Chris Cook's Gold Cup report
Closing down for the day
Well if the Carabao Cup draw at Morrison’s in Colindale tonight is half as exciting as today has been we’re in for a thriller. That was one of the great Royal Ascot days of all-time. Frankie Dettori is a master of his craft and racing is going to miss him once he’s gone. But it won’t be for some years yet as he needs the thrill that the sport gives him and this will have encouraged him to stay around for longer. Tomorrow will be an anti-climax, in fact that goes for the rest of the Flat season. Anyway, we’ll be back here for the last two days of the meeting ... see you then.
King George V Stakes Handicap (5.35pm) result
1 South Pacific (J A Heffernan) 22-1
2 Constantinople (R L Moore) 11-2
3 Eminence (W M Lordan) 25-1
4 Persian Moon (F Norton) 33-1
16 ran
Also: 7-2 Fav Questionare
Non Runners: 13,16,4
King George V Stakes Handicap (5.35pm)
And they’re off ... Sir Ron Priestly leads and Frankie is last on Questionare ... Majestic dawn is in second ... Persian Moon comes there and South Pacific comes fast and late to win for a one-two-three for Aidan O’Brien.
Updated
Bookies thank their lucky stars for Biometric
Relief washed through the Ascot betting ring as Frankie Dettori and Turgenev were overhauled close home by the 28-1 shot Biometric. Among the most relieved was Robert Speechley, taking bets as Posh Bookmakers, who owns the S&D Bookmakers firm that has 10 shops around Peterborough.
“The liabilities in those shops [if Dettori had kept winning] was a quarter of a million pounds,” Speechley said. “It was massive, massive to get him beat. I can hardly get the words out. I thought he’d won a distance.”
But the ring was eerily quiet in the five minutes before the Britannia began, with no visible sign of panic, because the huge change since Dettori’s magnificent seven in 1996 is the advent of betting exchanges. The high street bookmaking firms sent boatloads of cash to the track in 1996 to shorten the odds of Dettori’s mounts but the belief now is that that action goes straight online. While the Italian’s fans were cleaning up, some of the bookies here were still turning a profit.
“Years ago, all the off-course bookmakers would be running for cover,” said Geoff Banks, standing in the middle of Ascot’s front line of bookies and speaking before Turgenev’s defeat. “But they don’t lay multiples any more. Otherwise, there’s no chance Stradivarius would have gone off at even money, it would have been 4-7 or something like that.
“These days, they’re not laying the multiples, they’re playing the exchanges, and everybody that’s here, they’re all casual investors.
“I don’t see the firms playing at all. Many years ago, my father [John Banks, also a bookmaker] said the biggest touch he ever had was not to be here on Frankie’s big day. He was in America and that must have saved him everything. He said he would have stood the last winner, Fujiyama Crest, for the maximum, it had no chance on form. The house, my schooling, everything would have gone.
“Today, there seems to be no alarm. It wont be dramatic here because on Ladies Day, the wagering is a lot smaller. The other days, we’re taking some proper bets, £40,000 to £1,000 each-way. We’ve had some £500s and £1,000s, so it’s been OK. But today, a lot smaller.
“Stradivarius came up a winner on my book, even though I was 6-5 at the off. All the casual customers here, good luck to them, but they want bigger odds. An even-money chance, what’s that to them? It’s not even odds they understand.”
Updated
Frankie could still ride five winners. Fred Archer (the ‘Tin Man’) was the only previous rider in 1878 to ride a five-timer at Royal Ascot.
Updated
King George V Stakes Handicap (5.35pm) betting
- Sinjaari – 9/2
- Sir Ron Priestley – 5/1
- Questionnaire – 6/1
- Constantinople – 7/1
- Good Birthday – 12/1
- Fox Premier – 14/1
- Babbos Boy – 18/1
- Majestic Dawn – 22/1
- Summer Moon – 20/1
- Almania – 20/1
- Persian Moon – 40/1
- Severance – 28/1
- Antilles – 40/1
- Eminence – 40/1
- South Pacific – 28/1
- Leroy Leroy – 66/1
- Kuwait Currency – 125/1
- Full Oddschecker betting here
Updated
Do we not like Harry Bentley. Frankie looked to have that won on Turgenev and what a ride he gave that horse. It’s such a shame but the game goes on and Dettori rides Quesionare in the last race of the day.
