Royal Ascot Betting / Geoffrey Riddle / 20 June 2009 / Leave a comment

Betting.betfair.com's man at Ascot, Geoffrey Riddle, reports directly from the course for his loyal readers. Any questions, queries, or if anything is on your mind, e-mail him at: theriddleratbetfair@gmail.com

5.35 result
1: Caracciola
2: Tyrrells Wood
3: Amerigo
It is horrible to end on a damp squib like that, but if Amerigo was to be beaten by any horse, the old stager Caracciola made it an emotional way to bring the curtain down on Royal Ascot 2009.

Thank you everyone for your indefatigable stamina. It was a very long five days. If we need to earmark the three best performers of the week they were undoubtedly Yeats in the Gold Cup, Canford Cliffs in the Coventry and Ghanaati in the Coronation.

Hero of the week: Wesley Ward. He unleashed his juveniles on an unsuspecting and snobby Ascot. Strike The Tiger went off at 33-1. Punters were more clued up by the time his Jealous Again wowed the crowd with her powerful front-running display. It will be good to see him again at Newmarket when Cannonball contests the July Cup.

Villain: Yogaroo in the Norfolk. I am not talking out of my pocket, either. All those people who had backed Monsieur Chevalier were disgusted when the American challenger decided to get into the spirit of the Lions tour and tackle his way out of trouble. It didn't work, and Radiohead went on to be a worthy winner.

So that's it folks. I hope you have come out of all of this financially better off. If not, there is always next time. That's the beauty of punting. See you in a few weeks at the Coral Eclipse.

5pm result
1: Drill Sergeant
2: Record Breaker
3: Martyr
4: Young Mick
Gambles eh? All that money down for Pires and it came to nothing. Mark Johnston's horses are tough aren't they. They just gallop and gallop.

I've only got one word to say ahead of the Queen Alexandra Stakes. Amerigo. I know it must seem that I'm plumping for the favourite for the lucky last is a cop-out, but a second to Patkai last year is light years ahead of anything else in this.

Can Gala Sunday realistically be a challenger for this? I mean he ran in Judgethemoment's Ascot Stakes earlier this week. That performance shows that he at least stays this sort of marathon trip, but finishing fourth must have taken a bit out of him, but hey, Jim Old knows best.

Stats amazing: Not only is the Queen Alexandra stakes the longest race at the meeting, but it is the longest contest run under jockey club flat racing rules, although when it was first run in 1864, it was run over 3m.

4.35pm
This Pires gamble is frightening. Matched at [18.0], the Tony Martin-trained five-year-old is now trading at [8.2]. He's missed 435 days on the Flat, but warmed up with a second over 2m at Listowel earlier this month over hurdles. Just the sort of ideal preparation you'd like to see from a heavily-backed horse, which you can't, for the life of you, understand why anyone would want to back.

4.30pm
1: High Standing
2: Asset
3: Rock Of Rochelle
4: Markab
The world is a very cruel place. Earlier in the day, I flagged up High Standing, Asset and Advanced, but I didn't have a penny on any of them. That draw! It makes life impossible! All the best horses were on the far side, but somehow I managed to back one on the stands side. Infuriating.

4.10pm
I still can't work out which side the winner is going to come from. And you know what? No-one knows. It makes it fiendishly difficult, doesn't it. It's hard enough trying to find one good enough.

"How about Knot In Wood" writes Richard. "He was fourth last year and his run at Newmarket behind Tax Free and Equiano was top notch. Tiger's in the proverbial in the golf so it's pretty apt."

I'm basically going for one each side. Tamagin, as argued earlier. But there is another reason. He's going down to the start early. Tamagin, Nota Bene and High Standing have been given permission by the Stewards to go down early. How much better is it to miss the hurly-burly of that parade ring, eh?

What price it is those three the first home. High Standing must have a cracking chance.

3.45pm
1: Art Connoisseur
2: Cannonball
3: Lesson In Humility
It is unbelievable when a plan come to fruition. JJ who? Call me a grouch, but I'm not ecstatic. By any means. You see, it is not really how I thought the race would pan out. Yes, I'm glad for the massive financial tidal wave that has washed into my account, but the fact that Sacred Kingdom bombed, was a massive disappointment.

3.33pm
Hmm. I've never ever seen a horse sweat so much in my life. Sacred Kingdom is literally dripping. He is white between his legs. I'm no paddock judge, but that is always taken as a bad sign. To be fair, it is hot, but King's Apostle was as dry as three Jacobs cream crackers in a minute.

Yiu said. "This is not a problem. Once Brett Pebbles gets on him, he'll be fine. I'm looking for a really quick pace, the quicker the better."

3.30pm
This is it. Sacred Kingdom time. Ialysos time. Kingsgate Native time. Kings Apostle time. All of you mighty steeds fly. Fly like the wind! And leave that pesky JJ The whatever in your wake.

