Soft ground remains likely for the second day of Royal Ascot and the opening Jersey Stakes looks a real minefield with my two against the field Gifted Master (8/1 at BetVictor) and Castle Harbour (11/2) with marginal preference for the latter unbeaten in two starts for John Gosden and Frankie Dettori.
The selection could be called the winner a long way out in a competitive York handicap last month over today's 7f trip, and showed his ability to handle soft ground when winning his maiden at Newmarket the previous month. This is obviously a step up in grade but he looks sure to give a good account and, significantly, is proven on the ground.
The American filly Lady Aurelia is many people's banker-of-the-meeting but her ability to handle soft ground must be open to question and 2/1 is too short although she could easily blow away today's opposition.
Many in the Tom Dascombe yard believe Kachess (3.05) to be superior to their 2012 Queen Mary winner Ceiling Kitty and with that in mind she gets the each-way vote at 10/1 with BetVictor. Connections have no idea if she will act in the ground but her half-sister Finoon won on soft ground first time out and she gets the each way vote.
Lucida would have been the selection in the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes were it not for the ground and my two against the field at big prices are Devonshire (12/1) and Maimara (3.40) with marginal preference for the latter who is also priced at 12/1.
The selection has winning form on heavy ground and with more showers forecast throughout the meeting the ability to handle soft ground is paramount; the filly was not at her best at Saint-Cloud last time but she is a different filly on soft ground and she is another each way selection.
The feature race is the Prince Of Wales's Stakes and it is impossible to get away from the Japanese horse A Shin Akari (4.20) who put up a, visually, spectacular performance on ground officially described as heavy at Chantilly when making his European debut last month. The selection had previously won the Hong Kong Cup at 25/1 in Sha Tin just before Xmas and is reported in rude health for his British debut; if he turns up in the same mood he will be very hard to beat.
We are betting five places in the Royal Hunt Cup and this can go to Portage (5.00) who won a listed race at the Curragh last time on fast ground but has winning form on soft ground and looks a progressive sort. As a son of Teofilio confidence is tempered by the ground but his win here last July suggested he could handle some cut and at 10/1 I will be disappointed if he was out of the first five.
The Sandringham is a minefield but my two against the field are Anamba and Make Fast (5.35) with marginal preference for the latter who looks sure to act in the ground and can give Her Majesty The Queen a Royal winner.
The selection is 16/1 at BetVictor and is the less fancied, as far as bookmakers are concerned, of two fillies' in the Royal colours with Diploma 10/1; at the time of writing the significance of the draw on the straight course is not known but Make Fast looked ready for a step up to a mile when runner up at Epsom over 7f last time and a 2lb rise looks fair.
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