Royal Ascot

Today's Racing News: Have a perfect Friday with Power and Ajero

Perfect Power winning the Greenham at Newbury.
Perfect Power will bid for a third Group 1 victory in the Commonwealth Cup.

"...Perfect Power is the one to be on. He could possibly be the best sprinter in the country, and his latest Guineas disappointment has only benefitted punters given his price tag today."

Daryl Carter has two extremely strong selections, a right Royal rant, and is on hand with all your daily stats, betting info and news for day four at Royal Ascot...

Money Talk

Money Talk continues to highlight the Betfair Sportsbook big-money moves to keep you in the loop. This section highlights market moves in the last 24hrs.

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The Betfair Sportsbook is paying extra places today!

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14.30 Albany Stakes

Mawj 3.02/1 will look to follow in the footsteps of 2019 winner Daahyeh who followed up in this contest after winning the same race at Newmarket. The Saeed bin Suroor runner looked potentially top-class.

Every winner in the last ten years had won on their previous start before scoring in this contest, and eight of the last ten were unbeaten.

15:40 Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes - Best bet alert

I was ecstatic that Ajero 12.011/1 managed to squeeze into this race at the foot of the weights. I thought for sure connections would need to get another run into him, but he has made the cut.

The 135-rated hurdler has offered plenty of promise in three starts on the flat, finishing runner-up each time, and an opening handicap mark of 89 does not look harsh in the slightest.

He has been giving between seven and 17 pounds to some progressive three-year-olds in his qualifying runs, and he has been better than the bare result on all three occasions. The step-up in trip today will bring about further improvement, and the fast ground and strong pace can ensure he is extremely tough to beat. He makes plenty of appeal at odds of 11.010/1 or bigger.

16:20 Coronation Stakes

Market weakness behind the very smart Inspiral 4.03/1 must be a slight concern for backers, but if she arrives here on her A-game, she will take a world of beating. She has already taken the scalp of many of her rivals, and John Gosden is 1/4 with a 2.05 A/E with fillies returning from 200 days or more off the track at Ascot - which suggests they are underestimated.

Tenebrism 9.08/1 is arguably the most interesting runner outside of the favourite. She needs to prove her stamina, but it's hard to forget her electric performances at Naas and Newmarket as a two-year-old.

17:00 Sandringham Stakes

The straight mile at Ascot this week has seen winners come from stalls 5, 15 and 10, but the placings have been dominated by high-drawn stalls.

Trainer Charlie Fellowes and jockey Hayley Turner will look for their third win together in this contest in three years. They partnered to score in 2019 and 2020 with 33/1 shots, and today, they combine with Fresh Hope 8.07/1.

Of those at bigger prices, trainer Archie Watson and jockey Hollie Doyle have a 21% strike rate when partnering, and today they team up with Pink Carnation 34.033/1. Their runner sports first-time cheek-pieces, and Doyle has ridden three winners in cheek-pieces from her last eight rides for Archie Watson.

17:35 King Edward VII Stakes

There's no real angle here. Four of the last eight winners had run in the Derby, so the race shouldn't come too soon for Changingofthegaurd 2.89/5 or Grand Alliance 19.018/1, but no winner of this race has worn headgear, and Grand Alliance wears a first-time visor. The cheek-pieces come off Changingofthegaurd.

James Doyle has a 39% strike rate when riding for trainer S Woods; today, they partner with Savvy Victory 21.020/1, which the market has underestimated.

18:10 Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes

Interestingly sprint races have seen winners from stalls 4, 2, 10, 17, 2, and 2 this week.

Jockey Saffie Osbourne has a 20% strike rate when riding for trainer George Boughey and they partner with Navello 26.025/1.

Tippy Toes 11.010/1 was a big eye-catcher in the Sandy Lane Stakes. The drop back to 5f looks a big positive.

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Horses for courses

This section highlights the best bets from horses that have won at Ascot.

15:05 Ascot - Go Bears Go - Has won here twice (67%)
15:05 Ascot - Perfect Power - Has won here once (100%)
15:40 Ascot - Kelly's Dino - Has won here once (100%)
16:20 Ascot - Sandrine - Has won here once (100%)
18:10 Ascot - Sterling Knight - Has won here once (100%)

Furthest traveller

Today's furthest traveller to Ascot is trainer Keith Dalgleish who has made the 388-mile journey with two runners on the card. Chichester 51.050/1 15:40 and Edward Cornelius 41.040/1 18:10.

Race of the day

Today's feature race is the red hot 20-runner 15:05 Commonwealth Cup, which looks like a race to savour!

A dual Group 1 winner over this trip as a two-year-old, including the Prix Morny in France and the Norfolk at this meeting, Perfect Power would have gone unbeaten outside of his debut last term if not for a denied passage in the Richmond Stakes. He proved he had trained on with a comfortable Greenham victory over 7f at Newbury on return over Lusail, who was narrowly touched off in the Group 1 St James's Palace earlier this week.

