Royal Ascot Saturday ITV Racing Tips & Preview

NATALIE’S JOY (Best price 11-8) is one of only three two-year-olds since 2006 to win a Goodwood six-furlong maiden by six lengths or more – the others being Guineas winner Night Of Thunder and stablemate Threading, who later won the Lowther and was runner-up in yesterday’s Coronation Stakes. That lofty company is worth heeding and, although the impressive daughter of Lope De Vega isn’t much of a price today, she tackles the Chesham rather than the Albany with her connections keen to allow her more time to find her rhythm in her race. Given she is closely related to seven furlong winner Annie’s Fortune, the step up in trip shouldn’t be an inconvenience and her closing sectionals from Goodwood suggests she is a pattern-race winner in waiting.

Sir Michael Stoute has enjoyed a memorable week with winners that have taken him to the top of the Royal Ascot trainers’ tree. CRYSTAL OCEAN (Best price 8-13) could serve further evidence of his burgeoning maturity with success in a disappointing renewal of this Group 2 and hand the Barbadian knight another high-profile success in a race he has excelled in historically. He stepped forwardly markedly from a workmanlike Sandown display on dead ground to win with authority at Newbury and he may have too much class for Barsanti who narrowly beat a fellow, but inferior, Stoute inmate here back in May.

The experience gained by QUEEN OF BERMUDA (Best price 7-1) and MUTAWAFFER (Best price 9-1) at Ascot could stand the duo in good stead as they go head-to-head with another speedy American raider in Moonlight Romance. Runner-up to Norfolk Stakes winner Shang Shang Shang at Keeneland, Wesley Ward’s juvenile could easily blitz her field along the stands’ side rail, but Queen Bermuda is improving tidily in her own right and her overall and sectional times at Thirsk two starts ago were reflective of a filly capable of making her mark at this level.

I was fortunate to see Mutawaffer in the flesh when he made his Ascot debut and I was struck with the manner of his demeanour and physique as he ambled around the paddock. He looked a useful tool on debut too, making nice headway before shedding his maiden tag on his second start at Goodwood. The drop back from six furlongs shouldn’t inconvenience the selection and there looks a little pace low for Charlie Hills’ colt to aim at. 

Pre-race vibes suggested MERCHANT NAVY (Best price 4-1) was far from race-fit ahead of his Curragh debut for Aidan O’Brien so the fact he managed to win decisively in a rapid time augurs well here. The close presence of stablemate Spirit Of Valour, runner-up that day, should ensure the Australian recruit has pace to run at and his final run down under saw the selection close powerfully to finish within a neck of Redkirk Warrior who made all to land the Group 1 Lexus Handicap. His Australian conqueror is likely to prove tough to resist, but Merchant Navy is taken to progress again in the hands of a genius.

While it is difficult to envisage a boil over with so many quality sprinters at the head of the market, I can’t resist having a small wager on D’BAI (Best price 33-1) after his tremendous effort on the clock last time. Charlie Appleby has enjoyed a magnificent week and his four-year-old recorded a similar closing sectional to Muthmir at Haydock having raced two furlongs further and looks a value each-way bet.

Just 12 months ago, TIS MARVELLOUS (Best price 22-1) was chasing home the 125-rated Caravaggio in the Commonwealth Cup, only fading after trying to keep tabs on the likes of Harry Angel and Blue Point to boot. At the time that appeared an exceptional Group 1 and history hasn’t dispelled that theory so Clive Cox’s speedster has to be of interest from a mark of just 99 a year later. The presence of hot favourite and pace setter Dreamfield three stalls away should assist the son of Harbour Watch and he proved the fires were still burning with a lovely reappearance at Newmarket when trapped wide with no cover.

Backing horses with seven furlong form on their cv can be a profitable strategy in this event given it is normally such a strongly-run six furlongs. With that in mind, GILGAMESH (Best price 14-1) makes a fair bit of appeal if he can hang on to the coattails of the likes of Ice Age and Foolaad who are drawn in close proximity. The selection caught the eye in the Victoria Cup (7f) when winning his race on the stands’ side and he has since scored decisively at York in a warm affair. The drop back to six furlongs should be ideal and he gets on well with Ed Greatrex.

THOMAS HOBSON (Best price 6-4) hails from a trainer which has begun to farm Ascot staying handicaps for fun and, in contrast to last year, his eight-year-old arrives fresh and well without any prior exertions. Mullins again served notice of his domination in this type of event this week when saddling Ascot Stakes winner Lagostovegas and three of the next four across the line and, in Thomas Hobson, he possesses a stayer with a sharp turn of foot which usually proves a deadly combination in a race of this nature. The eight-year-old attempted to complete the ‘Ascot double’ last year having won by six lengths on the first day of the meeting, but Oriental Fox was not for passing. However, he is a fresher horse this time round and Ryan Moore is re-engaged which is another positive.