Royal Ascot 2016: Frankie Dettori strikes Gold with Galileo in battle of the Guineas heroes June 14, 2016 Trainer Hugo Palmer hailed Galileo Gold as the best three-year-old colt in Europe after Frankie Dettori rode the 6/1 chance to glory in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot on Tuesday. The 2000 Guineas winner prevailed by just over a length from even-money favourite and French Guineas hero The Gurkha, with Irish Guineas [...]
Horse racing betting: Usherette can show rivals the door in the Duke Of Cambridge June 14, 2016 Not since 1971 had the ground on the opening day of Royal Ascot been worse than good to soft, but on Tuesday conditions were soft all round. All the unseasonal rain that has fallen on Berkshire since last Friday means that a field of only six has been declared for Wednesday’s Prince Of Wales’s Stakes [...]
Horse racing betting: John Gosden’s second string looks Remarkable value in Jersey Stakes June 14, 2016 Finding the winner of the wide-open looking 21-runner Jersey Stakes (Wednesday 2.30pm) looks a pretty unenviable task on paper. The obvious starting point is Ribchester who was last seen in action finishing third to Galileo Gold in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. With the drop back in trip to seven furlongs, as well as plenty [...]
Horse racing betting: Hunt Cup is a Breeze for Ivory while Glory Awaits June 14, 2016 Some love them; some hate them, but working out one of Royal Ascot’s fiendishly difficult handicap puzzles rewards punters like nothing else. The Royal Hunt Cup (Wednesday 5.00pm) is possibly the biggest lottery of them all, especially when the ground is soft and the effects of the draw unclear. Sir Michael Stoute and Ryan Moore team [...]
Horse racing betting: Awtaad to be crowned champion for King Kev at Ascot June 13, 2016 Races at Royal Ascot simply don’t get any better than this year’s Group One St James’s Palace Stakes (Tuesday 4.20pm). Although only eight horses are set to line up, among them are the winners of this year’s English, Irish and French 2000 Guineas. It’s a mouth-watering contest. Aidan O’Brien has won this race a record [...]
Horse racing betting: King’s Stand beckons for this speedy Angel June 13, 2016 Anyone got a sense of déjà vu? Regular readers of this column may recognise this exact headline from 12 months ago when I fancied MECCA’S ANGEL to land the King’s Stand (3.40pm) on the opening day at Royal Ascot. However, the five-year-old daughter of Dark Angel was never able to prove her quality that day [...]
Horse racing betting: Jennies looks Jewel of a bet in Ascot slog June 13, 2016 Many of the 20 runners in Tuesday afternoon’s Ascot Stakes (5.00pm) are tackling two and a half miles on the flat for the first time, with the recent rain putting even more emphasis on stamina. National Hunt trainers have dominated this prize in recent years, having won eight of the last 10 renewals, and are again [...]
Horse racing betting: Esoterique to strike a blow for the fairer sex in Royal Ascot opener June 13, 2016 There hasn't been a more open renewal of Tuesday afternoon's Queen Anne Stakes (2.30pm) for many a year, with three horses from all over the world battling for favouritism. Last year's Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Tepin has travelled across the Atlantic for the first time for the biggest test of her career. The outstanding American [...]
Horse racing betting: Hannon and Dettori set to plunder the Coventry with Mehmas June 13, 2016 Plenty of smart two-year-old colts have won the Coventry Stakes (3.05pm) in recent years and the most obvious starting point in looking to find the winner is trainer Aidan O’Brien. The Ballydoyle maestro saddles the unbeaten Caravaggio in his attempt to land the six-furlong prize for a record eighth time and it is clear to [...]
Minding proves she’s a class above in the Investec Oaks June 3, 2016 After a far from ideal preparation, and a far from ideal passage around the home bend, Minding scorched clear of her rivals to win the Investec Oaks for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore. The daughter of Galileo became the first 1000 Guineas winner to follow-up in the Oaks since Kazzia in 2002, marking herself down [...]