Bookies asking for a statue of winning jockey Harry Bentley at Ascot after he denies the Frankie five-timer
— Francis Keogh (@HonestFrank) June 20, 2019
King George V Stakes Handicap (5.35pm) preview
O’Brien evidently feels Constantinople is leniently treated, since this return to handicapping is a surprising move after the colt won the Gallinule. He has plenty more to offer and the extra quarter-mile promises to help. A wide draw has not been the disadvantage one might expect in past runnings of this race, possibly because those on the rail get in each other’s way early on.
Sinjaari is progressive and went close in the London Gold Cup, often a strong contest. Sir Ron Priestley is unbeaten in two this year and was at one stage being considered for a Group Two contest rather than this handicap; it looks as though connections feel his rating is still lenient and one can easily imagine why, in light of his comfortable wins.
Britannia Stakes Handicap (5.00pm) result
1 Biometric (Harry Bentley) 28-1
2 Turgenev (L Dettori) 7-2 Fav
3 Fanaar (Dane O’Neill) 50-1
4 Awe (K McEvoy) 14-1
28 ran
Non Runners: 5,16,26,24
Updated
Britannia Stakes (5.00pm)
And they’re off ... Certain Lad is prominent as is Turgenev ... Hero Hero leads nearside ... Turgenev goes for the lead ... He leads but is being challenged ... He’s just been beaten by Biometric ...
Updated
Bookies still quaking. If Frankie wins on Turgenev we are possibly in for one of the greatest days in the history of the sport as we approach the final race on Ladies’ day at Royal Ascot.
.@WillHillRacing - "we lost £2.5m on Stradivarius alone, and we are predicting this to be the biggest payout ever if he wins all the races on the card today."
— Racing Post (@RacingPost) June 20, 2019
Updated
Britannia Stakes Handicap (5.00pm) betting
- Turgenev – 9/2 (From 14/1)
- Migration – 8/1
- King Ademar – 9/1
- Davydenko – 11/1
- Hero Hero – 14/1
- Velorum – 12/1
- Aweedram – 14/1
- Morafaawit – 14/1
- Awe – 16/1
- Barristan the Bold – 20/1
- Beatboxer – 25/1
- Dunkirk Harbour – 33/1
- Pogo – 33/1
- Dark Vision – 28/1
- Biometric – 33/1
- Tulfarris – 33/1
- Dubai Legacy – 40/1
- Numerian – 40/1
- Fanaar – 50/1
- Glorious Lover – 50/1
- Victory Command – 66/1
- Eclipse Storm – 66/1
- Dark Jedi – 66/1
- Finoah – 66/1
- Sameem – 80/1
- Certain Lad – 100/1
- Hot Team – 100/1
- Dunkerron – 150/1
- Mordred – 150/1
- Full Oddschecker betting here
Britannia Stakes Handicap (5.00pm) preview
In a wide open contest, a case can be made for the 40-1 shot Eclipse Storm, who has suggested he may be on a handy mark for this first venture into handicap company. He ran on into a never-nearer second in a Listed contest at The Curragh last time, sparking memories of the same stable’s Son Of Rest, winner of the Ayr Gold Cup a week after being a never-nearer second in a Group One.
Migration has an obvious chance on the strength of his strong-finishing success at Newmarket and this course promises to suit him even better, but the betting market is well aware of his claims. The ground must be a worry for King Ademar, who was a non-runner because of soft ground here in May. Motafaawit looks the right type, having beaten a subsequent winner to score here last time. Richard Hannon’s runner is unbeaten in two since a gelding operation.
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Here is Chris Cook’s report on Frankie Dettori day at Royal Ascot
Willie Mullins is not here at Royal Ascot to see his horses run this week and the owner Rich Ricci has just told ITV the trainer has had surgery, details unspecified. “There was no serious cause of it but, like the rest of us, we’re getting older and need a little maintenance. He’ll be fine.”
Gold Cup (4.20pm) result
1 Stradivarius (L Dettori) Evens Fav
2 Dee Ex Bee (S De Sousa) 7-2
3 Master Of Reality (W M Lordan) 66-1
11 ran
Also: 4-1 Cross Counter 4th
Updated
Gold Cup (4.20) pm
And they’re off ... Dee Ex Bee leads and Stradivarius is third early just behind Master Of Reality ... a long way to go ... not mush change in the order as they pass the stands with the crowd cheering on Frankie on Stradivarius ... Dee ex Bee leads ... Frankie in third ... Capri and Thomas Hobson are close up ... Raymond Tusk is last and Cross Counter is held up towards the rear ... Stradivarius still third and going well ... Dee Ex Bee making it a stamina test kicks on ... Capri goes closer ... Stradivarius comes with a move on the home turn ... He can’t get through ... here comes Stradivarius and leads to win for a Frankie four-timer!!!!
