Racing Tips: In-depth look at the big Royal Ascot handicaps

5.00 Royal Hunt Cup

Click here for full racecard and free video form

A maximum field of 30 horses are set to go to post for this year’s Royal Hunt Cup so luck in-running and, in particular the draw, will have a big impact on the end result.

How will the race be run?

A lot of the fancied horses in the betting are drawn high and, as the Timeform pace map shows, the majority of speed is also in the higher numbers, while updated going stick readings – at the time of writing – say that the ground on the stand-side rail is faster following 10mm of rain on Tuesday morning.

The leading contenders

Taking all of that into account, long time ante-post favourite Perotto must have an excellent chance. He has been handed stall 30 and he shaped particularly well on his debut for Roger Varian in the Victoria Cup over seven furlongs at Ascot last month.

He attracted support having fallen 2 lb below the mark in which he won the Britannia from in 2021 – over the same course and distance as the Hunt Cup – but he was unfortunate as the race that day developed away from him. Perotto left the impression he will also appreciate the return to a mile and it is no surprise he hasn’t been missed in the market having been left on the same mark. Big chance.

Astro King is drawn more towards the lower centre but he is another interesting contender. He has finished placed in the last two renewals of the Hunt Cup for Sir Michael Stoute and was arguably unlucky not to make a winning start for new connections on his return at York last month.

That was his first start since being gelded (also went without headgear) and he travelled like a horse back on great terms with himself, making a smooth move into contention just after halfway but not getting the rub of the green from there on.

Astro King was forced to switch paths more than once after encountering trouble in-running and never able to open up properly, but still only beaten a length. He is now 3 lb lower than when finishing fourth in this 12 months ago and, having joined a yard that do especially well with new recruits, he may have even more to offer. He seems sure to launch another bold bid in this race.

Ghaly is another horse who is drawn low but this lightly-raced seven-year-old definitely deserves a mention. He clearly hasn’t been the easiest to train, but it is very interesting that these connections are persevering with him, while he also won his last two starts last season.

He was conceding 9 lb to the three-year-old runner-up King of Conquest on his final start at Newmarket and time has told how good that performance was, as that rival has won all four of his starts since, including a listed contest, and runs in the Wolferton Stakes later today. Ghaly is 8 lb higher now, but could still be very well handicapped, and he represents a yard who have a very good record with horses returning from a break, while Ghaly himself has gone well when fresh in the past. It would be no surprise to see him start at a single-figure price.

One horse at bigger odds who left the impression he is coming to the boil nicely at Newbury last time is the David Simcock-trained Bless Him. He is now a nine-year-old, but he seemingly still has plenty of enthusiasm for the game, and he has plenty of solid form on the straight course at Ascot.

Lively outsider

Bless Him won the Britannia at this meeting all the way back in 2017 and he notably beat Lord North in a course and distance handicap in 2019. He has had a couple of goes in this race, his best finish coming 12 months ago when seventh, but he didn’t really get a chance to show what he can do, given far too much to do.

That is a slight concern again, as he has to be ridden cold, but this race will likely have been penciled in as his main mid-season target and the scenario that a Hunt Cup usually presents really is tailormade for him. You can expect to see him running on late in the day and at around 20/1 he ought to give you a good run for your money.

Conclusion & selection

The market for the Hunt Cup is congested at the top and I would have expected Perotto to be clear favourite as he seemingly has everything in his favour. He is just the type that Roger Varian will get more out of and he clearly goes well at this track, while he is now 3 lb lower than when winning the Britannia. However, I have a feeling that GHALY will be a big danger and, though his draw in stall 8 is a minor concern, there are prominent runners in and around him, notably Isla Kai. The far side wasn't a disadvantage on Tuesday, for all there were no big-field handicaps on the straight course. Hopefully he gets a good tow into the race and I can see him setting off a shorter price than the current 12/1 available.

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.