Daily Racing Tips: I'm like a kid in a sweet shop on day one of Royal Ascot...

Royal Ascot / Carl Harris / 16 June 2009 / Leave a Comment

Can Delegator reverse the form with Mastercraftsman? Carl Harris thinks so...

Well it's here now and boy was it worth the wait. Royal Ascot 2009 kicks off with no fewer than three Group One races which is a great chance for punters to get ahead and set the tone for the rest of the week. Some days it is difficult to find anything to write about but all week there are plenty of betting opportunities for us, maybe too many!

I am hoping that Ryan Moore gets off to a flyer aboard Main Aim (2.30). I said when he ran at Haydock that this was a Group One horse and today we shall see if I was right. Godolphin have a strong hand with Gladiatorus and Alexandros but I am opposing both in favour of Main Aim. Paco Boy is the danger, in my book, and were this a seven furlong race I would be behind the Richard Hannon runner but over a mile I think Main Aim should have his measure.

The King's Stand Stakes is an international affair where Amour Propre will be popular and rightly so following his last win but is a short price. The one that I think offers huge value is the South African runner Mythical Flight (3.05) who will be seen to better effect over the five furlongs and prefers good ground. I will have a small win and place bet at very generous odds about a horse that layers may have wrongly discarded .

My bet of the day comes in the shape of Delegator (3.45) in the St James's Palace Stakes. Had he not featured in the Irish 2000 Guineas he would be a much shorter price, the heavy ground was his undoing that day and the run can be ignored. At Newmarket he was second to Sea the Stars, a worthy champion who has certainly franked the form since. The ground will be ideal for the colt, aboard whom Jimmy Fortune takes over from Jamie Spencer. Mastercraftsman is odds-on which is far too short but means that Delegator backers are getting a better price than he probably should be. Delegator beat Mastercraftsman readily at Newmarket and this will be closer than the betting suggests and I think my selection will fulfil the promise of his Craven Stakes victory.

Kayf Aramis (4.55) is solid win and place material with Johnny Murtagh back aboard. The combination destroyed the field at York in a staying handicap showing just how much Venetia Williams has improved the Cheltenham Festival winner. I think the horse is sure to be contesting the finish and is one for an each-way wager today.

It will be a great day's racing and I hope that it is a profitable one too!

Tuesday's Royal Ascot Bets...
2.30 Main Aim - win @ [6.0]
3.05 Mythical Flight - win and place @ [25.0] & [6.0]
3.45 Delegator - win @ [6.2]
4.55 Kayf Aramis - win and place @ [8.6] & [2.92]