2.30pm
With the way the week is going so far, anything trained by Aidan O’Brien needs looking at carefully and in a race with nine unbeaten fillies, something has to give, with at least eight of them about to lose that record. It may be simplistic to think the early 9/1 about Matrika looks good value, but we must remember that Ballydoyle will have had any number of files they could have sent here, yet they rely on the daughter of No Nay Never, a winner on her one start at The Curragh when the yard weren’t firing as well as they are now, hence allowing her to go off at the generous odds of 6/1 that day. To me that suggests she has improvement to come, and if that is the case she can go well at an each way price.
3.05pm
Although I am not overly keen on the 11/10 about Little Big Bear here, he is rated 7lb or more clear of all of these rivals and was very impressive when winning the Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock last time out, and looks all set for a good career in the sprinting ranks. Sakheer was ahead of the selection in the 2000 Guineas and has to be of interest dropping back in trip and he rates the biggest danger by some way (and was considered as an each way alternative), but he has to prove he can take high rank over shorter which is the only reason I have passed him over, leaving Queen Me as a big priced outsider who could surprise a few for trainer Kevin Ryan, responsible for 33/1 winner Triple Time in the first race here on Tuesday.
3.40pm
As tough a handicap as you could ask for on day four, but I so quite like the look of the Roger Varian trained Aimeric, a lightly raced four-year-old who has won three of his seven starts, all on good or faster ground with the one blip a 12th at Yor on good to soft. Gelded after that and operated on for a breathing issue, he returned after eight months off with a neck success at Doncaster when he won with a bit more in hand than the official margin suggests. It seems more than reasonable to suggest he should improve after a long absence and the surgery, and an added 4lb from the handicapper seems fair enough, and at 8/1 he could prove difficult to keep out of the frame.
4.20pm
What can I do when the horse with by far the likeliest chance of winning this is odds-on, and we only have a small field so each way alternatives are hard to find? Go with the obvious I suppose, and that means Dermot Weld’s Irish 1000 Guineas winner Tahiyra, who quickened up in the style of a really good filly that day at The Curragh. I expect her to win this and do so impressively, and I am really hoping connections allow her to take on the colts later in the season so we can find out just how good she really is.
5.00pm
There is always an opportunity to offer up the much used racing phrase of “a Group class horses hiding in a handicap” when it comes to these races and if there is one here, then Coppice may fit the bill. Trained by the Gosdens, the daughter of Kingman has won two of her three starts including on her first start of the season at Newcastle where she fluffed the start under Rob Havlin before hacking all over her rivals and winning by a very easy three and a quarter lengths. She makes her handicap debut this afternoon off a mark of 97 which may seriously underestimate her abilities, and with Oisin Murphy in the saddle, we have a pretty decent pilot on our side as well!
5.35pm
Six runners is quite frankly a bit embarrassing for a Group Two at Royal Ascot, and with four of them last seen in the Epsom Derby, the formbook points straight to runner-up King Of Steel. That was a good race for me, tipping the winner and mentioning the second and third at big prices, with the son of Wootton Bassett going under by half a length, with over four lengths back to the third. On that form he holds Artistic Star (seventh), Dubai Mile (ninth, and Arrest (tenth), and as he is entitled to come on for his first start since last October, he is a very worthy favourite this afternoon.
6.10pm
With only three runnings statistics are not much use to us here, but I do note all three winners did come out of a double figure draw for what that is worth. Azure Angel caught my eye last time out when fourth at Windsor last time out, cruising up to the lead over six furlongs before rapidly weakening close home, and if she gets into the line-up as hoped, she can surprise them all off 1lb lower, with the drop back in trip and likely early pace expected to play into her hands. If she doesn’t get in then I suppose I had better have a back up plan, in which case I suppose Lingfield winner Conquistador will do, but I far prefer my first option and will keep my fingers crossed she gets a run.
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