ITV Racing Tips: Saturday Each-Way Double for Ascot

The bookmakers have the odds the wrong way around about Kyprios and TRUESHAN (best price 9/4) as the latter should be favourite. Trueshan has been in serious form the last couple of months and will arrive into this contest in his defence bid on the back of a dominant success in France. 

Alan King’s high-class stayer has won the last three renewals of this contest and conditions will suit him better than most here. With the exception of Stradivarius, he is the most decorated stayer in recent seasons, has improved since wind surgery and will be extremely hard to beat. 

The Dermot Weld-trained TAHIYRA (best price 4/1) must have a strong chance of lifting the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes given her sex allowance and the fact she has won five of her six starts including three consecutive Group 1 events this year. 

Because of the depth to this contest, she is a great price at the moment, and her only defeat so far in her career came when a narrow second to Mawj on her reappearance in which she was conceding fitness to the winner. The latter has subsequently boosted the form with Grade 1 success in Keeneland. 

This four-time Group 1 winner deserves more recognition than she has been given so far in her career and her ability to handle soft ground is conclusive. The Irish 1,000 Guineas winner is really well-favoured on these terms and probably has more come than most, particularly the older horses. 

It is a bold move seeing her take on the males again and I have a strong inclination this race has been her main season objective. She is a really classy filly, who travels well and has a potent turn of foot. She won the Coronation Stakes here two starts ago and is my idea of the winner of this race. 

Extra Tips for Saturday's ITV Racing

Trainer Ralph Beckett claimed the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes eight years ago with Simple Verse and is looking to repeat the dose with BLUESTOCKING (best price 8/1) who has excellent each-way prospects in an open renewal. 

Despite being turned over at a short price at Chester last time at a lower level, when narrowly denied in second, she is still of interest here as the return to soft ground, which had previously yielded her best performance this season when second in the Irish Oaks, will suit her well. 

She was unlucky to have had the race snatched from her grasp by Savethelastdance in the closing stages in the Irish Oaks and that piece of form is amongst the best on offer. Her form and rating puts her right in contention, so she is the bet at the odds. Four places generally. 

Roger Teal’s DANCING MAGIC (best price 14/1) is still to win in his career but given the company he has been competing in for a while now, it is easy to understand why. This race, however, will be his belated handicap debut and he is favoured by the weights with conditions holding no fears. 

Oisin Murphy is an interesting jockey booking to say the least too and the only previous time he ran in the mud was when fourth in the Group 1 Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes. All of his last eight runs have been in Listed/Group level and he has undergone wind surgery since last time which could bring about improvement. 

Adding to the already-mentioned clutch of positives in his claims, he has a good, high draw in stall 18. He ran well in his only previous visit here when midfield in the Hampton Court Stakes at the Royal meeting and in that contest, would have finished even closer without being slightly hampered. 

An opening mark of 98 could prove lenient and he is also Roger’s only runner on the card. The trainer himself has enjoyed a few winners already this past week, so that adds a bit more confidence about his chances and, if he can perform to his best, he must be considered as a contender with plenty in his favour. Five places generally. 

Sticking with the Balmoral Handicap, the David O’Meara-representative, BENNETOT (best price 33/1), didn’t offer much encouragement on stable debut at Haydock but that was a tough starting point off top-weight and that run was probably used to get his fitness up to scratch ahead of this assignment. 

Compared to last time, he is at the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of weight and Neil Callan has interestingly been booked to ride. He goes well in the mud and was second in a Listed event in France early last year, so he isn’t short of ability.

He is drawn nicely in stall 16 and his only previous start over a mile saw him win a soft-ground race in Fontainebleau. A mark of 97 isn’t the most lenient but with the trip, conditions, and the stiff finish to suit, he is worth the roll of the dice. Five places generally. 

As ever, this year’s Champion Stakes is a hot edition but the ground is a major concern for most of these, so I’ll ride my luck with 2021 runner-up DUBAI HONOUR (best price 33/1) who has massively been undervalued in the market with conditions not being a problem for him. 

The five-year-old effectively handles soft ground and came very close to winning this two years ago when beaten under a length by Sealiway in second. He was last of four in the Eclipse last time but has already won two Group 1s down under this year in Australia and isn’t judged harshly in that latest high-class race. 

He was a never-nearer sixth in this last year but still remains one of the highest rated in the field and is a very good horse who shouldn’t be taken lightly despite William Haggas also being represented with My Prospero. At huge odds, it would come as no surprise to see him again run well. 

In his farewell ride on the card, Frankie Dettori will team up with Derby runner-up KING OF STEEL (best price 4/1) in the Champion Stakes, as he bids to conclude an action-packed afternoon in Berkshire with a Group 1 Triumph.

This athletically, well-built Colt, who was narrowly denied Derby glory on just his third career start by Auguste Rodin at Epsom, dominated the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot before running with credit in both the King George and the Irish Champion Stakes. 

Reportedly in prime condition and having trained very well in the build up to this weekend’s race, Roger Varian’s three-year-old must have leading claims back at the scene of his biggest win to date.