Updated
Bookies running for cover reports our Greg Wood ...
Bookies already taking evasive action at #RoyalAscot in case Frankie’s run continues on #Stradivarius in the next. Turgenev (Britannia) was 16-1 this morning, now 11-4 to 9-2, Questonare (King George V) was 14-1, now top at 3-1 & a frankly ludicrous 6-4 with Victor C.
— Greg Wood (@Greg_Wood_) June 20, 2019
Go on Frankie!
Star Catcher and @FrankieDettori are roared home as the Italian maestro makes it three from three on day three
— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 20, 2019
Roared on by 60,000 racegoers 💪#RoyalAscot pic.twitter.com/luYT409rJD
There was a slightly awkward scene next to the prize-giving podium after the Ribblesdale, as the winning trainer, John Gosden, and Star Catcher’s groom, Lin Thompson, evidently expected there would be some sort of trophy for the winning groom. In fact, prizes are only handed out to grooms here after the Group One races, but that policy could usefully be reviewed.
Increasingly, it’s clear that racing’s audience expects grooms to be recognised when their charges win major races. We see this on social media, when viewers protest about grooms not being able to lead their horses into the winner’s enclosure if the owner wishes to do that by themselves. In fairness to Ascot, names of grooms are presented next to the runners in racecards throughout the Royal meeting.
Gold Cup (4.20pm) betting
- Stradivarius – 11/10
- Cross Counter – 4/1
- Dee Ex Bee – 9/2
- Flag of Honour – 14/1
- Called to the Bar – 16/1
- Capri – 22/1
- Thomas Hobson – 22/1
- Magic Circle – 28/1
- Raymond Tusk – 40/1
- Master of Reality – 80/1
- Cyprus Creek – 80/1
- Full Oddschecker betting here
Stradivarius is looking well to take Frankie Dettori into Ascot history again in the Gold Cup.
Stradivarius looking an absolute picture 😍 pic.twitter.com/E2OLN7TwYZ
— Racing Post (@RacingPost) June 20, 2019
Simon Clare of Ladbrokes-Coral is taking cover.
Victory for Frankie & Stradivarius in the Ascot Gold Cup will send bookies into the biggest tailspin since that famous day at this same racecourse in 1996 https://t.co/7JTotagt5l
— Simon Clare (@SiClare) June 20, 2019
The odds are shortening. Frankie Dettori’s mount Stradivarius is odds-on for the Gold Cup now that the jockey has ridden the first three winners and Turgenev, his mount in the 5.00, is 13-2 from 12-1 in the last hour. The bookies are very worried. According to Oddschecker, British bookmakers are set for a monster £180m payout if Frankie Dettori can complete the perfect day at Royal Ascot and go through the card.
Oddschecker spokesperson Callum Wilson: “Frankie Dettori is showing why he is one of the most revered flat jockeys in history as he looks to go through the card at Royal Ascot in a feat that would write him into folklore. His popularity means recreational punters will have chanced their arms on the man on fire and bookies are taking evasive action on his last three rides of the day.”
It’s all Frankie!
Updated Ascot's Wiki page. pic.twitter.com/l6ZMa6ekuK
— Jason Beem (@BeemieAwards) June 20, 2019
It’s building ...
Frankie's winning accumulator odds on Magnificent Seven day were 25,095/1. His current treble odds: 224/1.
— Graham Sharpe (@sharpeangle) June 20, 2019
Gold Cup (4.20pm) preview
Some interesting new opponents line up against Stradivarius, suggesting the chestnut is still seen as beatable in some quarters. This is hard to fathom. As he has shown repeatedly over the last two years, he is an exceptional stayer and can prove it with a second success in Royal Ascot’s feature race. Versatile as to ground and increasingly hard to outbattle, Stradivarius has the right men around him to make the most of his exuberant talent, in John Gosden and Frankie Dettori. He can outclass Cross Counter, whose globetrotting exploits, while impressive, still leave him something to prove here. When last seen in Britain, the Godolphin horse was beaten in a Group Two, though he did have Dee Ex Bee four lengths behind on his previous start.
