Top commentator Simon Holt is backing two horses on day four of Royal Ascot with Mark Johnston's Baghdad fancied for the closing handicap.
Friday's card at Royal Ascot is dominated by three Aidan O'Brien-trained favourites with the Derby third Japan (King Edward V11 Stakes), Guineas fifth Ten Sovereigns (Commonwealth Cup) and dual Guineas winner Hermosa (Coronation Stakes) all set to start short-priced favourites.
Racing being racing, it's unlikely that all three will win but their credentials look strong and I am still inclined to look elsewhere with MAGNETIC CHARM fancied to defy top weight in the Sandringham Handicap.
This taking daughter of Exceed And Excel, who races in the colours of Her Majesty The Queen, picked up well from off the pace to edge out Twist 'N' Shake (a runner in the Coronation) in a listed race at York last month, and had decent form as a two-year-old notably when fourth behind Fleeting in the May Hill at Doncaster.
Up 5lb for York, connections had Magnetic Charm also engaged in the Coronation Stakes but she could prove too classy for her many rivals here even though there are several unexposed types in the race such as handicap debutants Hotsy Totsy, Invitational, Nonchalance and Whimbrel (the latter pair both trained by John Gosden) who have all shown promise, albeit at a minor level so far.
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Later, BAGHDAD is fancied to follow-up his King George V Handicap win here last year by taking the Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap over the same distance.
Mark Johnston's gutsy four-year-old battled off the re-opposing Corgi, recent York winner First Eleven (looked unlucky) and subsequent Melbourne Cup hero Cross Counter that day and the form looks very solid now.
That was the last we saw of Baghdad in 2018, but he returned with a decent run on the Newcastle all-weather and then justified favouritism in good style at Newmarket when worth a bit more than his half length winning margin over Corelli.
Doubtless he has been laid out for this (Ryan Moore aboard) and is preferred to Fujaira Prince who was just out-stayed by First Eleven at York over this trip at the Dante meeting where Corgi was over two lengths away in third and Collide fourth.
Posted at 1750 BST on 20/06/19.
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