I've laid JJ, I've backed Sacred. It's that kind of day. Body on the line stuff. The sort of attitude that those Lions could do with in South Africa right now. My lord they are taking a pummelling.

Remember what trainer Ricky Yiu said earlier: "I am here to make history."

John Gosden revealed that he didn't even think that Bronze Cannon would win the Hardwicke when he entered him.
"I thought at level weights we might be able to win the Hardwicke, but I didn't think that he could beat them with a three pound penalty," Gosden said.
"He's not a big horse really, but he's all heart."
"We aimed him at race in Italy but the ground was too firm, so we though t we would come to Royal Ascot, have a nice day out and finish a place. We were rewarded handsomely."

3.05pm result:
1: Bronze Cannon
2: Campanologist
3: Dansant
It looked like Dettori was perfectly placed on Campanologist off that ridiculous pace, and as John Gosden said immediately after the race: "If you look at the race carefully, it was actually Frankie who acted as the pacemaker, because the field ignored the hare."
Gosden wasn't particularly bothered by the fact that his stable went over 40 horses without a win. "Look, these ups and downs happen, and I've had several placed horses, so it is not as if my stable was out of form. It's not a problem."

Bronze Cannon's win was 0.3 seconds outside the course record, so we are still looking a proper good to firm ground, whatever anyone may tell you. I didn't watch the race with my laptop, so I didn't layoff, but Campanologist went down to [1.4], so I hope there were a few of you who got their stake back.

2.30pm result:
1: Big Audio
2: Emperor Claudius
3: Party Doctor
It took Emperor Claudius long enough to understand what the game was about, and by the time he collected himself it was all too late. As for that American colt, he really wasn't taking it very seriously at all was he?

Time to get on Campanologist in the Hardwicke. He's been heavily backed, too. The Godolphin colt has been matched at as high as [4.7] for real money, and is now down to [3.45]. It's irresistible.

2.20pm
Izaaj had to be saddled by Saeed bin Suroor in the pre-parade ring. Jumpy sort, but to be honest, the Giant's Causeway colt should know better, after all, he's the second oldest horse in the race. Interesting to see Godolphin with a Coolmore-bred colt, though.

That Emperor Claudius is now favourite. Having been backed at [9.2], he is now [5.5], and he looked good going down to the start.

I have no strong feelings about this race, but purely on looks, I'd say that Rigid [110.0] looked sensational. Wesley Ward's on the other hand, Honor In Peace, looked hilarious in his headgear, and his toungue tie. He didn't look like he was taking it seriously at all.

1.45pm
I'll keep it brief. The first race looks very difficult. Seven furlongs for juveniles, and few have raced more than once or twice. We have looked at dosage figures in the past, and it flagged up a lay of Sabotage in the Queen's Vase yesterday.

To cut a long story short (in deference to you Tom), basically in the Chesham Stakes, Mark Johnston's Shakespearean is unlikely to last home according to those devilish figures.

As far as positives are concerned, I can't really find many. Beethoven's time at Naas looked pretty good and a line through the winner Love Lockdown suggests that stablemate Emperor Claudius is not as good. Without Murtagh in the saddle it is difficult to tell which colt Aidan O'Brien fancies most, but Murtagh has got it wrong this season anyway, so maybe that is a blessing. I'll go the paddock and have a look.

P.S: The Lions +7.5 is the rugby bet today ladies and gentlemen.

1.15pm
I don't know anything about Ricky Yiu, the trainer of Sacred Kingdom. But he was remarkably bullish as he was standing above the parade ring, taking in the sights and sounds of Royal Ascot.
"Sacred Kingdom has just arrived from Manton about an hour ago," said Yiu, a remarkably jovial character.
"I have no worries about the trip, the going, the draw," he continued. When I asked him whether he thought Sacred Kingdom should be favourite, he shot back: "Sacred Kingdom is the highest-rated sprinter in the world. He is a good traveller and we are here to make history."
Gosh.

1pm
I have no idea whether Winston Churchill was a punter, but if he had been in the Royal Box today, the great man would have opened his Timeform racecard, glanced at the 4.25pm and said to Clemmie: "This Wokingham Stakes looks a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma."

It looks devilishly difficult today, purely because all the horses that I fancy are drawn high. I'd liked the look of Advanced, particularly as Kevin Ryan's gelding has been drawn on the wrong side in his last two defeats. It may be the case again.

Godolphin's Asset would have a chance on his best form, as would Willie Haggas's High Standing and Brian Meehan's Exclamation. But yesterday's Buckingham Palace completely threw me, because I was really expecting the far side to dominate because all the pace was over there.

