It’s day one of Royal Ascot on Tuesday 18th June and our in-house tipster Steve Chambers picks out his best bets for a star-studded card that sees the Queen Anne Stakes, King Charles II Stakes and St James’s Palace Stakes take centre stage…
2:30pm Royal Ascot – Queen Anne Stakes
Fans of MALJOOM will hope for a bit more luck when the William Haggas-trained five-year-old returns to Royal Ascot for the first time since his unlucky fourth in the 2022 St James’s Palace Stakes. A troubled run in that Group 1 contest saw him fail to land a significant blow in a race that he could have tasted victory in. Plagued with injuries, the former German 2000 Guineas winner is a fascinating contender in a renewal of the Queen Anne Stakes that lacks a superstar.
Charyn is a solid yardstick at the head of the betting, while there are some smart French runners, but Maljoom is a class act on his day and he’s sure to build on his third placed finish in the Paradise Stakes at Ascot last time out, and at double-figured odds looks the value play in a trappy curtain-raiser.
Matthew Sutcliffe’s Royal Ascot Value Punts – Day 1 Selections for the Royal Meeting
Royal Ascot is a meeting which often throws up enormous shocks and surprises. Matty Sutcliffe is therefore a man to follow this week, and he picks out five selections to kickstart the regal festivities on day one. Published: 2.40pm, Sunday, 16th June (Prices correct at time of publishing) 2.30pm Royal Ascot – Queen Anne Stakes…
Mon 17 Jun 2024
3:45pm Royal Ascot – King Charles III Stakes
One of the most competitive renewals of the newly-named King Charles III Stakes in recent times, this 5f Group 1 event will see the speedsters light up the Ascot turf and the likes of Big Evs and Regional look the two to beat and they are prominent in the market.
However, one that has run well in this race before and looks a decent each-way bet is Henry Candy’s TWILIGHT CALLS, who can finally get his name in the spotlight. Second in the 2022 renewal, where he was beat by Aussie superstar Nature Strip, the six-year-old then finished a creditable fourth in last year’s race, so is hoping it’s third time lucky. He ran a decent race when fourth in the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket on his first outing of the year, but this would’ve been his target, so he’s sure to improve again and it’s hard to not see him hitting the frame.
4:25pm Royal Ascot – St James’s Palace Stakes
A stunning one-and-a-half length winner of the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket earlier in the season, Charlie Appleby’s unbeaten NOTABLE SPEECH will look to make it five wins from five when he lines up in the St James’s Palace Stakes at 4:25pm. He beat Rosallion that day at Flat HQ and the pair will lock horns once again, with Rosallion coming into this on the back of a fine win in the Irish 2000 Guineas.
Having only made his debut back in January, Notable Speech scorched to three all-weather wins at Kempton before causing a shock in the Guineas, but the Dubawi colt looks very special and while Rosallion’s turn of foot will cause him problems, it’s the Godolphin charge that can outclass his market rival and cement his place as the leading three-year-old.
6:15pm Royal Ascot – Copper Horse Handicap
It could be a cracking day for William Haggas and they will unleash NAQEEB in the finale, the Copper Horse Handicap at 6:15pm. Closely rated to star miler Baaeed, the four-year-old was last seen failing to land any sort of blow when way back in the Yorkshire Cup. However, he drops back from Group 2 company to the handicap sphere here and off 103 he looks to have the potential to go close.
Third in the Listed Noel Murless Stakes at Ascot lasts season over course and distance, Naqeeb has some very smart form on his day, so is an interesting contender at double-figured odds. He will have cheekpieces on for the first time here, so if they can help him concentrate then he could be one of those fighting out the finish.
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