I know that most punters at Royal Ascot are fashionistas there to be seen but when I saw that they were betting 125 per cent over-round and the leaders in the betting were shortening in the Albany, I thought they had lost all sense of their money.
The longest race in the calendar is the last and obviously gets targeted by National Hunt trainers with slow old plodders. Put the usual line through the massive field handicaps and the two year old races. The way the sprints have gone it is easy to duck the Jubilee Stakes, where half the runners ran in the same race last year and will finish in a different order today, perhaps with one of the overseas raiders winning.
With
Hukum now a non runner,
Free Wind is too short to be of interest but I expect Frankie to win his last Hardwicke on the Gosden mare. I see there has been a general shortening of the prices on Frankie’s last day mounts, including his last one in the 5:35.
On first appearances, half the runners in the Jersey Stakes (3:05) are just making up the numbers as they have previously finished behind other runners or have to find huge improvement on their official ratings; however, we have seen a couple do just that this week.
Holloway Boy has only ever won once – first time out in last year’s Chesham. He subsequently placed in good pattern company but he faded out of the Guineas on his return and now drops in trip trying to return to form in a field where a couple of lightly raced ones may improve past him. Given the dreadful form of Moulton Paddocks, I cannot make a case for the now gelded
Mysterious Night under a penalty. Aidan O’Brien’s
The Antarctic also has a penalty and his second in the Middle Park (
Zoology behind) is probably the best piece of domestic form on offer. He should be okay with the step up to seven today and he really ought to be the favourite if just using form in the book.
Covey has made all the running in his last three races and the son of Frankel is clearly better than his 100 rating. He put ten rivals to the sword in the Silver Bowl at Haydock last time after two penalty kicks in small fields at Newcastle and HQ so it is very possible that he could justify his short odds here on the way to better things; however, he does not hold any big pattern race entries. His only defeat was on debut to experienced
Zoology. My problem with this race is trainer related. Roger Varian has had a mixed meeting with several of his fancied runners being opposed in the betting and then running badly whilst he has picked up a couple of races.
Enfjaar has won both his starts, a seven furlong HQ juvenile maiden that featured the likes of Military Order and Laafi; and an effortless win in a mile race on the kitty litter at Chelmsford. He holds no big race entries but I wonder why he is dropping back to seven furlongs here as he steps up in class. Crowley will be aboard today for the first time.
Olivia Maralda switched yards over the winter and faded into seventh in the 1000 Guineas on her reappearance. Last time she won the Surrey Stakes at Epsom under today’s jockey, where
Holguin and
Streets Of Gold filled the places and subsequent winner He’s A Monster was well behind. With the fillies’ allowance here, I think she rates as a strong form contender but I am going to wait until nearer the race to see if she stinks in the betting...
Time to start looking at Sunday’s Pontefract card – Sky Bet putting up some decent prize money again, won’t be any worse than their card at Beverley the other week and I won’t be in West Yorkshire paying £7 a pint...
