Royal Ascot Betting / Graham Cunningham / 17 June 2009 / Leave a comment

The sniping's begun on the Betfair Forum but it's not the Americans or French winners who are the target of their ire, but rather BBC fashionista James Sherwood. Racing UK Pundit prefers to focus on the racing and has views on all the Ascot angles on Gold Cup day...

Those foreign Johnnies are taking over Royal Ascot 2009. Fresh from Aussie and American success on Tuesday, day two saw winners from France and the USA again. Racing UK analyst Graham Cunningham is hoping the Irish will have a say on Gold Cup day and also puts in a good word for a home-trained runner in the Ribblesdale.

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We all know fashion plays a huge part in Royal Ascot week and my trained eye suggests that hats are in for women this year and that most of the men are going for grey or black morning suits.

Incidentally, has anyone on a racing broadcast ever spawned more spiteful Betfair Forum threads than the BBC's fashion hatchet man James Sherwood?

Personally, I think his nose in the air act is looking a little tired nowadays, but for those who are driven to distraction by the eccentric broadcasting of racing in Britain (and not just during at Ascot week) a word of advice.

Negativity in any walk of life decreases your efficiency and, if Sherwood and his fellow fashionistas frustrate you, do something about it. In short, the mute button is your friend if you want to keep a clear head for punting.

Let's hope these suggestions are equally punter friendly as Yeats bids to bring the house down with a historic fourth Gold Cup win on day three, but unless you spent yesterday potholing you won't need me to remind you that there was a huge bias towards the stand rail on the straight course yesterday.

And for that reason, anyone who fancies horses likely to end up stuck out in the centre of the track might be well advised to tread warily.

Correction, make that very warily.

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2.30 Norfolk Stakes

I held fire putting pen to paper on this until seeing how the Hunt Cup and the Queen Mary Stakes developed. And guess what? Both results pointed hard towards a powerful bias towards speed on the stand rail.

Clearly, Monsieur Chevalier's emphatic National Stakes win represents much the best single piece of form on offer and he's priced accordingly. A bold bid looks guaranteed given his stable form and a draw in stall 2, but he took a little while to engage top gear and there are some promising horses available at much longer odds.

Wesley Ward's astonishing feats here this week have thrown a real spanner in the works and the rumour mill suggests that his latest precocious youngster Yogaroo beat both the Windsor castle and the Queen Mary winner in a recent racecourse gallop on turf.

He's plainly drawn to attack with the mighty Velasquez aboard from stall 3, while Kingdom Of Light has plenty to find on bare form but comes from a yard with a fine pedigree in this race and the way he forged clear in a Haydock maiden suggests that is well worth this step up in class.

In short, this could be a very volatile market both before the race and in-play. Point and shoot look the likely tactics for Yogaroo and the in running brigade will be all over him if he shakes loose early.

However, there is also the danger of over reaction to the Ward/Velasquez domination - and if Kingdom of Light drifts to a big price as a result he could end up as a very sporting longshot.

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3.05 Ribblesdale Stakes

Improvement is the key factor here and, although she hardly has the normal profile of a Ribblesdale winner, I suspect that Leocorno could prove herself one of the best bets on the card.

Sir Michael Stoute's filly was rated just 78 when making it two out of two in a Sandown handicap on her reappearance, but she travelled like a smart filly from start to finish and bolted clear from two out to win with any amount in hand.

Godolphin saddle another filly who is two from two in Flying Cloud, while Take The Hint galloped on willingly to land Newmarket's Pretty Polly Stakes and promises to be well served by this longer trip.

However, I suspect that Leocorno might be too strong for all of them. She's related to high-class horses like Golan and Tartan Bearer and, given that she's open to any amount of improvement, anything north of [2.7] looks a very fair price.

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3.45 Gold Cup

It's a case of speak now or forever hold your peace as regard Yeats and his bid to become the first horse ever to win four Gold Cups.

Istabraq flopped and headed into retirement when he tried to win a fourth Champion Hurdle and if Yeats does the same in his bid for another Gold Cup triumph it won't take long for the after timers to snipe at O'Brien for sending Yeats off his stool and saying "one more time, champ."

But hindsight isn't an option when you are a punter. And, for all that he flopped on unsuitably deep ground on his reappearance, I'm happy enough to think Yeats retains enough zest to charge into the home straight with Geordieland on his tail for a third year running.

Geordieland was beaten fair and square in 2007 and 2008, but Jamie Osborne is admant he is a better horse this time around and the way he closed the deal against Patkai at Sandown bolstered that view considerably.

He's highly likely to trade short at some point in-running as usual, but can he finally get that elusive verdict over Yeats?

In truth, I'm not sure - consequently this isn't the most appealing betting race - but my heart says Yeats and my head does, too.