Tuesday Royal Ascot Tips from Andy Holding

There’s a strong possibility this year’s Coventry turns out to be a stellar renewal and of what we’ve seen of PERSIAN FORCE (best price 3/1) so far, he looks up to the standard required to make his presence felt.

Well-touted before making his debut in the Brocklesby at Doncaster on the opening day of the Flat season, Richard Hannon’s colt went through the race like the market anticipated and when asked to go and stretch his legs inside the final two furlongs, he exploded off the bridle to win in the style of a hugely impressive juvenile. Good on the eye, he also clocked a freakishly-good speed figure which has ended up standing the test over the ensuing months and it was just a question of what race at the Royal meeting would connections pursue.

Upped to six to see whether he stayed the trip at Newbury last time, the son of Mehmas answered that particular call in equally stylish fashion – beating the useful previous C&D winner Holguin into the bargain – and following that performance it was rather a no-brainer that he would end up here. Temperament-wise, he appears a laid back, professional character that just seems to take everything in his stride and with a run style that is tailor made for the rigours of the Berkshire venue, the flashy chestnut has every chance of providing the East Everleigh stable with their fourth winner in this race.

As we saw last season with Perfect Power, Richard Fahey is more than capable of readying a colt for the big occasion at Royal Ascot and his representative in this contest, ROUSING ENCORE (best price 16/1), can prove that he hasn’t just come down here to be a social runner.

An eye-catcher when badly in need of the experience at Leicester on his debut back in April, the son of Acclamation has improved immeasurably since and his two subsequent victories have both been sprinkled with a touch of class. Very strong at the finish over five-furlongs at Beverley a two weeks later, he then took care of the well-regarded Breege at Pontefract on his latest outing over a stiff six, and with his time figure going some way to dispel the disappointment in the runners-up camp, it could be an unwise move for the layers to underestimate him for the second time in succession.

Bay Of Honour is undoubtedly a nice prospect and has already proven he has the tools to win a race, but he faces no easy task on his first start for 237 days against POSITIVE IMPACT (NAP) (best price 2/1), who arrives here not only with a solid C&D run behind him, but an even better effort on the numbers at Leicester last time.

Well-supported in the market following than highly-promising debut at the Yorkshire venue, Simon & Ed Crisford’s chestnut was a little exuberant in the early exchanges despite a fairly heathy pace, but that didn’t prevent him from finishing off his race well in the stages. Keeping on well all the way to the line, he only just failed to reel back the prominently ridden Chasing Aphrodite and when you consider the speed figure of the race in question, it adds an extra layer of quality to the performance.

Moreover, the form couldn’t have worked out any better with the likes of Tathbeet and Knight Of Honour both winning since and with his superior knowledge of the turf and track experience likely to count for plenty, the son of Shamardal rates a strong choice to break his duck.

Everywhere you look there’s pace all over the track here, from Winter Power and Khaadem in stalls 1 and 4 to the big two, Native Strip and Golden Pal in 10 and 13, so with that in mind, it could pay to be on a deep-closer to pick up the pieces late on – which is often the best policy at today’s track anyway. Of those that fit the bill, both KING’S LYNN (best price 16/1) and MOONEISTA (best price 12/1) can also call upon strong course form – which can’t be said for some – and at the morning odds they are worth playing against the field from an each-way perspective.

The former was arguably unlucky not to land this prize last season after getting stopped in the run over a furlong out and he wasn’t done too many favours in his bid to gain compensation in the Wokingham Handicap a few days later. Once again out of luck when runner-up on his most recent effort at today’s venue last October, Andrew Balding’s returns here following a gutsy display at Haydock last time out and having proven that he can handle a sharp five-furlongs that day, his combination of speed and stamina should stand him in good stead for today’s examination.

The latter has only been here once, but it was a display that had to go down as a commendable one under the circumstances. Lining up as one of the outsiders in the Commonwealth Cup, Jack Davidson’s was in the process of belying her 40-1 quotes until her stamina ebbed away over six furlongs on heavy ground, but at least it was a snapshot of what sort of engine she has. Yet to win this season, there has been mitigating circumstances in all three runs and if ever a race had the perfect set-up for her in terms of pace, trip and track, today’s offering couldn’t be any better.

Coroebus sets a clear standard courtesy of his victory in the 2000 Guineas, but there’s a good chance that he will face an even stiffer task today up against two horses from the William Haggas stable and of the pair, MALJOOM (best price 14/1) makes plenty of appeal at the morning odds.

Unbeaten in three starts, the Caravaggio colt rose from landing an all-weather conditions race to capturing the German 2000 Guineas last time out and considering he gave away a decent amount of ground with a slow start at Cologne, a huge amount of credit goes his way. The feature of his performance from that Group 2 affair 23 days ago was the tremendous surge of power he exhibited once in full cry, so if he can work himself into a position whereby he’s within range of the leaders turning for home, he’ll have every chance with a clear run of being a competitive force at the business end.

7/1 the field tells you all you need to know about the complexities of this race, but there’s a decent chance CADILLAC (best price 7/1) and PEROTTO (best price 18/1) can make their presence felt if getting normal luck in running.

The former has been a bit of a Jekyll & Hyde character since his two-year-old days and there’s no doubt he does come with risks attached. However, as we witnessed with the blinkers added for the first time at Leopardstown last time out he can be pretty devastating on his day and a repeat of a similar level of performance would be good enough to see him in the mix. Whether he just saves his best for the Dublin venue can be argued, but he simply has too much talent not to be respected and his speed figure from 12 days ago was also a career high.

The latter arrives here without a run under his belt this term – presumably a deliberate move by connections – but a similar layoff hasn’t stopped him from running well on his two previous outings after a long break. Impressive when landing the ultra-competitive Britannia Handicap here a year ago, he clearly gets on well with the Berkshire venue and having gone on to prove himself at a higher level since – including over today’s trip – the son of New Bay looks slightly overpriced at his early morning quotes.

Thursday Tip for the Norfolk Stakes

Now there’s a general view of who is going where with the two-year-olds this week, now is the best time to react prior to declaration time for this Group 2 and the standout candidate at the prices is WALBANK (best price 9/2).

A well-touted juvenile from the Breeze-up sales, David Loughane’s colt was also strong in the market prior to making his debut over the same C&D as he will face on Thursday and despite getting beaten fair and square by Noble Style on the day, he lost nothing in defeat.

Time figure-wise, that race back in early May comes out one of the best of its kind so far this season and it’s come as no surprise to see the form work out well accordingly. Posting another big number when housing up at York last time out, his preparation couldn’t have gone any smoother and with some of his potential dangers heading elsewhere this week, the way is paved for this son of Kodiac to prove he’s a top-class sprinter in the making.