It was a fairly solid start to Royal Ascot for the Racing Club insider, who tipped up the winners in the final two races on the opening day. He’s hoping to find more winners with his through the card selections for day two.
2:30 – Norfolk Stakes (Group 2)
Richard Fahey has won two of the last three renewals, and finished runner-up in the other one, so I’m shocked to see his sole runner MOVING FORCE available at such a big price. He won nicely on debut and only just failed to catch Shareholder last time out, and he’s now 7lbs better off with that rival here. I feel he’s been overlooked in the betting and I’m expecting him to go close, so he’s a cracking each way bet in my eyes.
Selection – MOVING FORCE (25/1 generally)
3:05 – King George V Stakes (Class 2)
I think the London Golf Cup form could be crucial in here, with the runner-up Poniros, third-placed Chantilly and fourth-placed Persica all lining up for this, and of those I’m quite confident CHANTILLY will prove to be the best. The step up in trip to 1m 2f has proved a wise move, with a win and a third to his name, and I think the extra couple of furlongs here will see him to even better effect. The O’Brien/Moore partnership has already had some big winners at Royal Ascot, and I fancy Chantilly to add another win to their name.
Selection – CHANTILLY (6/1 generally)
3:45 – Ribblesdale Stakes (Group 2)
It was hard not to be impressed by DIAMOND RAIN’s impressive win at Newbury in a Listed race at Newbury last month, and I think she could be something special for the Godolphin team. She won going away from some good horses, and the form received a boost when the runner-up bolted up next time out. That win made it 2/2 and I think the step up in trip could bring out even more improvement in her. Her pedigree is impressive, with her dam winning the Oaks in 2011, and I think Diamond Rain could be a future Group 1 winner, so should take all the beating in here.
Selection – DIAMOND RAIN (13/8 generally)
4:25 – Gold Cup (Group 1)
I simply cannot see KYPRIOS losing this. He may have been outbattled by Trawlerman at the end of last season but he’s since won two lesser grade races easily enough and I’m sure the step back up to 2m 4f will see him back to his best. If A P O’Brien has got him anywhere near the level he was running at a couple of years ago, there’s no way he loses. His main rivals are yet to race over this sort of trip, and with stamina guaranteed I have to make Kyrpios my NAP of the day.
Selection – KYPRIOS (11/8 generally)
5:05 – Britannia Stakes (Class 2)
There are a few trends in here that have helped me whittle down the field. Nine of the last ten winners of this race have come from horses drawn in double-figure stalls, so I’d be willing to take on the market leader Volterra (correct at time of writing). The last eight winners were rated between 90-99, whilst 9 of the last 10 winners had between 3 and 4 races that season. With all these trends in mind, the one I’ve come down on is SKUKUSA. He may have been beaten by Volterra two races ago, but he’s got a much better draw in here and is also 2lbs better off thist time around. He won impressively next time out and I think he’s capable of a big run in here at tempting odds.
Selection – SKUKUZA (12/1 generally)
5:40 – Hampton Court Stakes (Group 3)
KING’S GAMBIT was ultra impressive when winning the London Gold Cup and should take a fair bit of beating in this. He stayed on so powerfully that day on his first try at this trip and that race has a record of producing Group winners, so he fully deserves his chance in here, and the bookies aren’t taking any chances with him. First Look would be the danger after finishing runner-up in the French Derby earlier this month, but that was a hard race and this race might just come too quickly for him.
Selection – KING’S GAMBIT (13/8 generally)
6:15 – Buckingham Palace Stakes (Class 2)
I was all set to tip up English Oak after his impressive win at Haydock last time out, but then I remembered his previous race at Newmarket and how another horse had caught my eye. DARK THIRTY reared in the stalls and gave the others a bit of a head start, but he stayed on strongly to only finish a neck behind English Oaks that day. He’s now 9lbs better off with that rival, and although he flopped on his most recent run, I’m willing to forgive him for that as I feel he just didn’t handle the track at Epsom. At the time of writing he’s five times the price of English Oak, so I simply have to side with him as an each way selection.
Selection – DARK THIRTY (25/1 generally)
DAY 3 SELECTIONS
2:30 – MOVING FORCE (25/1 generally)
3:05 – CHANTILLY (6/1 generally)
3:45 – DIAMOND RAIN (13/8 generally)
4:25 – KYPRIOS (11/8 generally)
5:05 – SKUKUZA (12/1 generally)
5:40 – KING’S GAMBIT (13/8 generally)
6:15 – DARK THIRTY (25/1 generally)
Looking to get into horse racing ownership? Take a look at our horses HERE, with shares available from just £25 currently!
- RC Syndicate V
- Flat
- 3yo
- Colt
- 1500 Shares
Dunstan has been a revelation since joining Racing Club, winning four races in 2024, having failed to win with his previous trainer. The statistics are showing he is improving with each run and the three-year-old looks to have an extremely bright future ahead of him.
- RC Syndicate VI
- Flat
- 3yo
- Gelding
- 1500 Shares
Brodie’s Boy is an exciting three-year-old gelding who has won once and finished runner-up twice from just six races to date. After making an eye-catching debut, he finished runner-up in his next two races behind a couple of promising runners at Lingfield and Wolverhampton respectively.
- RC Syndicate IV
- Flat
- 3yo
- Filly
- 2000 Shares
Greycee Bell is a gorgeous three-year-old filly who recorded an impressive top speed of 42.1mph on her debut, and has since run in some warm races. She’s been given a low handicap mark, and we’re hopeful she should be much more competitive in her upcoming races.
- RC Syndicate l
- Jumps
- 5yo
- Gelding
- 4,000 Shares
Wendigo had a fantastic start to his rules career last season, winning two of his three bumper races, most recently winning well under a penalty. Trained by Jamie Snowden, we’re eagerly awaiting his novice hurdle campaign in the 24/25 season.
