Equinties - Royal Ascot day 3

Gm Equinauts

Unless you literally only slammed GREGORY yesterday, day 2 was one for the bookies.

Today is for the punters.

LFG!

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Day 3 of Royal Ascot - lock the chimp away by playing the Fantasy game!

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ROYAL ASCOT DAY 3

15.40 GROUP 2 RIBBLESDALE STAKES

We're going to be incredibly bullish with this write up and say you don't need to look past AL ASIFAH.

Jim Crowley has said this is the best horse he's sat on. And he steered BAAEED!

Despite the big field, we think she just wins and goes on to bigger things.

Verdict: AL ASIFAH just wins but is not a betting prospect now at the price, she's one to watch and enjoy. BLUESTOCKING could be the play w/o the fave.

16.20 GROUP 1 GOLD CUP

The most historical and prestigious race of the Royal meeting is the Gold Cup and it’s the first leg of the Stayers triple crown (next is the Goodwood Cup and followed by the Doncaster Cup).

COLTRANE heads the market for the Balding team, he’s spent plenty of time at BGP HQ so we know him well. He started out life as a big backwards gangly lad but has grown into a proper man of a horse. This is his race today, he’s been laid out for the race and is coming to the boil beautifully.

He loves the course having raced there 3 times winning two of them including over course and distance in what was a good time and he’ll be cherry ripe today to do the same thing.

ELDAR ELDAROV is the young pretender getting backed in. He won at the Royal meeting last year before going on to classic glory in the St Leger. He was second on his seasonal debut giving 5lbs to a 111 rated horse, he had the re-opposing BROOME behind him (giving him 2lbs) and QUICKTHORN (giving him 5lbs) who has since won a listed race. He’s good but he hasn’t been this far before, trainer is confident he’ll stay the trip.

COURAGE MON AMI has been well supported in the market, the ew players have taken the bigger prices, he’s starting to look skinny for what he has achieved so far. By FRANKEL o/o a mare who stayed very well, he’s only gone as far as 1m6, today is 2m4 so it’s a big step up in trip as well as grade.

EMILY DICKINSON looks to be better suited by softer conditions but has won on good ground. She hasn’t won a Gr1 yet unlike the other winners of this race from Ballydoyle but she looks progressive and is Ryan Moore’s pick over BROOME who’s actually rated higher than her.

SUBJECTIVIST is the fly in the ointment having been a previous winner (very good time) before his injury. He did a tendon and they nurtured him back to health after 618 days. If it wasn’t for his injury we’d be saying he’s the likely winner but it’s difficult to know if he has retained his talent two years on and even if he has, will he properly stretch for Joe Fanning or be too afraid to really dig deep which he’ll have to do today.

ECHOES IN RAIN is playing for place money, they’ll be trying to get some flat black type before heading off to the paddocks.

YIBIR is another who has been given a trip hike for this. Connections believe he can do it and have said they’ll ride him cold, I just wonder when the fuel gage is flickering on red will he have it in him to go past a horse like COLTRANE who will be finding more. Yard also not their usual self.

BROOME won the Hardwicke last year at this meeting before going on to up his ante and win the Dubai Gold Cup over two miles in March. Today he is to go another 4f so it’s questionable how far he can keep on going but the old boy gives himself every chance of getting it with his running style.

TRUESHAN has had a wind op (cauterised his epiglottis) but he’s on a full recovery mission and we all know by now he is better on softer conditions.

Verdict: COLTRANE wins, and wins well.

17.35 GROUP 3 HAMPTON COURT STAKES

This year’s Hampton Court sees 16 horses head under starters orders and the field is wide open from top to bottom.

George Strawbridge dominates the top of the market as an owner as he has TORITO, the favourite, and EPICTETUS, the second favourite.

It is very interesting how the horse who is seemingly in the second-string colours who doesn’t have Frankie Dettori booked is the clear favourite, but based on his win at Epsom, he is extremely unexposed and could cause a big danger to the field.

Though, beating SILVER SWORD by three lengths isn’t vintage form (despite the ease he did it with!).

On the same day as TORITO’s win, WAIPIRO ran in the Epsom Derby having finished an eyecatching second at Lingfield behind Military Order.

Dropping in class, he has plenty to give and is well related (half brother to WAIKUKU, the horse who beat Golden Sixty last year) so could be interesting at a double-figure price.

