Our form expert has three selections for the final day of Royal Ascot including in the feature Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.
The Verdict: Saturday, June 22
1pt win Mitbaahy in 3.45 Royal Ascot at 13/2 (BoyleSports)
1pt e.w. Ferrous in 5.05 Royal Ascot at 20/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)
1pt win Palace Green in 5.40 Royal Ascot at 11/1 (Paddy Power, bet365)
Mitbaahy to thrive in Jubilee
Royal Ascot ends in style on Saturday with the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes taking centre stage and improving four-year-old Mill Stream looks a worthy favourite.
He could have more to offer, but he clearly doesn’t have loads in hand and much will depend on how this race is run.
There does look likely to be plenty of early pace on show with the likes of Art Power, Quinault, Shartash, Washington Heights and Swingalong in the field, and, as is often the case on the Ascot straight course, hold-up merchants could come out on top.
With that in mind MITBAAHY might be the one for last year’s winning connections, Charlie Hills and Mrs Fitri Hay, as he has improved for the switch to his new trainer from Roger Varian’s and it looks like he’s now fulfilling all of his early potential.
That certainly looked to be the case in the Greenlands Stakes at the Curragh last time out where he came from last to first for a career-best victory, despite not getting the clearest of runs, Jamie Spencer timing his challenge to perfection.
We’re used to seeing Spencer doing just that on the Ascot straight course and after Regional boosted the Greenlands form with an excellent run in second in the King Charles III on Tuesday it’s hard to get away from the claims of Mitbaahy.
The Verdict: Back MITBAAHY in the 3.45 Royal Ascot
Ferrous real threat in Wokingham
The Wokingham Handicap is always a fantastic spectacle and Jack Channon’s FERROUS looks the sort of improving sprinter who can have a big say in this year’s race.
He has improved significantly since being gelded and brings strong all-weather form to the party after winning impressively at Wolverhampton and Kempton in March and April.
Good all-weather form often stacks up at sand-based Ascot and he gave some very solid all-weather horses a comfortable beating in those two races before he transferred his good form to the turf at Newbury.
He bumped into a revitalised Lethal Levi that day, who was inspired by first-time blinkers (a 6lb pull can help him reverse the form), but Ferrous moved well into the race and shaped every inch like he remains in cracking form.
Indeed, he travelled a bit too strongly and he looks just the type of sprinter who will relish being covered up in a big field off a strong gallop, while he probably did well to stay on a mark of 98 after his close-up Newbury third in what looked a good race.
The Verdict: Back FERROUS in the 5.05 Royal Ascot
Palace punt to finish the week
Finally, back Richard Hughes’ PALACE GREEN in the Golden Gates Handicap over 10 furlongs in the penultimate contest of the meeting.
This gelding slammed some good horses including subsequent winners Ghostlore and Cambria Legend at Kempton on April 1 and he improved on that good form next time at York.
Third in a 1m4f handicap won by Aidan O’Brien’s London City, Palace Green moved into the contest like he might win the race only for his challenge to weaken in the final furlong.
Still, he wasn’t beaten far in third and he hinted he might be seen to best effect at a mile and a quarter so this looks the ideal spot for him.
The York form also looks good with the second, Align The Stars, and the seventh, Hampden, coming out and finishing first and second at Thirsk subsequently, so it has the look of a hot race.
With Palace Green still part-owned by Qatar Racing, Oisin Murphy takes the ride, so everything is in place for the son of Sea The Moon to lay down a big challenge.
The Verdict: Back PALACE GREEN in the 5.40 Royal Ascot
Preview posted at 1545 BST on 21/06/24
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