Tote Placepot Tips for Tuesday's Racing at Royal Ascot

Leg 1 Selections: Baaeed, Real World

An intriguing opener to start the Royal Meeting, which undoubtedly revolves around champion miler BAAEED, who bids to extend his winning sequence to eight and remain unbeaten in the Queen Anne Stakes. William Haggas’ superstar has dominated all before him and looked as good as ever when making the perfect start to his four-year-old campaign on his return in the Group One Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, winning by over three lengths. 

He’s likely to be most popular choice in the placepot tickets but that’s no surprise, as he’s established himself to be one of the best horses of the modern era and knowing that it is wise to expect an even bigger performance on the back of his sensational return last month, his irresistible change of gear should prove decisive as we expect nothing short of another demolition job here under Jim Crowley. With no chinks in his armour, it is hard to oppose him here in leg one.

REAL WORLD was readily brushed aside by the former last-time-out and while it’s hard to see him reversing the form, he’s a high-class horse in his own right and we cannot forget what he did at this meeting twelve months ago when turning last year’s highly-competitive Royal Hunt Cup into a procession, which was his first and only previous visit to this venue. If the favourite unexpectedly underperforms, which is highly doubtful, then he will be the one to capitalise and pick up the pieces.  

Leg 2 Selections: Persian Force, Blackbeard

The Group Two Coventry Stakes has the makings of a wide-open but high-class contest and while a case can be made for most of these, PERSIAN FORCE is fancied to take the rise class in his stride in leg two. This will be a different ball game to anything he’s seen before but his speed figures and backend sectionals, that he’s simply knocked out of the park, indicate that he could be a star in the making for the Richard Hannon team and I don’t want to look beyond him here. 

An impressive winner of the Brocklesby at Doncaster on his racecourse debut in March, he supplemented that victory with a scintillating display at Newbury last time, as he pulled clear from his two rivals in the closing stages without coming out of second gear, scoring by two and a half lengths. Described by his trainer as the most “exciting two-year-old he has had in his yard since Canford Cliffs”, he’s been all the rage for this race since his latest win and is drawn fairly well in stall 12 too. 

He’s got a good work ethic about him, such as the way he does everything very naturally and although his trainer has habitually finished second in this race over the years, this gorgeous-looking specimen looks out of the top drawer and capable of cementing his status here as one of the best juveniles of the current season with every possibility of scaling even greater heights further down the line. The one who looks a big danger, according to the firms, is Aidan O’Brien’s BLACKBEARD. 

That said, he falls down the pecking order based upon the numbers recorded, but he’s unbeaten in three and is the choice of Ryan Moore, and his presence is sure to make this No Way Never Colt more popular for a yard that has won this a record nine times. If he can exhibit his talent in this quality field, he looks an appealing alternative. With fourteen last-time-out winners due to post, this is without a doubt a red-hot Coventry, but hopefully Persian Force or Blackbeard can create a deep impression and get us through this tough leg and onto the halfway stage of today’s placepot.

Leg 3 Selections: Golden Pal, Equilateral

The Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes, which marks up leg three, promises to be a great spectacle, where the world’s best sprinters collide, as Australia’s superstar Nature Strip will take on Wesley Ward’s speedball GOLDEN PAL. Both have been drawn high and both have excellent claims of taking this prize back to their own countries but which one will come out on top? Or will something else emerge from the pack?

The bookmakers can’t separate the front two in the betting at this stage but don’t rule out Home Affairs, who’s coincidentally trained by Chris Waller likewise to Nature Strip, whom he beat in the Lightning Stakes in February. 

It’s great to see world-class jockey Irad Ortiz Jr make the journey over to ride Wesley Ward’s runners this week and he’ll be eager to get on the scoresheet with Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Golden Pal. He’s the obvious pace angle here as he’s likely to explode from the gates and play “catch me if you can” but will his stamina be a concern on this stiff track? I don’t think so. 

He couldn’t see out an easy five furlongs at York when given every chance from the front, where he looked the likeliest winner at one stage before weakening late on to be seventh and although he was beaten a neck here as a two-year-old by The Lir Jet, he’s a better and stronger horse nowadays and has won three times on the spin since, looking in the best shape he’s ever been in.

He is a classy sprinter, who’s undefeated under this rider (five from five) and his gate speed will be a key asset, so providing all goes to plan and Ortiz Jr can judge the fractions right, he looks sure to go well here and prove what he’s capable of doing on these shores.

