Alex Hammond weekly horse racing blog and tips

There will be thirty-five winners over the five days, and I’ll be happy to find a few of them.

Here’s a list of my top 10 over the week.

TUESDAY

Charlie Appleby had a quieter May than he’d have liked but things have picked up this month and he could get the meeting off to a flyer with Modern Games in the Queen Anne Stakes. Don’t “@” me, as cooler kids than me say. I know you all want to see Frankie start his final Ascot with a bang, but I’m going to take him and Inspiral on, despite her impressive win at this meeting last year. She was possibly over the top when she ran a bad race on her final start on Champions Day, and the opposition in this race looks tougher than the fillies she faced in last year’s Coronation Stakes. I’m going with the dual Breeders’ Cup winner Modern Games. If we get some lumpy rain showers before the start of the meeting, then Mutasaabeq could be a bit of value for Charlie Hills.

We’ve seen a few Aussies come over and poach the King’s Stand Stakes over the years, and having been at Edgbaston for day one of the Ashes I should be opposing them. Coolangatta and Cannonball represent them here. I’m going with Twilight Calls each-way. Henry Candy must be one of the most in form trainers in the country currently, and this lad was only beaten by Nature Strip in this race last year. He was put firmly in his place mind you, as you’d expect, and has run moderate races on both his outings this season, but he has place claims providing the rain stays away.

WEDNESDAY

I’m keen on My Prospero in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes on day two in the absence of Desert Crown. I fancied him when he was declared to run in the Paradise Stakes here on trials day, but he scoped badly and didn’t run. I think the mile in the Lockinge was too sharp, and he can provide trainer William Haggas with a boost during a season that isn’t up to his usual high standards on this step back up to a mile and a quarter. He looks the type to have a really good four-year-old campaign and hopefully this will kick it off for the team.

Now if you were watching the Sky Sports Racing coverage from Chester’s May Festival, you’ll have heard me highlight a horse called Dawn Of Liberation, who finished fourth behind Boardman last month. He has a wonderful pedigree, being a half-brother to Toormore and Estidhkaar, and is a gorgeous individual. He really caught my attention in the paddock pre-race, and he ran well given his wide draw, slow start, and wide berth throughout. Boardman won so impressively it was easy to overlook the way this lad stayed on from his unpromising position. That was his second start after a wind operation and the handicapper has dropped him a pound for his efforts. He looks a bit of value in the Hunt Cup.

THURSDAY

Am I allowed a shorty? Well, one filly I can’t wait to see is Al Asifa in the Ribblesdale Stakes. John and Thady Gosden have persuaded Shadwell to supplement her into this race after winning impressively at Goodwood earlier this month. She’s now unbeaten in two starts having made her debut at Haydock in May. Shadwell are happy to be patient with their bluebloods as they were with Baeed, who didn’t run until the June of his three-year-old season. She holds a King George entry, and they are aiming for the stars with this lady.

The Gold Cup looks a corker and wouldn’t it be wonderful for Frankie to win it for the ninth time? His first victory came back in 1992 on Drum Taps, followed up on the same horse the next year, and won it three times on Stradivarius amongst others. So, can Courage Mon Ami join those illustrious names? Who? Courage Mon Ami: the John and Thady Gosden trained unbeaten four-year-old son of Frankel.

You can be forgiven for not being overly familiar with this lad. He’s only run three times in his life, and it’ll be a tough ask stepping up from a Goodwood handicap. His previous owner Anthony Oppenheimer wasn’t convinced he would stay the trip either, but he’s changed hands since that win last month and I don’t expect they think he has no chance of staying and until you try, you never know. With Frankie on board, anything is possible. Coltrane is a well-deserved favourite and very likeable, and he loves Ascot. His only defeat here came when he was a neck second to Trueshan in the Long Distance Cup in October and Oisin Murphy will be keen to get this prestigious trophy in his cabinet.

FRIDAY

Surely the nap of the week runs on Friday in the Albany Stakes. Carla’s Way was a talking horse before she even set foot on a racecourse, so expectations were high when she made her debut at Doncaster last month. She was sent off 5/2 favourite, so not backed as if defeat were out of the question, but she won very convincingly, despite pulling like a train throughout. Not only did she win well, but the form has been franked in style. James Doyle has been jocked up by Simon and Ed Crisford and I bet he can’t wait to get on board her for the first time.

On his Sandy Lane Stakes procession, Little Big Bear is an obvious pick in the Commonwealth Cup. He’s fully in sprinter mode now after that Haydock romp, and I think he’ll turn on his turbos two-furlongs from home and hopefully show us he’s the top-notch sprinter we hoped he would be.

SATURDAY

Onto the final day then and there’s a real international feel to the renamed Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes. There are horses entered from Ireland, France, America, Australia, and Hong Kong. Richard Gibson trains the Hong Kong representative Wellington, and it’s worth taking note that he saddled Gold Fun to be second to Twilight Son in the 2016 running of this Group 1. Before you think horses trained in Hong Kong don’t win races at Royal Ascot, there have been two previous winners from that part of the world from a very small sample size, and a fair few others have hit the crossbar. This horse has won multiple Group 1 races in Hong Kong and his British born trainer could taste his first Royal Ascot success here. He trained shed loads of top winners when based in France too.

I have one I like each-way in the Wokingham Stakes. Trainer James Horton is in a state of flux currently with the uncertainly over the future of his string, but he’s able to run his horses again and Asjad may provide a welcome boost for the yard in this fiercely tricky handicap. He showed up well at Doncaster’s Lincoln meeting and the break won’t have done him any harm as he goes well fresh. He needs some rain to fall through the week, but he could get suitable ground by the fifth and final day.

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