Connections had every right to roll the dice in the 2,000 Guineas for which he was a non-stayer over the 1m, but he wasn't disgraced, and this has been the target ever since.

He was the best Juvenile Sprinter in the country last term and has already scalped many of these rivals, and jockey Christophe Soumillon travels over from France for this his only ride of the meeting.

He is the class horse in the race, and providing stall one doesn't harm his chances; he should take a world of beating.

Ehraz is capable of better and arrives on the back of a fast-finishing effort at Newbury in the Listed Carnarvon Stakes when narrowly held by Tiber Flow. He shapes more like a seven-furlong horse, but he does boast a course and distance victory on his CV, and he is on the upgrade.

He needs more on the bare form, but he is more straightforward than the favourite and could be the one to give him the most to think about.

Rizg could easily outrun his lofty odds after reaching a high level in just three starts, and the frantic pace on today will suit his strong finishing effort. Connections clearly think highly of him, pitching him into deep company the last twice despite his inexperience, and the blinkers go on to sharpen him up. I've seen worse 80/1 chances - use BSP.

Big race verdict

This is a cracker, but Perfect Power is the one to be on. He could possibly be the best sprinter in the country, and his latest Guineas disappointment has only benefitted punters given his price tag today. He is the class act, and providing his jockey keeps things simple, he can gain his third Group 1 victory.

Dudman's at the double!

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Alan Dudman is playing an exotic 493/1 each-way double for Day 4 at Royal Ascot on Friday with 25/1 and 18/1 bets for the Commonwealth Cup and Duke Of Edinburgh...

Read Al Dudman's tips here.

No superhero for punters as 107/1 The Ridler strikes in Norfolk

The Ridler went off a whopping 108107/1 BSP compared to ISP of just 50/1, a huge difference and big-priced punters for the remainder of the week may consider backing at BSP on the Betfair Exchange!

Should he of kept the race? I am joking! Absolutely not is the only answer here.

Like in the comics, the villain cheated his way to victory here, but unlike Batman, the stewards would provide no heroic aid to punters and participants and only stood by and allowed them to be swindled out of this puzzle.

Over £12k was matched in running on the Betfair Exchange at odds of 41.040/1 by punters as the Richard Fahey's runner staggered his way to success like a drunk heading for a kebab. So not everyone got a raw deal - most did.

If you were on Brave Nation, I feel your pain, mainly in my pocket. James Doyle was making significant strides in the closing stages, only to get side-swiped in the closing stages along with Crispy Cat. I wouldn't feel your pain if you were on Crispy Cat because Silvestre De Sousa was suspended for four days for his excessive use of the whip!

The familiar ding dong noise went after the race had finished - you know that one where shortly after they announce "the placings remain unaltered" in that headmistress's voice regardless if a boing 747 had hit the track. Yeah, that one.

What will it take for the Stewards to start taking matters like the above seriously? Another serious injury? It's gotten that lawless in the BHA steward room that nobody knows the rules anymore. We touched on this a few weeks ago in the Final Word segment, but it's just baffling.

Jockey Paul Hanagan was found guilty of careless riding and suspended for ten days. The dual champion jockey knows better, but he even joked in his post-race interview that he might be due a "little holiday". So farcical has the BHA stewarding become that jockeys are now even joking at their punishment live on TV before they even get given it.

Other than Kevin Blake - and this is his second mention in this column in two days, so we best start curbing the compliments - the mainstream media are too scared to tell it how it is, and he looked ready to explode also!

Suppose you break the rules in order to win in any other sport. It's called cheating. For some unknown reason, you can break the rules to win and still get awarded the prize in horse racing.

How is this at all right? Who honestly in this industry thinks this is ok? Any breach of any rules should result in disqualification from the race. That includes drugs, overuse of the whip, causing interference to another horse, and the latter shouldn't be judged on a winning distance - that's stupidity.

If I stamp on your ankle at the start of a 100m race but win by 10 meters, that doesn't mean it's ok. At the moment, a jockey can smash into another horse, but as long as he wins by further than a length, it's ok.

I mean, come on. At times horse racing is the most backwards governed sport that's ever been invented, and instead of calling out these discrepancies, the posh tots on TV want to sit there and congratulate the winning connections - it's barmy.

The victim in all this is not me and you who have lost a bet - well, we are to a degree - but Michael Bell's Brave Nation and James Doyle have done everything correctly and abided by the rules and would have at worst finished third but have had to settle for fourth losing possibly around £18k through no wrongdoing of their own.

Stop rewarding those that foul! It's time to fix the system!

Until tomorrow, be lucky!

Follow Daryl Carter on Twitter @DarylCarter7

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