Nature Strip commands respect but he’s unproven at this course let alone in the UK and his price seems skinny. Of the bigger-priced runners, last year’s Group 1 Nunthorpe winner Winter Power shouldn’t be discounted if back to her best. While he’s not been seen on track since finishing fourth in a Group 1 in Dubai, Charlie Hills’ EQUILATERAL is a player. 

He goes well fresh with figures on return from four or more months off reading 113121, so the long absence isn’t a concern. He was a good second to Battaash in this two years ago and will relish the expected searching gallop, so could surprise a few at big odds if his customary late burst of speed is still intact after his break.

Leg 4 Selections: Coroebus, New Energy

The Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes will see the best three-year-old Colts take to the stage and most will see favourite COROEBUS as the ‘banker’ of the day. He remains the only horse to have defeated stablemate Native Trail, which came in the 2000 Guineas, and the runner-up went one better in the Irish version to advertise the strength of the form. Charlie Appleby’s charge sets a very high standard on that win and should prove to beat despite this being a fiercely competitive contest, so is a must for the placepot.

William Haggas, though, is doubly-represented with two big chances. My Prospero wore down Reach For The Moon in a Listed event last month and has more to come. He has the right sort of profile for this race and should be capable of making his presence felt at the highest level. Stablemate Maljoom overcame a slow start and an unpromising position to win going away in the German 2000 Guineas and take his unbeaten record to three. He’s a fascinating contender here and has Cieren Fallon doing the steering, so is expected to make a bold effort in his stiffest examination to date. 

NEW ENERGY benefited from a change to patient tactics when coming from off the pace to finish an excellent second in the Irish 2000 Guineas and a reproduction of that performance would certainly bring this three-year-old into the equation at a tasty price. Wexford Native, who was fourth in that race, was only beaten three lengths and while another chunk of improvement is required, his trainer knows exactly what it takes to win this event having won it twelve months ago with Poetic Flare, so he’s an outsider to bear in mind for leg four.

Leg 5 Selections: Golden Flame, Arcadian Sunrise

The Ascot Stakes is one of the longest races of the Flat season and it tends to require a horse who has stamina in abundance mixed with a touch of class. These marathon races can offer decent value for those seeking something at a bigger price and I’m hopeful we can eliminate the front two in the market who are far from bombproof over this distance. In fact, neither Pied Piper or Bring On The Night have won past a mile and four furlongs on the Flat let alone past two-miles so they are both overlooked here. 

Preference, however, is for Mark Johnston’s GOLDEN FLAME, who was last seen running a creditable race from the front to finish a ‘head’ second to the progressive Valley Forge. Mark runs three in the race but stable jockey Joe Fanning has opted to ride this son of Golden Horn, who looks just the type to be suited by this extreme test of stamina. 

He’s already beaten the likes of Pied Piper and Going Gone and while he was below-par in last year’s Queen’s Vase at this meeting, he’s improved since going up in trip. It won’t be easy trying to dictate this field from the front but he’s battle-hardened and could be a lively player at a big price so is one of two I want to include in the placepot. 

With lots of pace bound to be on offer, this could be set up for a closer and ARCADIAN SUNRISE fits that criteria as a solid choice. He claimed some big pots at the Galway Festival and York’s Ebor Meeting last year and caught the eye when a staying-on fourth from the back of the field in the Chester Cup on his return to action. In addition, promising apprentice Harry Davies has been booked to ride, who takes off a valuable five-pounds, and with conditions holding no fears, he looks fair value and warrants consideration on the placepot. 

Leg 6 Selections: Cadillac, Tasman Bay

A very open-looking Wolferton Stakes but Jessica Harrington’s CADILLAC resumed winning ways impressively in a Listed event last time and arrives at the top of his game despite shouldering a penalty against good horses. The blinkers are enlisted for the first time, he’s drawn well in stall three and will benefit from a strong pace, so he should be thereabouts. 

A lot of these, though, have the form to play a leading role, but the most interesting one is Sir Mark Todd’s TASMAN BAY. He progressed well at three and was an excellent second in the King Edward at this meeting last year behind Alenquer. 

Furthermore, he’s been gelded ahead of his reappearance and if able to continue where he left off last year, he should be in the mix with James McDonald doing the steering. Last year’s winner Juan Elcano is well-suited to this track but he looked a bit laboured on his return and this looks a stronger race than last year so he needs a bit more to go back-to-back in this.

Of the rest, last year’s Britannia winner Perotto has been off the eight months but ran well on his reappearance last year and has a turn of foot so could be finishing strongly in the closing stages.

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