Dee Ex Bee has made a good start to his career in marathons but the form of his wins doesn’t entitle him to take this. Flag Of Honour might be more of a threat, bearing in mind he got within three lengths of Stradivarius last year when just a three-year-old.
Ribblesdale Stakes (3.40pm) result
1 Star Catcher (L Dettori) 4-1
2 Fleeting (R L Moore) 7-4 Fav
3 Sparkle Roll (Oisin Murphy) 11-1
11 ran
Also: 9-2 Queen Power 4th
Updated
Ribblesdale Stakes (3.40pm)
And they’re off ... Peach Tree and Fanny Logan lead ...Shambolic now second ... Frankellina is close up ... Queen Power is there but Fleeting is trying to catch Star Catcher ... but it’s Star Catcher .. and a hat-trick for Frankie Dettori!
Updated
Frankie now all the rage ... his mount is being well backed in the next
The bookies are running scared of Frankie! Star Catcher was 8-1 this morning but is now just 9-2 pic.twitter.com/H6646SStCL
— Racing Post (@RacingPost) June 20, 2019
Ribblesdale Stakes (3.40pm) betting
- Fleeting – 13/8
- Queen Power – 5/1
- Star Catcher – 5/1
- Frankellina – 8/1
- Sparkle Roll – 12/1
- Fanny Logan – 16/1
- Shambolic – 33/1
- Peach Tree – 33/1
- Fresnel – 33/1
- Altair – 50/1
- Love So Deep – 100/1
- Full betting at Oddschecker here
Ribblesdale Stakes (3.40pm) preview
Fleeting looks like being a short price on the strength of her running-on third in the Oaks but she was ridden to pick up the pieces that day. This will be more of a test and it’s by no means clear that she’ll thrive on it. Queen Power did well at Newbury to overhaul talented rivals who had first run off a steady pace and the well-bred filly can prove hard to beat.
The inexperienced Frankellina might be best avoided by anyone who’s had enough of backing horses that don’t start this week, as she was very slowly away when second in the Musidora. She seemed beaten on merit when sixth in the Oaks but perhaps she has more to offer three weeks down the line. John Gosden fields four but the pick of them, Star Catcher, seems held on her third to Queen Power last time.
Frankie Dettori has not been leading jockey at Ascot since 2004 but he has not ridden better and has Stradivarius to come in the Ascot Gold Cup.
Hampton Court Stakes (3.05pm) result
1 Sangarius (L Dettori) 13-2
2 Fox Chairman (S De Sousa) 7-2 Fav
3 King Ottokar (James Doyle) 5-1
13 ran
Also: 25-1 Eightsome Reel 4th
Non Runners: 2,10
Updated
Hampton Court Stakes (3.05pm)
And they’re off ... Kick On leads and Great Scot is pulling too hard ... Cape Of Good Hope is prominent ... Arthur Kitt is in second ... Sangarius takes off and kicks clear wuth Frankie Dettori on board again! Fox Chairman’s jockey got a lesson there! Never got a run.
Updated
The ground is drying up ...
61.90s for A'Ali winning the Norfolk Stakes. Raffle Prize 61.58s and Southern Hills 63.05s the previous day, when it rained between the two races and might have been "Soft" by the end. I am going "Good to Soft" at this stage.
— Simon Rowlands (@RowleyfileRRR) June 20, 2019
Hampton Court Stakes (3.05pm) betting
- Fox Chairman – 7/2
- Cape of Good Hope – 5/1
- King Ottokar – 6/1
- Sangarius – 6/1
- Roseman – 9/1
- Kick On – 9/1
- Cap Francais – 14/1
- Great Scot – 14/1
- Old Glory – 33/1
- Arthur Kitt – 40/1
- Eightsome Reel – 50/1
- Getchagetchagetcha – 66/1
- Global Spectrum – 100/1
- Full betting at Oddschecker here
She’s not wrong ...
Please, please, please can one of the channels covering Ascot bring back James Sherwood?
