Ryan Moore at Royal Ascot: The views on my five rides on Friday

Ryan Moore
20 June 2014

Ryan has five rides on day four of the Royal meeting

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It's day four of the Royal meeting and after coming agonisingly close to winning the Gold Cup again Betfair Ambassador Ryan Moore is hungry for more winners from his five booked rides...

15:05 Ascot - Bold Sniper

"We have aimed him at this race ever since and, drawn well in one and on his favoured fast ground, I think he has a fair chance in a classy and competitive handicap. He is my best chance of the day."

14:30 Ascot - Bazzana

Usual comments apply to these big-field 2yo races. It's pretty much a guessing game how much horses have improved from their most recent starts at this stage of their career and you will need all the luck in running, too, in this 24-runner field. After his 2yo won the Queen Mary on Wednesday, I imagine the same owner's Patience Alexander will be the favourite here, as her ½ length defeat of Tiggy Wiggy over 5f at York looks very smart form now. If she stays this extra furlong - and I think she should be ok on that front - then she could prove hard to beat as that is clearly the best form on offer coming into the race.

But there are lots of horses that could be anything, among them my mount who won her maiden by 10 lengths in the soft at Windsor last time. She will be racing on different ground today, but she looked to handle good going well enough on her debut.

15:05 Ascot - Bold Sniper

Finished third from a poor draw in the King George V at this meeting last year, and then went on to win at this track next time. Those performances were over 1m4f but he ran a very encouraging race when third over 1m1f at Newmarket on his reappearance, his first start since being gelded, especially as he would have definitely needed that run quite badly. We have aimed him at this race ever since and, drawn well in one and on his favoured fast ground, I think he has a fair chance in a classy and competitive handicap. He is my best chance of the day.

15:45 Ascot - Miner's Lamp

This looks a pretty good renewal of the King Edward VII, and in Derby sixth Western Hymn, Gallinule winner Adelaide, and Lingfield Derby Trial winner Snow Sky, there are three potentially high-class horses in the field. So I am slightly surprised that William rides Eagle Top, just fourth in a Leicester handicap last time - though I do think that one is a decent horse and better than he showed there - and not Western Hymn, who he rode in the Derby.

But that's no concern of mine and I ride Miner's Lamp, who steps up in class after beating Alex My Boy off a mark of 98 in a 1m4f Newmarket handicap last time. He certainly doesn't have a lot to find to get right into the mix here though, and the more you look at this race, the less of a three-runner affair it becomes. The likes of Odeon, Bunker, and the unbeaten Italian Derby winner Dylan Mouth have all to be respected, and it looks a very difficult race to call. But I imagine Adelaide, who I finished second on in the Hocquart last month, is the one to beat.

16:25 Ascot - Rizeena

I have ridden her in a lot of work this year - as well as a couple of times on the track last season - so I was a little bit surprised that she could only finish seventh in what looked a pretty modest 1,000 Guineas last month. But when you look at it, she is none from four at Newmarket now, and perhaps she just isn't at her best there for some reason. And we know that she goes well here, as she is two from two at Ascot, including when winning the Queen Mary.

She will have to be at her best to have a chance of winning this though - and she did miss the Irish 1,000 Guineas as she bled beforehand - as the likes of My Titania, Lightning Thunder and Kiyoshi are serious rivals. Kiyoshi had to miss the Guineas with a setback but if she turns up in the same form as when winning the Albany here last season, then she could prove the one to beat. But fast ground could be a worry for her, and Lightning Thunder looks the most solid horse. But it's a very open race though.

17:00 Ascot, Queen's Vase

I haven't got a ride in this, so haven't really looked at the race in any detail, so you are pretty much on your own here. But I see that Century runs and, though the form was certainly nothing to write home about, he ran a fairly promising race for me when fourth in the Dee Stakes, and did shape like a stayer there. And this race doesn't look like it will take a lot of winning, so he could be the answer.

I imagine that Aidan will have had a few horses that he could have aimed at this race, and he knows what it takes to win it. I rode Marzocco to finish second at Goodwood last time and he would have a leading chance, too, as would Lingfield Derby runner-up Hartnall. Those look the three to concentrate on.

17:35 Ascot - Russian Realm

For some reason, this horse has developed a bit of a public profile and that surprises me. Don't get me wrong, he is an improving horse with strong enough claims in a tough race, and I imagine that he will be favourite. He bumped into a progressive horse when second here last month, before winning well at Goodwood last time. But I don't think he is a handicap good thing at all, if that is what people are thinking.

That said, his two starts this season have come on soft ground, and I think that he will appreciate this faster surface, which he enjoyed last season. He is 8lb higher than when winning at Goodwood and this is a far more competitive race, but there is hopefully more to come from him and the better ground is a plus, and a strongly-run 7f should be ideal.