DRUMROLL for Aidan O’Brien is already a Group 3 winner having been awarded the race in the stewards room for interference - on pedigree and his last run, he is a better horse for good ground and by DEEP IMPACT out of a Group 1-winning mare, Ballydoyle will be hoping for the best.

The eyecatcher of the Epsom Oaks was CAERNARFON who finished a good third at 40/1 - she received weight from the colts and if SOUL SISTER and SAVETHELASTDANCE are really that good, she could be an interesting to hit the frame.

Verdict: EXOPLANET was gambled on debut last year at Newbury and won well. Since then has been running on slowish ground which wouldn't have suited, his pedigree needs fast fast fast! He gets quick ground today and with an exceptional run lto, you'd think he'd be cherry ripe for a big show today at a juicy price of 9's.

YOUNG BLOOD

14.30 GROUP 2 NORFOLK STAKES

ELITE STATUS has been rock solid at the head of the market since his Sandown romp beating a good field. His owner, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, had three runners on Tuesday and won with two of them at 16/1 and 33/1, this lad is considerably shorter and probably his best chance coming in to the week. So Sod's Law he gets beat! He’s by HAVANA GREY (a breeding right to him sold for £205,000 on Monday!)

AMERICAN RASCAL has come over from the US having recorded a stylish victory on debut. He’s the first foal o/o LADY AURELIA who as we all know loved the straight course at Ascot winning as a 2yo and a 3yo. He moved like a beauty on the dirt on debut, hard to say how he will cope with the turf being by dirt stallion CURLIN, but connections are their usual bullish self.

NO NAY METS was originally bred by Coolmore and sold for 180k as a yearling, he was then sold as a 2yo for $335k and then changed ownership through the Goffs London Sale on Monday for 800k so he’s paid a few people handsomely along the way. He won fto going pillar to post, there is stamina on his dam line to suggest he’ll get the trip over the straight mile fine.

NOCHE MAGICA won on debut beating ALABAMA (5th in the Windsor Castle) and was second on his last start to GIVEMETHEBEATBOYS (4th in the Coventry on Tuesday) in the Gr3 Marble Hill S. over 6f; BLACKBEARD and CARAVAGGIO are previous winners of that race. The drop to 5f will certainly play to his strengths and he looks very quick, dam is a half sister to DANDY MAN.

DEVIOUS’ trainer said after his winning debut, “I'd say he's a proper horse. We have nothing that can take him off the bridle at home, he's just natural. He's got so much boot” say no more. Dam was Gr3 placed and a half sister to ATTRACTION. The one run is a concern.

HIS MAJESTY is the Ballydoyle/Coolmore representative, he won well fto and was third nto in the Marble Hill S (NOCHE MAGICA was second), the step down in trip isn’t sure to suit as he’s a big lad but clearly has to be respected.

MON NA SLIEVE won on debut in taking fashion (we backed) at York, came from the breeze ups, looks a big strapping colt and will improve but will need to do so, form is questionable for this level.

THE FIXER ran 4 times already, winning twice inc. a listed race on his last start. Deserves his place in the line up but may find one or two improving at a faster rate.

THUNDER BLUE ran 11 days ago beating a well regarded Varian horse and coming second on debut, clearly going the right way but will need to take another step forward which is unlikely in the time frame.

Verdict: As usual an ultra-competitive 2yo race at the Royal meeting, with several in with a chance. ELITE STATUS looked very good lto and the ratings/times back it up. The form with NOCHE MAGICA looks rock solid and he travelled on the bridle smoothly lto. Drop back to 5f will suit.

DAY 3 SELECTIONS

We’ve had a brilliant run since Cheltenham, now is NOT the time to give it all back. Use our picks to play small or choose your Fantasy team.

14.30 ELITE STATUS and NOCHE MAGICA EW

15.05 TAGABAWA EW and LAND LEGEND EW

15.40 AL ASIFAH and BLUESTOCKING w/o fave

16.20 COLTRANE NAP

17.00 BLESS EW

17.35 EXOPLANET EW

18.10 LIR SPECIALE EW

We’ll have small plays on all these selections today with LAND LEGEND and COLTRANE being the stronger views deserving of full bets. Our weaker views are held obviously in the big handicaps where lunch money only is advised.

LAND LEGEND and COLTRANE EW double pays 75/1, a half bet.