— Emma Berry (@CollingsBerry) June 20, 2019
Hampton Court Stakes (3.05pm) preview
Aidan O’Brien had a rough time of it on Wednesday, with three consecutive beaten favourites, but Cape Of Good Hope can steer the Irishman back towards the winner’s enclosure. His plugging-on fourth in the French Derby was a bit dour but reads well in this company and, as a brother to Highland Reel, he should have plenty of improvement in him. Headman has become a non-runner because of the rain-softened ground but that won’t be a problem for King Ottokar, who won in the Newbury mud in April, beating Dancing Willoughby, the Queen’s Vase winner on Wednesday. He may not have stayed in the Chester Vase and this return to 10 furlongs could help, though it’ll be a stiff 10 furlongs.
Fox Chairman was also beaten at Chester, in the Dee Stakes, when he didn’t get a clear run but seemed to me to lack a bit of tactical speed. I’m surprised he’s as short as 4-1. Sangarius was third to King Of Comedy last time, which is strong form, but his pedigree isn’t crying out that he wants 10 furlongs on soft and he hung badly last time. Great Scot won’t stay unless he learns to settle and is a risk in this atmosphere. Cap Francais went close behind Cape Of Good Hope at Epsom but seemed to regress at Lingfield, albeit that race was won by the subsequent Derby winner.
Norfolk Stakes (2.30pm) result
1 A’ali (L Dettori) 5-1
2 Ventura Rebel (P Hanagan) 16-1
3 Dubai Station (J P Spencer) 14-1
14 ran
Also: 13-8 Fav Sunday Sovereign, 50-1 Strive For Glory 4th
Non Runner: 8
Updated
Norfolk Stakes (2.30pm)
And they’re off ... Misty Grey is prominent ... Cool Sphere leads ... A’Ali takes it up inside the closing stages and kicks clear.
Updated
Queen's Hat Stakes (2.00pm) result
1st Grey/Silver 6-4fav
Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes said: “We suspended betting on the colour of the Queen’s hat this morning. Pink was the favourite but after witnessing a run of bets on grey/silver at 12/1, alarm bells rang. It was clearly the right decision to pull the plug with the grey gamble landing this afternoon.”
Norfolk Stakes (2.30pm) betting
- Sunday Sovereign – 13/8
- Aali – 6/1
- Mount Fuji – 8/1
- Air Force Jet – 8/1
- Expressionist - 12/1
- Ventura Rebel – 14/1
- King Neptune – 20/1
- Misty Grey – 20/1
- Real Appeal – 28/1
- Dubai Station – 33/1
- Strive for Glory – 66/1
- Firepower – 80/1
- Emten – 80/1
- Cool Sphere – 150/1
- Full betting at Oddschecker here
Norfolk Stakes (2.30pm) preview
Billy Lee had a dismal experience in the Queen Mary, when Ickworth refused to start, but hopefully Sunday Sovereign can brighten the Irishman’s week. The colt has improved in leaps and bounds and inflicted the only defeat so far in the career of Arizona, winner of the Coventry Stakes on Tuesday. There are some unexposed rivals ranged against him but he sets a high bar. Wesley Ward runs Maven, described as having worked “lights out” at Kempton last week. He was offered for sale at an auction on Monday but was bought back by the owner at £725,000 and now has the chance to win 8% of that.
A’Ali was beaten favourite on his only start so far but the winner had the benefit of a previous run and it was nine lengths back to the third at Ripon that day. Frankie Dettori climbs aboard. Aidan O’Brien’s runner is Mount Fuji, a half-brother to a Group One-winning juvenile. He overcame greenness to win on his debut but will have to be a lot more savvy here. The French raider Real Appeal has strong form, plenty of speed and was sold for £265,000 on Monday. It’s slightly surprising that he’s drifted from 12s to 20-1.
The royals went for a coordinated look, with the Queen, Duchess of Cambridge, Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and Zara Tindall all arriving in varying shades of blue. Could the royals be entering a blue period? William and Kate have form on this front, having gone for a blue theme on several of their Christmas cards. Examples of “group dressing” also extended outside the Royal Enclosure, with several groups opting for yellow – aka the shade of the summer and “the left-field hit of the spring catwalk shows”, which featured at Erdem and Givenchy, Moschino and Oscar de la Renta, to name just a few.
The novelty of jumpsuits, first permitted by Ascot in 2017, also appears to have worn off, with the majority women opting for dresses and skirts instead. Yet there were fewer full-length dresses than one might have expected in a year when the prairie dress has reigned supreme, considering that, at the stricter end of Ascot’s dress code, hemlines are required to be “of modest length defined as falling just above the knee or longer”. Tulle – the material dubbed by this paper as “the first major trend of 2019” – did get a look in however, appearing on the Duchess of Cambridge’s Elie Saab gown, amongst others.
