After a 16/1 winner on day one, Jibber Jabber is back for day two of the Royal Ascot Festival with six tips.
14:30 Royal Ascot
We kick off Royal Ascot Day 2 with a fiercely competitive 25-runner Group 2 fillies’ race for two-year-olds. At the head of the market are True Love (11/4) and Zelaina (100/30), both of whom have been well-touted in the lead-up.
True Love’s price has been slashed from a whopping 14/1 on the Betfair Exchange, largely due to her solid run at Navan last month where she finished just 0.75 lengths behind Gstaad over 6f. That form looks even stronger now after Gstaad bolted up by 3 lengths in the 20-runner Group 2 Coventry Stakes yesterday. With that in mind, the value on True Love is long gone.
That said, I do think both she and Zelaina are serious players with strong winning claims.
However, this is a race full of unknown quantities. Many of these fillies are lightly raced — some having just one or two runs under their belt — and it's not unusual for juveniles to improve by as much as 15–20lb from one start to the next. That opens the door for something less exposed to spring a surprise.
With Paddy Power and Sky Bet paying the first five home, this looks like the perfect race to have a go at a lively each-way angle.
Historically, a high draw is a big advantage in this race — in fact, only one winner in the last 10 years has come from a single-figure stall. We saw it again yesterday with my 16/1 winner American Affair, where the first four home were drawn 16, 15, 17, and 14.
With that in mind, I’m throwing a couple of darts at this from stalls 16 and 18: CARDIFF BY THE SEA (11/1) & SECRET HIDEAWAY (25/1)
CARDIFF BY THE SEA is a 320,000gns breeze-up purchase, she’s a half-sister to last year’s Coventry fifth Al Qudra, and her dam was a Listed winner over 5f as a 2-year-old — so the pedigree’s rock-solid.
She showed blistering mid-race speed on debut at Naas 31 days ago, before relenting late to Charles Darwin, a classy 1/14 favourite who’d already had two runs under his belt. That was a strong effort.
The booking of Oisin Murphy catches the eye — he’s a rare jockey booking for this yard and a clear sign of intent. She’ll need to improve again stepping up into Group 2 company, but with her natural pace and profile, that’s entirely possible.
At a bigger price, SECRET HIDEAWAY looks interesting for the in-form Adrian Paul Keatley team (Last 14 days: 4 winners from 18 runners, 22%).
She beat several of these in a Listed race over this 5f trip on Good to Firm ground at York 33 days ago, and the form’s working out really well — the 6th, 8th, and 9th have all won since.
The Racing Post gave her a rating of 92 for that performance, and if she can take another step forward, she’s no forlorn hope — especially drawn well and with proven form under these conditions.
Cardiff By The Sea 11/1 (0.5pt ew) & Secret Hideaway 25/1 (0.5pt ew)
17:00 Royal Ascot
Bookmakers are paying between 4 and 7 places on this wide-open 30-runner Royal Hunt Cup, so as always, it pays to check with your bookie before placing bets and shop around for the best value.
Paddy Power and Sky Bet are both paying 7 places, which is ideal in a cavalry charge like this.
I’m playing two each-way selections against the field:
EPICTETUS (20/1)
This 5-year-old gelding is a former Group 3 winner, officially rated 113 less than two years ago when with John Gosden. He’s now 12lb lower in the weights and shaped nicely on his first start for a new yard — and his first run in 350 days — when finishing a running-on 5th of 11 behind the re-opposing My Cloud (7/2) over the straight mile at Newbury 32 days ago.
That was a promising return, and he should strip fitter now. My Cloud had the benefit of a prior run, and Epictetus is 8lb better off at the weights this time. He’s got back-class, is entitled to improve, and could go very well at a big price.
FOX LEGACY (9/1)
He landed a competitive Class 2 handicap over 1m1f at Newmarket 46 days ago on seasonal reappearance after a 210-day break, and looked value for the win. Raised just 6lb for that, which looks lenient, and he’s a horse who could still be ahead of his mark.
Connections are confident — Alastair Donald, racing manager to owners King Power, said:
“We waited on his mark in the hope he got in, so we’re glad he did. The conditions and set-up should suit. He’s improving and unexposed for his age. It’s a hard race to win, but he’s got a live chance.”
The Andrew Balding yard is flying (Last 14 days: 17 winners from 67, 25%), and Oisin Murphy is riding at a 30% strike rate (16 winners from 53 rides in the last fortnight).
Plenty in his favour.
17:35 Royal Ascot
I’m chancing one at a price here in the shape of the unexposed 4-year-old filly THELMA’S ANGEL, who makes her handicap debut off what looks a potentially workable mark of 88.
She’s only had three career starts, including a comfortable Maiden win over 6f at Ayr back in May 2024, where she earned a Racing Post Rating of 82. She was then off the track for 402 days before being thrown straight into Listed company over 7f at Musselburgh just 11 days ago, where she was sent off a 66/1 outsider.
Despite the odds and the long layoff, she caught my eye — staying on strongly through the line to finish 6th of 9, beaten 6 lengths, but running to a RPR of 90. That effort suggests there's definitely ability there, and she should come on plenty for the run suggesting too she may well stay this extra furlong despite not being bred for it.
The booking of Rossa Ryan looks significant — he’s operating at a 33% strike rate when riding for Gemma Tutty over the past five years (2-6).
This one is a bit leftfield, even for me, but she’s in receipt of 16lb from the Favourite, and if she improves just a little on those Listed race figures, she could certainly be involved at the finish.
18:10 Royal Ascot
I liked the look of the GAGA MATE on debut at Catterick over this 5f trip where he won eased down by 3.75 lengths 19-days ago.
He impressed visually earning a Racing Post Rating of 84 that day and there should be plenty more to come for new connections having moved to George Scott's yard.
In a wide-open 23-runner finale to Day 2, he could easily outrun his odds and possibly improve past those at the head of the market on just his second start ever.
