2.30pm - Group 3 Albany Stakes
As is the norm with Royal Ascot week, we have another very competitive two-year-old contest to kickstart the penultimate day of the Festival, and I have two selections to consider.
First selection comes in the form of Mountain Breeze for the boys in blue, and although there are slight concerns over the Godolphin horses being in form (hopefully that gets put to bed with Diamond Rain on Thursday), I just feel they probably don't prioritise the royal meeting as much these days, and that is being shown with the smaller amount of runners they have during the week.
Enough of that, and onto their daughter of Lope De Vega in Mountain Breeze who has two runs under her belt already, and that experience could set her up nicely here. Judging by the manner in which she won both of her novice contests, I would suggest there is plenty of talent in the locker.
A 2¾-length winner on debut over five furlongs at Newmarket in May, she was quickly turned around carrying the penalty when she won once again at Newmarket on her second start, this time over six furlongs. The form of her debut run has been franked quite nicely, as the runner-up, River Seine, has since come out and placed in a Class 2 York novice, which was a red-hot contest, while Miss Collada, who was third that day, has since come out and won two contest since they met.
The form of her second win does not yet seem as strong, but the manner in which she won carrying the penalty last time was eye-catching, especially how she travelled throughout the contest to forge clear in the end. She is nicely bred, and clearly very talented, so I can hope she will put it all together for this race on Friday.
Another nicely-priced each-way selection is Royalty Bay for Jason Hart and John & Sean Quinn who was a £125,000 breeze up purchase who made a pretty good impression on her debut at Ripon last time out. The daughter of Kodiac was 8/1 that day, so obviously not particularly fancied on the day in the market, but she defied the bigger odds and won in very stylish fashion.
She was slowly away and looked a little novicey in the opening stages, but when it all clicked she soon got to the front in taking fashion with a furlong to go, before forging clear in pretty readily circumstances in the end, overturning the odds-on shot in Substitute (who runs in this race on Friday).
Obviously she would have to take a whole new step forward to land a blow in this, but the manner in which she won on debut would suggest she could be a good one for the Quinn team, and given the fact that she did cost a pretty penny at the Breeze-Ups, I would say judging on her debut win last time, and that she is taking connections to Royal Ascot, that could be money well spent.
Selections - Mountain Breeze (3/1 Win) & Royalty Bay (14/1 Each-way)
3.05pm - Group 1 Commonwealth Cup
This race probably lacks its usual sparkle, but that does mean it is a little more competitive this year, and with that in mind my selection is Jasour for Clive Cox and Jim Crowley.
He was a 2-length winner of the Group 2 July Stakes last season, in what was a really nice performance, and although he did slightly lose his way later on in the season, he is a bit of a precocious type so he probably needed a winter off to mature and fill into his frame. #
He showed that the winter break had worked wonders for him when lining up in the Group 3 Commonwealth Cup Trial, where he was very keen throughout, but soon blitzed clear in the closing stages to beat Adaay In Devon by a little under two lengths (that form has been franked nicely as Adaay In Devon has since won and run well at Listed level).
He was slowly away the last time and was pretty keen throughout the contest, but that did not slow him down as when push came to shove with two furlongs to go, he soon travelled nicely into the race, before powering clear down the near side rail to win going away in the end by a little under two lengths.
His performances at Group 1 level as a two-year-old do slightly leave a little to be desired, but he was very green last season and needed a winter break to put it altogether. Also another note is Jim Crowley is currently 2 for 2 on him, so no matter his record over the straight course at Ascot, he does get on very well with this horse whenever they partner up.
Although he has to prove he is a better horse this season and put two good runs together, he has the course-distance form already, which should set him up nicely here come Friday. He is a lovely looking individual, a nice grey with a white blaze on his face, so that has probably swayed my judgment slightly, but I do feel looks of a horse can speak for a whole lot when it comes to backing them, especially when you get to see them before the race itself.
I hope he can handle the occasion well in the paddock, before putting in another course-and-distance clinic here on Friday. I am excited to see how he gets on, as he will take another step up in class.
- Selection - Jasour (9/2 Win)
3.45pm - Group 1 Coronation Stakes
The Friday card at Royal Ascot is quite possibly my favourite of the week, and that comes down to this race, as it will forever remind me of Alpha Centauri's incredible performance some six years ago where I was there to watch her break track records and fire clear to win by six lengths.
This year I think the race has plenty of quality in it, as we have the 1000 Guineas winner Elmalka for Roger Varian and James Doyle, as well as the Irish 1000 Guineas third, Opera Singer, who ran very well considering that was her seasonal debut.
