Royal Ascot Placepot: Saturday 19th June

Tipping / Jamie Lynch / 19 June 2010 / Leave a Comment

"If we get this far, then we’re going to have to wait another five or so minutes while a load of slow, jumps horses trundle round in the finale of Britain’s premier Flat meeting...Swingkeel isn’t a jumps horse (yet), but he is suitably slow"

Thank God for Harbinger and the respite of a banker, as bar that Hardwicke winner - [1.74] is a massive price - it's one of the hardest cards of the whole year. We're still going to need our maximum of 96 lines to have a real cut at it, but it's well worth splashing out that bit extra, given the potential rewards; on this day last year the placepot paid £3,055.10. Negotiating this will take all the skill of a surgeon, as well as some luck, but we'll give it our best shot, unlike that shower last night.

2.30 - O'Brien's pair arguably have the best form, but Hannon knows exactly what he's got, spot on all week, and King Torus looked potentially special when winning by five lengths on his debut. A bit outside the box, Sonning Rose hasn't achieved so much as some, even in winning (at Pontefract), but she's crying out for seven furlongs, and the fact she's had two races to the favourites' one may count for something in what's a stiff test for juveniles.

3.05 - I know that supposed 'certainties' England didn't do the business, but Harbinger will. Case closed.

3.50 - It's a bit disconcerting when you've got a Group 1 race and haven't heard of seven of the runners. With not a hint of xenophobia, we'll have to stick with what we know, therefore it's Showcasing, Starspangledbanner and Fleeting Spirit. The first two shaped well in the Duke of York, while Fleeting Spirit was only three horses away from a Group 1 four-timer last year, winning the July Cup amid seconds in the King's Stand, Sprint Cup and Abbaye, and she has an excellent record when fresh.

4.25 - Two on each side is the only way to go in the Wokingham. Therefore, on the far side look out for the purple of Genki and the blue and red of Barney McGrew (who'll also have a noseband and a high head carriage), and on the stand side keep your fingers crossed for a flash of black from Golden Desert or Dr Koukash's familiar grey silks aboard Redford.

5.00 - After his impressive return at York, Imposing is the most likely winner, looking the proverbial Group horse in a handicap, but his apparent fragility stops us short of banking on him. We're back to those blue and red colours of Barney McGrew, this time seen on Sweet Lightning, who will at least look like making the first four for most of the way, but the end product is up to him.

5.35 - If we get this far, then we're going to have to wait another five or so minutes while a load of slow, jumps horses trundle round in the finale of Britain's premier Flat meeting. Swingkeel isn't a jumps horse (yet), but he is suitably slow, and this marathon distance promises to be right up his street. In contrast, Ringaroses has never run in a Flat race before, but his jumps form has taken off recently (over three miles) since joining Jonjo O'Neill, and he'll definitely be staying on when others have had enough.

Selections: 96 lines
2.30: 5,13
3.05: 6
3.50: 15,21,23
4.25: 7,10,11,16
5.00: 3,10
5.35: 13,15