As Royal Ascot enters its fourth day, Jim Crowley is leading the race for Top Jockey with six winners. Bookmakers now make him the odds-on favourite to take the crown, as short as 2/5, and a best price of 4/7.

Crowley took his tally to six with two more winners yesterday, both for trainer Roger Varian. He struck in the 14:25 aboard Molatham to take the Jersey Stakes at 11/2. The second was a mightily impressive performance from Khaloosy, who was well supported into 9/2 in the Britannia Stakes.

That tally puts him just three short of Ryan Moore’s post-war meeting record with two days to go.


Previous favourite Moore has drifted to 5/2 as a result of the Crowley movement. However, plenty will think today is a big day for Moore and Aidan O’Brien.

Of his rides on Friday; Mother Earth, Lipizzaner, Anthony Van Dyck, Lope Y Fernandez and Santiago are all popular bets.

Crowley has plenty of hopes of his own, however. Most notably, the much-fancied pair of Elarqam and Durston. He’s the most backed in the last 24 hours with 56% of bets, despite the threat of Moore.

Elsewhere in the Top Jockey market, James Doyle has been ticking along and finds himself as short as 7/1 with some bookmakers, but 12/1 best price. He’s actually the second most backed behind Crowley in the last 24 hours, with 21% of bets.

It hasn’t been Frankie Dettori’s year at Royal Ascot, despite his historic win on Stradivarius yesterday. The fan-favourite is a best price of 20/1 here.