Royal Ascot SmartPlays: Friday June 20

We kick off proceedings with the Group 3 Albany Stakes (14:30), a six-furlong contest for two-year-old fillies. There any number of potential improvers in the field as you might expect for a contest of this nature, but preference is given to Patience Alexander. She was a wide-margin winner of an all-weather maiden on her debut in April and followed that with a defeat of Tiggy Wiggy in a listed event at York's Dante meeting six weeks later. That form looks all the stronger after the runner-up's narrow defeat in the Queen Mary on Wednesday and the selection looks a good bet to provide owner Noel O'Callaghan with a second juvenile winner of the meeting, although the likes of Sunset Glow and Bitter Lake are just two of a large number who merit consideration. 

It's the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes over ten furlongs under consideration next (15:45) and although Western Hymn was better than the bare result in the Derby and looks a danger, Adelaide is the one to keep on side. He won a strong Leopardstown maiden on his sole start as a juvenile and made a hugely encouraging reappearance when second in a Group 2 Lonchamp at the beginning of May. That was followed by a convincing win in a Group 3 at Leopardstown last time and with the step up in trip to a mile and a half this afternoon looking unlikely to inconvenience him, he looks to have an excellent chance. It also seems likely that this race has been his target for a while and as a result he is a confident selection.

Our final bet of the day comes in the feature contest, the Group 1 Coronation Stakes over a mile (16:25) and although it's not the strongest renewal it still looks extremely competitive. Rizeena would be a danger to all if in the same form as at this meeting last year, but she's left the impression that a mile stretches her and its better go back Lightning Thunder. She's been an extremely close second in the English and Irish 1,000 Guineas, and if she's in the same form as on those two occasions then you feel she has an excellent chance to gain compensation. The likes of My Titania and J Wonder fall into the 'could be anything' category, but the selection looks the most solid option to give us a winning end to the day.

Royal Ascot SmartPlays

Back Patience Alexander in the Albany Stakes
Back Adelaide in the King Edward VII Stakes
Back Lightning Thunder in the Coronation Stakes