Nick Luck’s Blog: Queen could be a winner For You at Royal Ascot

William Hill ambassador Nick Luck looks ahead to Friday’s card from Royal Ascot, and picks out his best bets across all seven races, including a big-priced selection in the Commonwealth Cup.

Royal Ascot, Friday

JABAARA can kick off Day Four at Royal Ascot in style in the Albany Stakes (2.30pm) at 6/1. This is a very tough race to pin down, but she did exceptionally well to win so easily at Newmarket, having to be switched off heels before really powering home. This has been the aim for a long time, and the trainer has won this twice before.

MARBAAN is a big swing at 28/1 in the Commonwealth Cup (3.05pm). Simply, this horse is way too big a price. A Group 2 winner as a two-year-old, he ran well enough here on his seasonal debut (one place behind Bradsell), but would have done much better had he not raced alone early on. His effort at Salisbury against quality older sprinters was hugely creditable and a big step forward. On that form alone (and with conditions he’ll really enjoy) I can see him as a place contender at least.

HAUNTED DREAM is a bit of a sneaky one at 18/1 in the Duke Of Edinburgh (3.40pm). He was super consistent working his way through the ranks last year, but there is no doubt that he’s improved a fair bit judged on his comeback run, when he did really well to win a steadily run affair at ten furlongs. Everything you know about him says that an extra quarter mile and a strongly run race will be much more his ticket, and there aren’t too many still improving in here.

QUEEN FOR YOU can upset the big two in the Coronation Stakes (4.20pm) at 13/2. Out of mare who won this race off a similarly light prep, she really ought to be unbeaten given the way she glided through her race at York in a race that unfolded as inconveniently as possible. Heavy favourite Tahiyra might want the ground a little softer, and hasn’t been quite as dominant in the Classics as her two-year-old form suggested she might be.

BREEGE has been forgotten prematurely, and can make an impact in the Sandringham (5.00pm) at 28/1. She’s been highly tried her entire career, and this is her first handicap. That said, she ran a superb race in the Princess Margaret on this track last year, shaping as though a mile was her trip, while she was far from disgraced in the bog in the Marcel Boussac. She was too keen off a silly pace in the Irish Guineas, but has the quality to figure here if switching off early.

KING OF STEEL looks hard to avoid in the King Edward VII (5.35pm), at 11/8. While I’d usually be looking to field against a short odds favourite backing up quickly off a huge effort, his rivals look either suspect stayers, unsuited to the ground, or not very good. By contrast, his barnstorming Epsom effort confirms him as none of those and you can make a case that he should be an even shorter price.

TAWALLA gets the vote in the finale (6.10pm) at 14/1. He’s improving hand over fist coming into this, and did exceptionally well to win from a horrible draw at Kempton the other day. He remains well handicapped.