It is a shame that we don't get to see Karl Burke's 1000 Guineas winner, Fallen Angel, as this would have made it the race of the week for me, but we shall have to make do with what we have. Also, you can never rule out the French raiders in this, as we also have the French 1000 Guineas winner Rouhiya for Francis Henri Graffard, who is never scared to come over and take on the Brits and Irish in their own back garden.
I spent some time looking over this contest, and did slightly struggle to nail down my final selection, but as much as I kept going round in circles, I just kept landing on Ramatuelle for Christopher Head, who is another French raider. She was incredibly unlucky to not win the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket last time when coming third, and she did actually look like the best filly in the contest, but her jockey probably went a little too soon, which can be done with the French jockeys as they don't have the pleasure of riding Newmarket week in week out.
With the booking of the red-hot Oisin Murphy, who has already had three winners at Royal Ascot this week so far (with plenty of more top rides to come), that is a huge bonus for connections of this brilliant filly.
A multiple Group 2 and 3 winner as well as a Group 1 2nd behind Vandeek last season as a two-year-old, there might have been a few question marks on going over the mile trip this season, despite having shown last time that the trip holds no issue for her.
With a little more of a patient ride here on Friday, I think her talent will shine through as she finally lands her Group 1, and what a race to land as your first top contest. Her form as a two-year-old over in France is pretty decent, and I think she is the sort to improve with racing, and ultimately might just be the best horse in the race.
No disrespect intended but if there was a French jockey booked to ride her I probably wouldn't be on her side (Just look at the two lads in the Queen Anne at the start of the week, as well as the ride she got in the 1000 Guineas), it's the fact they don't get to ride in the UK as often as we go over there, so they just don't know the tracks as well as the British jockeys.
The fact that connections have snapped up Oisin to ride here, is a statement of intent, and I can't wait to see how she gets on in the Coronation Stakes at Ascot on Friday.
- Selection - Ramatuelle (10/3 Win)
5.40pm - Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes
This is a pretty wide-open contest, and the current market leader is Diego Velazquez for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore, and ultimately it might just be the fact he is trained and ridden by the two as I am struggling to see how he warrants to be favourite for this.
He is bred really well and is stepping down in class ever so slightly here after a disappointing effort in the French Derby last time, but he is also stepping up in trip and that does not immediately scream favourite in my opinion.
With that firmly in mind, it gives me the perfect excuse to side with a horse owned by my new favourite ownership model in the Flat racing world, and that is Space Legend for Wathnan Racing, William Haggas and James Doyle.
He has only had three runs in his short career so far, which could either play to his strengths as there could be improvement to come, or his weakness as the lack of experience might also shine through, but I think it will be the first point mentioned as he looks the type to improve massively with racing.
A very good runner-up on debut at Chelmsford over a mile, he looked to be screaming out for a further step up in trip when running on well in the closing stages, and connections went with that idea as they then stepped him up in trip to 1m2f for a Leicester maiden, in which he was sent off as favourite and soon won like one, after pretty much making all before powering clear in the closing stages.
He was then pitched into Listed company next time out, where he was also stepped up in trip once again to run over 1m3f, and it is fair to say he was very unlucky not to get his head in front, as pretty much everything went wrong.
He was keen throughout, so was kept behind horses to hopefully help him settle, which it did to some extent, but he was always going to be searching for room, and he did keep searching and searching for two furlongs before eventually he got a clear run with a little over a furlong to go, by which time he could not build up enough steam to catch the eventual winner who had first run.
The winner that day was Meydaan who was a very good fourth in the Queen's Vase at the Royal meeting on Wednesday, so the form of that Listed race could end up being a little better than most would expect.
I would advise watching the Listed race back from last time, as he was just so incredibly unlucky and with a clear run I no doubt believe he would have won that handsomely.
With another slight step up in trip to come on Friday, I can see this son of Sea The Stars improving just enough to land this contest, where things will hopefully go a little smoother for him. In my opinion, out of any horse who runs at Ascot this week, he is the one who deserves to win a nice race the most. Ultimately I am siding with him here because he looks the most likely to improve, and now up to the trip his father loved, I can see that improvement coming here in this race on Friday.
- Selection - Space Legend (4/1 Win NAP)
Royal Ascot day 4 selection summary:
2.30 - Mountain Breeze (To Win) & Royalty Bay (Each Way)
3.05 - Jasour (To Win)
3.45 - Ramatuelle (To Win)
4.25 - Bague d'Or (Each Way)
5.05 - Indelible (Win)
5.45 - Space Legend (Win NAP)
6.15 - Mukaafah (Each Way)
All prices are from Planet Sport Bet and are subject to change
All previews and tips provided by @ Jake Russell