Royal Ascot Day 2 Tips: Tony Calvin eyes up a huge price in the Royal Hunt Cup

It looks pretty tricky punting-wise on Wednesday at Royal Ascot, and bets were a lot harder to come by than on the opening day - not least because a lot of the prices that interested me ebbed away from Monday afternoon onwards, which presented the old-age dilemma - but let's get stuck in.

First up is the 21-runner Queen Mary at 14:30 and that sets the betting tone for me, as I found it very hard to have a firm opinion.

So many of these - basically all of them - have the ability to step forward markedly, and then you have the likes of Wesley Ward's Love Reigns to consider, as well as fellow market leader, April's impressive Newmarket winner Dramatised (they both won on the same day, in fact).

By all accounts, the Ward filly did some serious numbers when winning at Keeneland and could well be the real deal, though we have heard that before.

To be fair, he has won this race four times, but this is not a stable I warm to.

I think Maria Branwell is the solid option at the most attractive price, as she beat a very good yardstick in Crispy Cat in the National Stakes at Sandown, and I'd say that is just about the best form on offer, as it stands (ignoring that US angle, obviously).

Her exchange price of around 10s probably represents the best value going, but I am not falling over myself to have a betting opinion for the sake of interest.

My Wednesday NAP in the Queen Vase

I will not pass on the opportunity to back Anchorage in the Queen's Vase at 15:05, though, as I think he just about rates the best bet of the day.

I don't think this race will take much winning at all - the Godolphin market leaders do not scare me one jot - and it is hopefully significant that Aidan O'Brien, who has been successful in five of the last nine renewals, relies on this Galileo colt from a number of entries at the five-day stage.

His third in a Group 3 on his final start last season puts him on at least a par with most of these form-wise, and there was a lot of promise to be drawn from his comeback over 1m2f in the Gallinule at the Curragh last month.

It wasn't a great race but he was doing all his best work late on, from off the pace, for all the world looking like a greater test of stamina was very much needed.

Whether he will get this extra 4f is anyone's guess, but he looks a big price to me given his established level of form, his potential at the distance, and the lack-lustre nature of the opposition.

He rates a very good bet at 7/1 win-only with the Sportsbook. Any 6/1+ appeals.

The Prince Of Wales's Stakes at 15:40 is obviously an absolute cracker but can anyone, hand on heart, say there is a stand-out bet at the prices?

I can't.

Sure, some will say Bay Bridge is a touch too short against four Group 1 winners, on the quickest ground he has faced, but he just looked a star-in-waiting - if he hasn't already arrived - when winning at Sandown, and he is the coming force in the 1m2f division.

And he is also out to 6/4 on the exchange, comfortably bigger than the fixed-odds line.

A reproduction of his Esher victory may even be good enough here, and you'd wager there is a fair bit of improvement in him given his profile.

But we can surely let him untipped and unbacked at 6/4.

I was drawn to take a swing on the outsiders Primo Bacio and Thunder Beauty in the Duke Of Cambridge at 16:20, but the vibes from the Ed Walker camp about for the former are not bullish (to put it mildly) and I do worry that the latter will be best at 7f.

Just last week Walker was saying Primo Bacio was under a cloud and would only run if A1, so you could say the fact that she is here is a positive, and there has been money for her from an opening 22/1 in the marketplace.

I may be kicking myself but I will decline the invitation to back her (the shortening odds sealed it) and Thunder Beauty at 50/1+. The latter is much better than a 97-rated filly, but she surely needs a furlong less, especially in this grade of race, in which forward-goers Saffron Beach and Novemba will drag the stamina out of her.

Maybe Bashkirova, very impressive at Epsom last time and the Cheveley Park selected of three five-day entries, can improve to meet the Group 1 level of Saffron Beech and Mother Earth, but, again, she is no more than fairly priced up at 5/1.

In summary, no bet.

I have played Dark Shift ante-post in the Hunt Cup at 17:00, and he is my idea of the right favourite in the race as a horse proven on the track, bang in-form and 2lb well-in after his Nottingham win last time. I'd favour him over last year's runner-up Astro King.

However, I am not inclined to press up at 8s personally and Symbolize stood out like a sore thumb at the Sportsbook's opening 20/1, especially with six places on offer.

The world and his partner agreed from Monday afternoon onwards though, and he is into 12/1 there and around 14s on the exchange, so what do I do?

The collapsing price is very off-putting but his claims most certainly are not.

He is only 2lb higher than when chasing home Aldaary (who would have run in the Queen Anne had something happened to his stablemate Baaeed) twice here last season and he was as good as ever when second on his return at Thirsk.

The quick ground is the possible negative but Harry Davies claiming 5lb off him is the opposite, and he is set to run another big race here.

I would like to play each way but I am going to suggest a win-only bet at 16.015/1 or bigger on the exchange - hopefully he will drift out a touch - and play another in the race, too.

Two big prices in the Hunt Cup

There is no shortage of candidates, and I am going over to the other side of the track - Symbolize is in trap 29 - and What's The Story in stall two.

He is actually due to go down 3lb in future handicaps, which is not ideal, but he did finish fourth in this race on fast ground in 2018 and he has come down the weights for some solid efforts this season.

He is actually very well handicapped on his 2021 form (was rated 9lb higher than this in May 2021), he will love the ground, he has that course/race form and his price is clearly the clincher.

He is 33/1 with the Sportsbook, but he looks a win-only play on the exchange to me at 46.045/1 or bigger.

Little Big Bear is by far the most likely winner of the Windsor Castle at 17:35, but stall two has my alarm bells ringing, especially when you are being asked to take 5/2 about him.

No, I will go direct to the last race and back Improvised at 17/2 each way, five places, with the Betfair Sportsbook.

There was a lot of 14s knocking around on Monday - the last of it went overnight, as did all the double-figure prices on Tuesday morning - but any 7/1+ appeals, in truth, so I am happy to still play.

She is surely the best handicapped horse in here after her much-improved second to a higher-rated winner in Listed company at Musselburgh last time (and one that got the run of the race on the rail, too), and her pedigree suggests stepping up to 1m for the first time is set to bring about even more progress.

This is only her 10th start, she has won on fast ground, and the relatively quick turnaround from Musselburgh does not bother me. She recorded her hat-trick in a relatively short spell last summer, and a mark of 84 seriously underestimates her.

She was actually beaten ½ length off it at York last season, but the winner was landing a hat-trick of her own there, and her latest run was a significant step forward from that.

With luck from her wide draw, she should be going very close off this mark.

In fact, she is officially 10lb well-in, and she could easily go off a clear favourite here.

Good luck.