Alflaila should be ready in case classy Rodin disappoints June 18, 2024 DAY TWO’s feature at Royal Ascot is the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (4.25pm), where some of the best middle distance older horses are set to clash. This is a race that has seen some brilliant performances in recent years, none more so than Mostahdaf, who blew his rivals away last year when winning by four [...]
Grosvenor to prove best of Ballydoyle brigade in the Vase June 18, 2024 IT IS the turn of the staying three-year-olds in the Queen’s Vase (3.05pm) and it looks like it could be an Aidan O’Brien benefit again. The Ballydoyle maestro has won the race seven times and has four runners hoping to make that eight in this year’s renewal. Illinois seems to be the most fancied of [...]
Harry and Calls to shine bright in Twilight years June 17, 2024 THEY say Royal Ascot is a marathon rather than a sprint, but on the opening day of the meeting it will be a case of ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ in the King Charles III Stakes (3.45pm), which features several of the fastest horses on turf. Many eyes will be on the Mick Appleby-trained Big [...]
Yah better back Mo and Arran to solve Coventry conundrum June 17, 2024 FINDING the winner of the Coventry Stakes (3.05pm) is often a difficult task with so many different promising horses yet to show their full ability. Cowardofthecounty looks to be the most fancied Irish contender in the race, currently the 9/2 favourite with Star Sports. He was impressive in beating the well-touted Whistlejacket on his only [...]
Fahey to Ram home another big winner in the John Of Gaunt June 4, 2024 AFTER the highs and lows on Epsom Downs last weekend, this Saturday is a quieter affair, but there’s still a decent card at Haydock to look forward to. While the weather remains unpredictable, things are looking slightly more settled ahead of this weekend and the Haydock surface shouldn’t be much worse than good-to-soft, if forecasts [...]
Rodin looks like The Thinkers’ pick in the Prince of Wales’s June 4, 2024 ROYAL ASCOT is now less than two weeks away and it’s time to take aim at some of the big races. One event that stands out from an ante-post perspective is the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. Passenger is the 2/1 favourite, and while he was impressive at Chester on his seasonal reappearance, he seems like [...]
Wisdom points to Ancient and Deira in Epsom Derby May 28, 2024 ONCE AGAIN we were second guessing the weather last week, and while the predicted rain arrived at Haydock, none of our fancies showed up on the ground. We live and learn, and we’ll have to do so quickly, as attention turns to Saturday’s Derby (4.30pm). It looks like one of the hardest renewals to decipher [...]
Eze can end Mega long wait for Weld’s second Oaks May 28, 2024 FRIDAY’s Oaks (4.30pm) could well be run on testing ground if the amount of rain that’s forecast does hit Epsom Downs. That’s sure to be music to the ears of connections of Ylang Ylang, who has shown all of her best form to date on a soft surface. She wasn’t disgraced in the 1000 Guineas [...]
Vadream the value with rain likely to turn Haydock soft May 21, 2024 WE WERE caught out by the ever-changeable weather last week, as the predicted rain never arrived leaving Newbury’s ground on the quick side for Lockinge Day, which was never going to be any good for our soft ground favouring selections. With the weather so tough to predict at the moment, it makes ante-post betting even [...]
Channon’s Lad could be hard to pass in Brigadier Gerard May 21, 2024 THURSDAY night’s Brigadier Gerard card might lack a genuine showstopper, but there are some talents worth keeping an eye on. Hawaiian looks a potential Royal Ascot juvenile for Richard Hannon and will be hard to beat in the National Stakes (6.37pm), but at his likely short odds, he’s not a bet for me. Trueshan is [...]