Royal Ascot Friday Tips: Mark Milligan's three selections include a 14/1 chance

Sandringham Stakes, 17:00, Royal Ascot - Back Bintaziza E/W, six places, @ 16/117.00

The fourth day of Royal Ascot has something of a mix of stakes races with shortish priced favourites and wide-open handicaps that look fiendishly difficult to solve.

The Sandringham Stakes very much falls into the latter category, but we do have the bonus of six places available on the Sportsbook and that makes Roger Varian's Bintaziza very much of each-way interest at 12/113.00.

This filly is still only lightly raced and she looked unlucky not to play a bigger hand in the finish on handicap debut at Thirsk last time, where she was trapped wide throughout but still finished to good effect to be beaten less than two lengths in the end.

I've little doubt she was better than she could show there and she strikes as the type who could well relish a big-field scenario such as the one she'll get here, while the experience she gained last time ought to stand her in good stead.

Bintaziza may have lost her unbeaten record last time but I'm hopeful she'll get back on track and she should have plenty of pace to aim at from her draw in stall 32.

King Edward VII Stakes, 17:35, Royal Ascot - Back Causeway (NAP) @ 2/13.00

One of the shortest priced favourites on the day looks set to be John & Thady Gosden's Water To Wine, who comes into this this race boasting an unbeaten record and a big reputation.

The son of Kingman has easily won both his starts to date, the first of particular note as he beat subsequent Derby fifth Alderman by over four lengths at Newbury and then had no more than exercise gallop to take care of some moderate rivals on the all-weather at Kempton last time.

He definitely falls into the 'could be anything' category but he's light on experience for a test such as this and I just wonder if the more battle-hardened Causeway may have his measure on this occasion.

Aidan O'Brien's colt was beaten on debut but has won all four of his starts since, the latest when taking the Group 3 Gallinule Stakes over 1m 2f at the Curragh, showing good battling qualities as he narrowly defeated Zia Zabel.

He looks the type to continue raising his game as he goes through the grades and should have no issue stepping up to 1m 4f for the first time.

Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes, 18:10, Royal Ascot - Back Bacio E/W, six places, @ 10/111.00

The final race of the day plunges us back into fiendishly difficult handicap territory and cases can be made for plenty in the wide-open sprint for three-year-olds.

I'm not getting too hung up on the draw and suspect it may be a case of being where the pace is that offers the best chance of winning. That seems to be primarily with the high numbers here, for all a couple of prominent types are in the lower stalls.

They'll all have to go some to match the early pace of the USA raider Bacio, though, who has speed to burn, as you'd expect for one trained by Wesley Ward. There's a bit of substance to his American form too, having won three of his four starts, and the handicapper may have misjudged him a little by letting him into this from a mark of 100.

He could well be a Group-class turf sprinter in time, and he's got no better jockey to utilise his early pace than Juan Hernandez, who is one of the best speed riders in North America.

Again, we have six places available on the Sportsbook, which makes Bacio a tempting each-way play at 14/115.00.

Mark Milligan's Day 4 Royal Ascot double

Betfair is offering Bet £10 Get £10 on Racing Multis each day of Royal Ascot, and the multi that makes the most appeal is a win double using Precise in the Coronation Stakes at 16:20 and stablemate Causeway in the 17:35. I've made the case for the latter above, while Precise should cement her place as the leading one-mile filly of her generation under Ryan Moore.

Now read the rest of our Royal Ascot tips here!