is interesting and if they go hard which they nearly always do she should be coming home strongly under 3lb claimer Harry Davies. I thought she’d be shorter than 12/1 so worth snapping that up. She is drawn high and that should turn out to be an advantage.
I also like the look of the progressive TAWALLA with Spencer on board. This Invincible Spirit colt is eyeing up a hat-trick after winning at Ripon and then following up at a big price at Kempton last time. He looks capable of better and I think they’ll revert back to patient tactics and try and smuggled him in. Lots of dangers and Conquistador has to be feared having won his last two. Freshened up again with this in mind he clearly has a favourites chance but no value in his price currently. Danger Alert clocked a career best at Chester and if handling a 6lb rise could also have a squeak.
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