So from the low numbers, I only really like the look of Tamgin, drawn in stall nine. Ryan's other runner will be ridden by Neil Callan, and the pair teamed up last time to go down by a neck to the very smart Strike The Deal. That Lingfield run was in a very fast time, but what looked the most interesting part of that race was that Callan tucked Tamgin away. So used to seeing Tamgin blaze a trail, I wondered if Ryan wanted to teach him to tuck in ahead of this race where he finished firth last year after racing out in front?

12.21pm
Carrying on with the Golden Jubilee tirade. Ok, Sacred Kingdom hasn't had a run for a few months. You take a trawl through his form though and that is generally not a problem for him. His last 11 races have been in Group 1 or Group 2 contests. He has won 12 of his 18 career starts. Anyone who says that the colt can't travel does not know their geography very well. Singapore, where he won the Krisflyer Sprint last time out, is around 1,600 miles from Hong Kong, his home.

He thrashed the multiple Group 1-winning Takeover Target there, and in the process smashed a second off that horse's course record. What more can one want? Why isn't he favourite?

And what about the 'Greek Freak'? Ialysos beat everything there was to beat in Greece, which is the same story with JJ, but he beat everything in South Africa. Neither country is renowned for great sprinters. So what we have to go on is what we have seen with our own eyes. Ialysos beat Anglezarke at Haydock on his only start over here and that horse finished third in the Kings Stand on Tuesday, with the winner, Scenic Blast giving Anglezarke 7lbs, whereas Ialysos gave Anglezarke almost a stone. That's it. I'm laying the hell out of JJ!

11.55am
My good night's sleep has led me to have some strong opinions on today's racing. It is an approach that admittedly carries the danger of a boom or bust outcome, but one which punters need if they are to survive the pitfalls of racecourse rumour.

For starters I have backed Campanologist for today's Hardwicke Stakes at 3.05pm. Godolphin have had a mixed week, and over the past few seasons their performances have eroded the confidence that you used to have when parting with your cash on one of their runners. But still, the last time the Godolphin horse ran over 1m4f, he beat Conduit here on firm going. Ok, that was a year ago, but Conduit is one of the best horses in training in Britain right now and Campanologist's runs have all been over inadequate trips. Til now. He'll also get his own way in front.

I'm also trying to find a way of opposing JJ The Jet Plane. I am quite aware of the fact that the following statement may come back to haunt me at 3.46pm, so I'll make it easy peasy for you cynics out there who like to shove this stuff back down my throat.

Copy and paste this into an e-mail if I'm wrong: I think that JJ The Jet Plane is massively overrated.

There I've said it. It feels a whole lot better. Catharsis is a wonderful thing. Consider this. JJ won a Group 3 in Nad Al Sheba. He beat Hatta Fort into second and Dohasa into third. This is the same Hatta Fort that has been thrashed by Tax Free, Utmost Respect and Mac Love in his subsequent starts, all by far bigger margins than JJ managed. Dohasa was beaten into second by Duff last time out, a horse that currently trades at [65.0] for this race on Betfair. How in gods' (small G, I'm embracing all faiths here) name is JJ The Jet Plane favourite? Answers on a postcard e-mail: theriddleratbetfair@gmail.com

11.15am
Hello all, and welcome to the final day of Royal Ascot 2009. If you have just enjoyed a nice Saturday morning lie in after a tough working week, good on you. If you have been punting like a fury all week and are still ahead of the game, an even bigger congratulations goes out to you.

I've still got my nose in front, although if I don't get a winner today, I'll probably be sunk. After yesterday's disgraceful punting effort, wracked with a lack of confidence, sleep depravity and cabin fever, I went to bed early last night and had a tremendous night's sleep. I am absolutely buzzing now. This is it. I've got a great feeling about today.

And the course is buzzing, too. There were queues outside the gates for the first time today, and 77,000 people are expected here. The British Grand Prix aside, this is the biggest sporting event in England today, but you wouldn't know it on Sky Sports news. Unbelievable.

When I got up this morning at sunrise - there are no curtains in the guest house I'm in - it was raining, and I rushed down to see if I could lay something. How sad. Anyway, there has been a millimetre of rain on the course, but clerk of the course Stickles poured four millimetres on the course last night, so the possibility of records tumbling like yesterday is unlikely here today.

It does mean, however, that there could be a crust to be picked off as the hooves get into the top part of the track, so monitor that during the opening race, the seven furlong Chesham Stakes.

Although there are grey clouds in the sky, Stickles said, "I am not expecting much more rain, so I'm expecting the top to dry out a bit as we go through the morning.
"When you walk from one side of the straight course to the other there does not appear to be any bias.
"I am quite surprised that the jockeys this year have not been coming down the middle of the track as much as they did last year."

The middle, maybe, Mr Stickles, where Scenic Blast came through to win the King's Stand Stakes on Tuesday, but the Buckingham Palace showed enough for me that the stands side (low numbers) is the place to be. All the pace seemed to be with the high numbers in the last race last night, and although they were leading up until halfway, the stands side swamped them and seven of the first eight home were drawn low.