Friday's Meetings Royal Ascot Flat 7 Races 2:30-6:15p.m. Market Rasen N/H 7 Races 1:35-5:10p.m. Redcar Flat 6 Races 2:45-4:45p.m. Down Royal(E) Flat 7 Races 4:50-8:10p.m. Goodwood(E) Flat 6 Races 5:45-8:35p.m. Newmarket(E) Flat 6 Races 6:03-8:55p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
Royal Ascot 17,40 Voyage 14/1 e/w bet365, Lads and Coral four places Took 16/1 last week. Hopefully he will cross the finish line in the same position as in his last race, but it would be convenient if this time he did it with the jockey on him.
Royal Ascot 16,25 Fairbanks 20/1 WH five places, 16/1 PP and sky six places 17,05 Mrs Morrell 28/1 e/w WH and betfair six places, 25/1 PP seven places, 22/1 sky eight places 18,15 Dark Vintage 28/1 WH six places, 22/1 sky seven places
Ascot 17.05 I think with such a big field and with many contenders on the up, 11/2 is a bit skinny for Indelible but I think she should take this 18.15 Mukaafar ew at 12/1 6 places looks decent value
Going news on day four of Royal Ascot The going for day four of Royal Ascot, Friday 21st June, is: Good to Firm. GoingStick readings at 8am: Stands’ side: 8.6 Centre: 8.4 Far side: 8.4 Round: 7.3 Stalls: Straight Course: centre Round Course: inside Weather: 3.6mm rain recorded over the past 7 days. The forecast is for fine and dry weather today. There is the threat of some showers tonight and tomorrow. For access to our live weather station and for the latest Going info, please go to www.ascot.com/thegoing Watering: Watered whole track with 5mm after racing on Thursday.
Mug punters took a right beating on Thursday with only Kyprios of the ‘good things’ obliging. If I had known Whistlejacket was going to go odds on I would have been on Betfair to lay it: the Timeform ratings were a joke. I knew Diamond Rain was one to avoid on quick ground and King’s Gambit lost the Hampton Court at the start. So moving to Friday, Inisherin has been supplemented for the Commonwealth Cup and is the one that I would want to be on (went on watch list last time, like for everyone else) but not at the price. The mug punters will pile on now that the owner’s second favourite has been taken out. In the Ascot Derby (5:40) there is the usual conundrum of form versus potential. Theory Of Tides comes in unbeaten in two minor events but has yet to encounter ground this quick and the form of the Gosden yard this week hardly inspires. Voyage won the Derby on only his second career start but he forgot to take the jockey with him so clearly he must be well regarded and also runs on quick ground for the first time. The other than ran at Epsom, Macduff did not handle the track. Defiance and The Euphrates ran in the Lingfield Derby Trial where the former was never a factor and the latter perhaps found it a little quick and looks to be here today as a pacemaker. The other three Ballydoyle runners, the trip is no issue for Chester Vase runner-up Agenda, while Chief Little Rock was behind Defiance over ten furlongs at Epsom and now steps up two furlongs on quicker ground after winning the Gallinule; and Diego Velazquez steps up two furlongs after finishing behind Mondo Man in a disappointing Prix Du Jockey Club. The two French raiders cannot be disregarded in this and Space Legend will have plenty of supporters as everyone saw he should have won last time. With nine in the feature Coronation Stakes, the betting does not seem to follow the form. There are three key form races to look at today. In the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, Folgaria was eleventh, Content was eighth and Francis-Henri Graffard’s Rouhiya won a very unsatisfactory race where a blanket would have covered most of the field. The French filly has never encountered quick ground and this won’t turn out into a sprint in the straight. The Irish 1000 Guineas featured Skellet finishing eighth having never been a factor in the race but five places ahead of her was Opera Singer, who failed to live with race fit Fallen Angel that day and ought to prove a real contender here. Fallen Angel had only been eighth at HQ in the 1000 Guineas where See The Fire never featured and the first three home re-oppose today. The bookies clearly think that the French filly Ramatuelle (the most fancied of the first three in the HQ betting) went to the front too soon and got caught by the other pair in the last ten yards. PORTA FORTUNA touched Ramatuelle off for second at the post but was too late to catch Elmalka who caught the French filly a couple of strides earlier. The other two had a fitness advantage over Donnacha O’Brien’s filly that day (Elmalka third in the Fred Darling, Ramatuelle second in the Prix Imprudence) and I note that Tom Marquand is the only jockey retaining the ride from Newmarket. I can see the finish being fought out by two O’Brien fillies today – father and son.
To days darts at Ascot... 2:30 - Royalty Box, 22/1 3:05 - Evade, 14/1 3:45 - Elmalka, 7/1 4:25 - Crystal Box, 10/ 5:05 - Fair Angellica, 11/1 5:40 - Theory of Tides, 14/1 6:15 - Vantheman, 17/2 Just darts, no play, but good luck to all if you are playing today...
Agree 100%. I don't know how they came up with that figure given the form available. And odds on in that field ????????????
Why is Folgaria 66/1 (Betfred and WH)? Unbeaten in 5 in Italy last year. Beat the 1000 Gns winner on British debut. Beaten 5½l by Rouhiya in France on very soft after running too freely
No doubt much is going to be written about Fairy Godmother’s win in the Albany as she probably ran about ten yards further than the others involved in the finish. But the reality is that she did not get Ryan Moore out of trouble – Heavens Gate did. The last furlong was a second slower than the penultimate one as the other O’Brien filly stopped in front. The time of 1:13.48 was nearly a second slower than the following Commonwealth Cup. Fairy Godmother looks like she should get a mile for those that have already piled on her for next year’s 1000 Guineas ten months away. Is she the biggest success to date for her sire Night Of Thunder? Whether we have seen a future Classic winner in the opener, I think we may have seen the Champion sprinter in the Commonwealth Cup. Inisherin was already in the notebook from last time so no need to add him but he dispatched the three year olds with no trouble, so absentee Vandeek is surely the only possible threat to the title over six furlongs.
Well done Tom Marquand. He knew who he had to beat – Opera Singer – so sat right on her tail the whole way round and ran her down in the final furlong on Porta Fortuna. Credit to Donnacha O’Brien, won the Cheveley Park (and the Albany) last year and another Group 1 will make her very valuable as a broodmare. I said it would be between the O’Brien family fillies, so why did I not do the forecast? Obviously lots of people agreed with my assessment as she was the only one being backed, SP 7/2. Apologies for blowing my own trumpet.
BIt hasty there. Should have looked at the others. Presumably some others looked good too. She did look good though. The winner must be pretty good but it's difficult to tell when the final furlong was slower than the previous furlong. I won't be rushing to back her for the 1000 Gns
