Royal Ascot Day 2

It was a tough start to the week for the blog yesterday and seeing Belardo just coming up short was a sign of things to come. He bumped into one serious mare though and it is frightening to think what Tepin might do on quicker ground. Van Der Decken ran a cracker and in real time I was sure he had grabbed fourth. However, he was done on the nod and it was another hard luck story. Caravaggio was hugely impressive and if he is as good on quick ground he could be O'Brien's Guineas horse next year.

Pearl Secret ran a stinker in the King's Stand despite being heavily backed into 8/1. Profitable was a worthy winner and maintained his 100% record for the season. He has developed into a serious sprinter and the world is his oyster now. Galileo Gold proved the doubters (me included) wrong by putting The Ghurka and Awtaad firmly in their places. A career at stud now surely beckons for this classy miler who has propelled his trainer Hugo Palmer to the next level.

Totalize ran a frustrating sort of race and he was caught out wide as the front four pulled clear. He stayed on well enough but didn't make the frame and perhaps he needs a bit more relief from the handicapper. Mister Trader was backed off the boards in the finale and I was sitting pretty having tipped him up at 12/1. After Caravaggio dotted up everybody jumped on the bandwagon but the gamble went astray. He never counted but it will be interesting to see if any problems come to light in the aftermath as I believe he is a much better horse than he showed on Tuesday.

Below are my selections for Day 2.

RACE 1

The one I like a a big price here is Scrutineer for the hot combination of Mick Channon and champion jockey Silvestre de Sousa. This 3yo colt showed smart form as a 2yo and hacked up in his maiden at Nottingham (6f soft). He followed that up with a facile handicap win off 80 at Doncaster (7f gd/sft) so he clearly likes to get his toe in.

His first two runs this year were very respectable, 2L behind Ibn Malik at Nemarket (7f gd/sft) when in receipt of 4lbs in a listed handicap and then just behind Thikriyaat and Dragon Mall in a listed heat at Newmarket (7f gd/fm). The ground was plenty quick enough that day for Scrutineer and I think he is capable of turning the form around back on a soft surface. 33/1 looks a huge price and he is the each way suggestion in a minefield of a race.

STEVOS' SELECTION: SCRUTINEER E/W 33/1 B365 (4PLACES)

RACE 2

Wesley Ward has the favourite here with another Scat Daddy filly. Tepin ploughed through the soft ground yesterday which bodes well for his filly but as a rule his progeny are usually at their best on the dirt. This really is a nightmare of a puzzle to solve as soft ground form is thin on the ground.  One filly that could possibly improve for the switch to slow ground is the Clive Cox trained Barroche. She won her maiden easily last time out on good to firm but her pedigree suggests that she might handle soft ground.

Adam Kirby will be on cloud nine after the week he has had and he takes the ride. Her full brother Bearskin won two races and there was cut in the ground on both occasions. Hopefully this filly takes to it too, though stakes should be kept to a minimum given that we won't know until the race gets underway. She is a very tentative each way selection in a minefield of a race at odds of 16/1.

STEVOS' SELECTION: BARROCHE E/W 16/1

RACE 3

This is another race for the girls and it looks an ultra competitive Group 2 contest. Usherette is clear at the head of the market for Fabre and Barzalona at odds of 5/2 and it is 8/1 the field bar her. She has yet to encounter ground anything like it is at Ascot though and she could be vulnerable. The one I am going to side with here is Devonshire, a daughter of Fast Company in the care of Willie McCreery.

This 4yo has really stepped up her form this season and she seems to relish a bit of cut in the ground. She pushed Queen Blossom all the way in a Group 3 at the Curragh on her seasonal return (8f yld/sft) and followed that with a superb win in a Group 2, beating reliable yardstick Irish Rookie by a length. She carries a penalty for that win but she is at her optimum trip on her optimum ground and she will not lack in assistance from the saddle with Buick booked. She is the each way selection at 8/1 in a race where a lot of the participants have plenty to prove on soft ground.

STEVOS' SELECTION: DEVONSHIRE E/W 11/1

RACE 4 

 You can read my in depth preview of this Group 1 here at Bettingtools.

RACE 5

29 runners have been declared for the famous Hunt Cup and trying to find the winner is a thankless task. Any amount of them can have a case made for them and it is difficult to know even where to start when looking at a race like this. I am going to back two for small stakes here and the first horse I like is Battle Of Marathon for John Ryan. This former Coolmore inmate is proven on good ground and he went agonisingly close at a huge price in a valuable handicap off 102 at Doncaster (8f soft) on his seasonal return. He wasn't so good over 9f next time but returned to 8f here in a listed heat last time he pushed GM Hopkins all the way (8f gd/sft). He has been raised to 110 but he handles the track, the ground and he has been aimed at the race. At odds of 33/1 he could run a big one.

Another one that appeals at an even bigger price is Boomshackerlacker for George Baker and Pat Cosgrave. This 6yo son of Dark Angel is a triple listed winner, with two of those wins coming over 8f with cut in the ground. He races off a mark of 99 today and he showed in Meydan that he can be competitive in handicaps off that rating with an excellent effort off 102 when 4th behind Forries Waltz. He has run well fresh before so the 118 day break is not a worry and with ground to suit he is worthy of a small each way bet at odds of 50/1 with Paddy Power, who are paying out on the first 6 places in this race.

STEVOS' SELECTIONS: BATTLE OF MARATHON E/W 33/1 BVICTOR(5 PLACES)
                               BOOMSHACKERLACKER E/W 50/1 PADDY POWER (6 PLACES)

RACE 6

Another absolute battle charge finishes off proceedings on day 2 and once again soft ground form is pretty thin on the ground. One horse that could potentially improve returned to this sort of ground is the Richard Hannon 3yo filly Great Page. She showed her best form by far on a soft surface last year, including wins at listed and Group 3 level. Her only run on relatively easy ground this season was her best, behind Ibn Malik in a listed handicap off 105 at Newmarket, and the ground and trip of 6f were all wrong last time. This will be her first race beyond 7f but there is hope in her pedigree that a mile will be fine. She is 6lb lower than for that 3rd behind Ibn Malik (beaten 4L) and with ground to suit she is worth chancing each way at odds of 33/1 in a wide open listed handicap.

STEVOS' SELECTION: GREAT PAGE E/W 33/1 SKYBET (5 PLACES)