As always, the hats have been a focus, providing an ample platform for the literal dressing trend favoured by Melania Trump on her recent trip to the UK. Horses, the Union Jack, bees and even a floral arrangement spelling out the word ‘Ascot’ all featured this year, along with a hat comprised of a stack of hats, as worn by model Jodie Kidd.
Poppies were another recurring motif – and black and red a popular colour combo for men and women – cropping up on both hats and dresses in what could well be a nod to the 75th Anniversary of The D-Day landings, which was commemorated earlier this month.
Royal Ascot is always as much about what is seen and happens off the track as it is on. And Ladies’ day is the most important day of the week in that regard. Let our fashion expert be your guide ...
After a rainy start to Ascot, Ladies’ day brought the sunshine – and the fashion. Gone were the plastic ponchos – but if florals for spring aren’t exactly “groundbreaking”, neither is the prominence pink on Ladies’ day. Pink pom-poms adorned oversize hats, alongside pastel pink hair, and almost-fluro pink dresses – a carryover from this year’s Oscars celebrations perhaps, where bright pinks ruled the red-carpet.
Updated
Uh-oh! More rain on the way?
Umbrellas up at Ascot
— chris cook (@claimsfive) June 20, 2019
Not enough to get the roads wet so far
Royal Procession Stakes (2.30pm)
Your runners and riders
1st Carriage
THE QUEEN
The Duke of York
The Princess Royal
Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence
2nd Carriage
Princess Eugenie
Mr. James Fellowes
The Viscount Brookeborough
The Viscountess Brookeborough
3rd Carriage
Mr. Peter Phillips
Mrs. Peter Phillips
Mr. Mike Tindall
Mrs. Mike Tindall
4th Carriage
The Lord Fermoy
The Lady Fermoy
The Hon. Rupert Fairfax
The Hon. Mrs. Rupert Fairfax
Maven is a non-runner in the Norfolk Stakes at 2.30pm
Breaking news at @Ascot - American Pharoah 2yo Maven is a non-runner in the Norfolk Stakes. It's the correct decision according to @loomsboldly and @LynchySSR... pic.twitter.com/iM7HiEtClH
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 20, 2019
A great gallery here compiled by Steven Bloor on the pictures desk – ‘Memory Lane: Royal Ascot down the years – in pictures’
The on-track bookies haven’t suspended betting on the Queen’s Hat Stakes and grey/silver is hot favourite with pink also short. But just look at those prices!
— Martin Johnstone (@jsn999) June 20, 2019
That train strike has been a damp squib
This is the 'queue' for the London train to #RoyalAscot two hours before the first race on #LadiesDay
— Francis Keogh (@HonestFrank) June 20, 2019
Punters who gambled on rail services running to @Ascot during #trainstrike have backed a winner #Waterloo pic.twitter.com/kkRQqlqOsF
Royal Ascot 2019 is the first at which detailed sectional timing – information about how fast the horses are going at every stage of the race – is being supplied after every race, something that has been standard practice at several of the world’s other major tracks for some years.
Sectionals offer what can seem, at first sight, to be a bewildering array of numbers, offering insight only to a punter with a first in advanced mathematics.
What the numbers reveal on closer inspection, however, is the underlying rhythm of a race. How strong was the pace? Was it even throughout? Was the runner-up given too much to do? Sectionals offer answers to these questions and more, all of which can be of considerable assistance when attempting to back future winners.
Despite this, though, there are those who remain unconvinced about the need for such information to be made widely available to punters – including, oddly, some who make a living from … making information available to punters.
Bruce Millington, the former editor of the Racing Post no less, suggested as much in a recent column, claiming that “a better ambition would be to present existing data in a way that will appeal to a new generation of punters, but that will rely more on clever use of symbols, colours and user experiences than by smearing even more numbers across a card.”
Simon Rowlands, a leading advocate for sectionals, responded for the defence here and punters who like to think for themselves can find a more general guide to the data and its uses here. Race-by-race data can be found via the results section on the At The Races website – look for the “Sectionals PDF” link at the bottom of the result.
