Royal Ascot Tips for Tuesday: Bring On The Night must improve if he's to win

• Mullins' favourite has stiffer task than 12 months ago

• Underrated Certain Lad has each-way appeal

• Asadna best back-to-lay trade

There are several short-priced horses on the first day of Royal Ascot - one stands out ahead of the others as a lay.

The betting for the Queen Anne Stakes at 14:30 has the two classiest four-year-olds vying for favourite - Modern Games 3.1511/5 and Inspiral 3.4549/20.

The pair have won eight Group 1s between them, more than the other 10 put together, and are running over their best trip.

Why would you want to lay either of them?

River Tiber is surely too short on the Exchange at 2.962/1 for the Coventry at 15:05, and I was tempted to put him up as a lay. Over half the field have won over six but he is not one of them.

His market rivals, Asadna 4.47/2 and Givemethebeatboys 8.615/2, are both winners over the trip - Asadna in a fast time at Ripon; Jessica Harrington's took a decent Group 3 at the Curragh.

It's interesting that River Tiber has yet to race at the Curragh, his two smart victories coming at Naas and Navan. He is thrown in the deep end whereas Givemethebeatboys already has a Group win on his CV.

Highfield Princess 3.613/5 is rightly favourite for the King's Stand Stakes over five at 15:40. She won three Group 1 sprints in 2022, so you wouldn't catch me laying her.

The St James' Palace Stakes at 16:20 generally attracts two, if not three, 2,000 Guineas winners. The French winner, Marhaba Ya Sanafi, went for the French Derby instead, so we have Paddington 3.613/5 who won at The Curragh and Chaldean 3.259/4 the Newmarket winner up against Brian Meehan's Longchamp runner-up Isaac Shelby 10.519/2.

Would I lay one of the Classic winners? In a word, no. Their form is hard to knock. They are Group 1 winners over the trip. What's not to like?

Royal Ascot - 17:00: Lay Bring On The Night

It has been hard to find negatives about the favourites for the first four races - not so the jolly for the Ascot Stakes at 17:00.

Bring On The Night is 3.39/4, despite failing to win last year's race off a 4lb lower handicap mark at similar odds.

He is a year older and only one horse his age has won the race in the last 10 runnings.

No great shakes over timber, Bring On A NIght has won just a single maiden hurdle since leaving Andre Fabre three years ago.

You have to respect anything Willie Mullins runs in the race - he won it three times between 2015 and 2018 - but Ian Williams has won it twice since and he runs Law Of The Sea, Zinc White, The Grand Visir, and East Asia.

I'd sooner lay Bring On The Night in a 20-runner handicap that he couldn't win 12 months ago than back him.

Royal Ascot - 17:35: Back Certain Lad each-way

Certain Lad 65.064/1 is the complete outsider for the Wolferton Stakes at 17:35 but doesn't deserve to be.

The seven-year-old isn't as good as he was before the injury that caused him to give 2021 a miss but he is still half-decent.

The Racing Post ratings put the 16 runners in a 5lb range, once the 3lb penalties for Listed wins are taken into account. Buckaroo and Cadillac are at the top; Savvy Victory, Certain Lad, and Foxes Tail are 5lb adrift.

The bookies appear to have downgraded the Chester race in which Savvy Victory and Certain Lad were second and third - the handicapper hasn't - and I can see Certain Lad again giving a good account of himself.

Earlier on the card, in the Coventry at 15:05, Bobsleigh was definitely overpriced at 40/1 when the declarations came out on Sunday.

He was matched at 36.035/1 yesterday and backed down to 22.021/1 during the morning.

A winner at Brighton on his debut, he went on to win at Epsom on Oaks Day and so is proven over the Coventry distance.

It's a pity he will likely start at half Sunday's odds, but he remains a good each-way bet at 21.020/1 or more.

Royal Ascot - 15:05: Trade Asadna back-to-lay

George Boughey's best chance of a Royal Ascot winner over the five days is Asadna 4.47/2 in the Coventry at 15:05.

The colt was also entered for the Norfolk over five on Thursday but he won over six at Ripon, so sticking to that trip makes sense.

He has a good turn of foot and has impressed William Buick who rode him in his work last week.

I see him as almost certain to trade close to, if not shorter than 2.01/1, when coming to win his race, so whether he wins or not I see him as likely to trade below his BSP in running.

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