Royal Ascot Betting: A guide to the highlights of next week's meeting

Royal Ascot / Ian Dean / 11 June 2008 / Leave a Comment

Ian Dean relects on a Derby which held the imagination to ransom and looks ahead to next week's Royal Ascot.

Four weeks ago, on the eve of the Dante Stakes at York, I wrote how this year's Derby is struggling to capture the imagination, in part due to the cast list being incomplete. With the eventual winner a non-runner at the time and both third and fourth still to be supplemented, the betting public were clearly wise to keep their powder dry.

By Saturday teatime, of course, the Derby had captured the imagination and held it to ransom. Friday's action was less controversial, thankfully, but intriguing nonetheless.
The Press were quick to seize upon the supposed team tactics of Ballydoyle in the Coronation Cup, but the alleged 'ganging up' on French favourite Getaway was surely happenstance.

If there was a Ballydoyle masterplan, it was in the provision of a pacemaker, Song Of Hiawatha, who was ignored by all except stable-companion Macarthur, the jockeys hoodwinked into believing the gallop was too strong.

However, sectional times show that the Coronation Cup was run over 2 seconds slower through the first 5f or so than the Oaks 40 minutes later, indicating the leading fancies took a risk in allowing Macarthur so much rope.

True, Johnny Murtagh got his fractions wrong in the Oaks, but his presence aboard Adored meant the rest of the field took the pace more seriously than if it had been set by one of the stable neglected. There's little doubting Look Here was a worthy winner, but also that the likes of Lush Lashes, Chinese White and Miracle Seeker compromised their chance by getting too close to the heat.

Perhaps most noteworthy in the circumstances was the eventual sixth Cape Amber. Peter Chapple-Hyam's filly refused to settle despite the solid gallop and lacked the requisite stamina (and class) of New Approach 24 hours later to overcome this. She did quicken into fourth briefly 2f out, however, and can be a major player back at shorter in the second half of the season.

Nearer to hand, of course, is Royal Ascot, one of the highlights of which promises to be the Group 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes, one of 7 ante-post markets already available on the meeting. This has a truly international flavour, with the home-trained Sakhee's Secret heading the list at a back price of [5.0], followed by Australian raider Takeover Target (7.6), Ireland's US Ranger (9.2) and the French Marchand D'Or (10.0).

First day highlight is the Queen Anne Stakes, in which Godolphin's seven wins in the last 13 years should ensure the hardy Lockinge winner Creachadoir is a solid and heavily-traded favourite.

Duke Of Marmalade (3.05) has taken the baton off Dylan Thomas with aplomb so far at 4 yrs and will be the banker of the meeting for many in Wednesday's Prince of Wales's Stakes, though it wouldn't surprise to see John Gosden's Pipedreamer raise his game after a couple of sighters this term.

With Bankable past the post for many in the Royal Hunt Cup- those not of that opinion can lay him at as short as [3.1] currently- the place market is likely to be particularly lively. James Fanshawe's Artimino has to recover from a minor setback, but if doing so his name could well be in the frame given his trainer's peppering off the bull in this competitive handicap. A recent move for last year's Cambridgeshire second Docofthebay is not hard to fathom, either.

Fanshawe does well at this fixture but is never the fastest out of the blocks at the start of the campaign, so Spacious may deserve extra credit for her near-miss in the Guineas. Connections have resisted both the Irish Guineas and the Oaks to wait for the Coronation Stakes, and Spacious is sure to take some beating.

There will be a market for the Coronation Stakes and the remaining races from the 5-day stage, and Luca Cumani's Speed Gifted is a name to note in the Hardwicke Stakes on the final afternoon.

Speed Gifted pleased with everything bar a tendency to hang on his comeback at Goodwood last Friday, surely the moral winner after being denied a clear run when it mattered, and he will have bright prospects of ample compensation if lining up.