Jane Mangan’s William Hill blog: Royal Ascot Day Four Best Bets

William Hill ambassador Jane Mangan is back with her best bets on Friday’s card at Royal Ascot, including two Group One contests.

Ascot, Friday

The Albany Stakes (2:30pm) opens Friday’s Royal Ascot card. I was very taken with Nandita at Kempton last month. It’s rare to see such a precocious two-year-old from the Gosden yard, though they’ve won the Coventry, Norfolk, and Windsor Castle Stakes on several occasions. She was a 725,000-guineas yearling purchase for Lady Bamford, and I think she can begin to repay her connections by winning the Albany.

The Commonwealth Cup (3:05pm) headlines Friday’s card at Royal Ascot. Charlie Appleby hasn’t trained a Royal Ascot winner since 2022. With Cinderella’s Dream beaten and Ruling Court clearly underperforming, the stable’s form is a concern. However, I believe Shadow Of Light is the one to beat here. Dropping back to six furlongs should suit him well, and on all known form, he’s the best horse in the race. He was last season’s champion two-year-old and ran an excellent race in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket — a contest that’s looking stronger by the week. The track and trip should be ideal, and he can return the royal blue silks to the winner’s enclosure for Appleby.

The Coronation Stakes (4:20pm) is a race I’ve been looking forward to all week. For me, it’s Zarigana vs Falakeyeh. Falakeyeh blew me away with her performance in the Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket. While the form of the race can be questioned, the way she won was striking. Dropping back to the stiff mile here, I think she’ll make the running and won’t be caught. She looks something special, and I hope she proves it on the day.

The Sandringham Stakes (5:00pm) is a fascinating fillies’ handicap, featuring several unexposed types making their handicap debuts. One of these is Zgharta. I was impressed by her last-time-out win at Newmarket. It wasn’t the strongest race, but she showed grit and looks progressive. She’s improved with each start, and her rating of 88 looks workable. She surely has more to offer and is one to keep an eye on in this big-field contest.

With less than two weeks to go until the Irish Derby, it’s slightly disappointing to see my fancy for that race line up instead in the King Edward VII Stakes (5:35pm). Zahrann is a hugely exciting prospect. He won his maiden by seven lengths at Cork and backed that up with a resolute victory at Leopardstown, drawing clear in style. By Night Of Thunder, he looks to be on an upward trajectory. I hope he can give the Aga Khan back-to-back wins in the race following Calandagan’s triumph last year.