William Hill ambassador Jane Mangan is back with her best bets on Day Two of Royal Ascot, including the Group One Prince Of Wales’s Stakes.
William Hill are Best Odds Guaranteed from 8am daily across all UK and Irish racing.
Royal Ascot, Wednesday
The Queen Mary Stakes (2:30pm) sees no fewer than 25 two-year-old fillies go to post. Karl Burke has a tremendous record in this race, having won it twice in the last three years. He’s doubly represented with hot favourite Zelina and Love Olivia. That said, I think the Americans can have their first winner in this since Campanelle in 2020. Lennilu is two from two – she won at Keeneland in April and was incredibly impressive at Gulfstream last time over this trip. She’ll love the forecast quick ground, and I think she’ll lead them from pillar to post.
The Queen’s Vase (3:05pm) is next, over the extended mile and six-furlong trip, and it looks a wide-open affair. Last year’s winner was Illinois, now the current Ascot Gold Cup favourite, and Aidan O’Brien is well represented again with Shackleton and Scandinavia. However, I’m going to take a chance that this could go back to France. Asmarani was second to Rafale Design at Longchamp last time, and that winner has subsequently franked the form by landing a Group race at Chantilly over the weekend. This is a significant step up in trip, though he’s never gone beyond a mile and a half. But being by Arc winner Sottsass out of a Sea The Stars mare, I think he’ll benefit from the extra distance. He has more to offer, and when Francis-Henri Graffard brings one over to the UK, he’s not here just to enjoy the scenery.
The Duke of Cambridge Stakes (3:40pm) for fillies sees Running Lion attempt back-to-back wins in the race. She wears cheekpieces here, and after her two runs this season, I think the warning lights are flashing. Cinderella’s Dream was very impressive in the Dahlia Stakes, but she carries a three-pound penalty for that success, and for that reason, I like Soprano. She won the Sandringham last year, finished third in the Group One Matron Stakes at Leopardstown, and ran a fantastic race to beat the reopposing Crimson Advocate on the all-weather at Kempton last time out. That was the ideal prep for Ascot – she can provide another winner at the Royal Meeting for Billy Loughnane and George Boughey.
My favourite race of the week is the Group One Prince of Wales’s Stakes (4:20pm) – the heavyweights going head-to-head over ten furlongs. We’ve got horses stepping up from a mile and others dropping back from a mile and a half, all coming here to clash. There have been some brilliant winners in the past, most recently Auguste Rodin. Aidan O’Brien will be a hot favourite to go back-to-back with Los Angeles, but I have a feeling the supplemented filly See The Fire could upset the apple cart. Her dam downed none other than Golden Horn when she caused a shock in the Juddmonte International. This filly was hugely impressive in the Middleton Stakes at York last time, beating Beautiful Love by 12 lengths. On official ratings, she has just four pounds to find with Los Angeles, and she receives three from the favourite. I think she’ll relish the conditions here, whereas some of these look like mile-and-a-half horses who want slower ground.
The Royal Hunt Cup (5:00pm) is an absolute minefield, with a full field of 30 runners set to go to post. I’m taking an each-way punt on Qirat for Ralph Beckett and Juddmonte. He’s a particularly consistent horse, a brother to Bluestocking, and now fitted with cheekpieces, he can run a big race. He ran a cracker behind Hickory over seven furlongs at Ascot last time, beaten just a nose in the Victoria Cup. The mile poses no issue – as he proved last year – and the forecast ground conditions should suit him well. He’s the one for me.
The Windsor Castle Stakes (6:10pm), for two-year-olds, looks very tricky with little form to go on. I respect George Weaver bringing Tough Critic all the way from the US – he should relish the quick conditions here. He overcame greenness at Keeneland, was outpaced early, but made up ground to win readily at the line. I expect him to be much sharper at Ascot; if he breaks well, I think he’ll be tough to beat in the finale.