I don’t think there’s another jockey in Britain or Ireland who gets second-guessed as much as Ryan Moore; it comes with the territory, when you’re first jockey at Ballydoyle. He’s had a fruitful week but his critics were still out in force after he was well beaten on Norway, 11-4 favourite for Wednesday’s Queen’s Vase. Looking at the replay again this morning, I think he was the victim of circumstance to a large extent. On the short run to the first bend, a row of three horses went past on his outside, heading for the front of the field, and you can almost see him thinking: ‘Hold on, they’re about to go a bit quick here.’ On a horse whose stamina was not assured, he understandably opted to settle out the back. What happens next but those horses, having reached the front, slam on the brakes and it becomes a steady pace all the way down to Swinley Bottom. The first three at that point remained in the first three all the way to the line. With half a mile to go, Norway was obviously in an impossible position, though it has to be said he still didn’t finish like a horse who could have done a lot better behind a stronger pace. It was a frustrating experience for his backers but I don’t blame Moore for what happened.
Fashion is front and centre today and I can recall when the lampshade hats first appeared on the fashion catwalk in the early 90s I did opine that this was the last thing we would ever see on the street. But they did appear at race meetings – at Epsom at the 1991 Derby and at Royal Ascot in 2000.
The Queen's Hat Stakes (2.00)
Blue ‘won’ the Queen’s Hat Stakes on Tuesday and Wednesday so will the Queen pull off the greatest shock of all by wearing a blue hat in this now traditional daily betting heat for the third day running?
Ladbrokes opened their betting like this: Pink 2/1, Yellow 3/1, Green 3/1, Purple 6/1, Red 8/1, Orange 10/1, Cream/White 10/1, Silver 12/1, Gold 14/1, Blue 16/1, Brown 20/1, Black 50/1, Union Jack 500/1.
However, it appears the layers are running scared and they have suspended betting. Ladbrokes have had a big run on pink. Nicola McGeady, the firm’s spokeswoman, said: “We have suspended our betting. The shrewd money was on silver/grey which was the early gamble. Pink was also very popular and due to the volume of bets we feel someone knows somethign we don’t.”
A spokesperson for bookmakers.tv said: “Despite bookies having reportedly their best ever day in the Queen’s hat betting history on Wednesday, firms have battened down the hatches for Ladies’ day. Pink, yellow and even silver/grey have all been reported as favourites. As a result, odds compilers are taking no risks on punters fighting back from their worst run of hat betting in recent memory.”
bettingexpert have given us a form guide (below) for all the hat colours worn by the Queen since 2005. Pink and blue have made up 57% of her choices on the Tuesday in that time, while pink has also featured most on the Wednesday and Thursday of the five-day meeting. Green, which the Queen has worn 11 times since 2005, and white, also 11, are her next most-fancied hat colours and look likely to get a showing this week.
Top trainers
Aidan O’Brien 3 wins
William Haggas 2
Andrew Balding 1
Charlie Hills 1
Sir Michael Stoute 1
Mark Johnston 1
Ian Williams 1
Charlie Appleby 1
David O’Meara 1
O’Brien is well on his way to being top trainer here for the 10th time, as Haggas just can’t match him for firepower over the final three days here. John Gosden has yet to score, a situation he hopes to correct in today’s Gold Cup with Stradivarius. Wesley Ward is 0/4 so far but Kimari went close for him in the Queen Mary and the American has five more shots at Ascot glory this year.
Top jockeys
Ryan Moore 3 wins
Danny Tudhope 3
Frankie Dettori 2
Jim Crowley 1
Oisin Murphy 1
James Doyle 1
Richard Kingscote 1
Moore was beaten on three consecutive favourites on Wednesday but still bagged the final race to hold onto his position at the top of this table, underlining the quantity of good material he gets to work with. He’s ahead by dint of his three second places, while Tudhope has none of those, but then Tudhope has achieved his three wins from just five rides and that surely is the greater achievement. Of course, Tudhope isn’t even at Ascot today, he’s chasing easier meat at Ripon, which is why he’s an 8-1 shot to come out on top by Saturday evening, odds that do not look generous.
You want to know what’s going to win, right?
Here are our selections for the third day. Stay here and we’ll have an in-depth preview for every race as the afternoon goes on.
2.30 Norfolk Stakes
Sunday Sovereign 9-4
3.05 Hampton Court Stakes
Cape Of Good Hope 6-1
3.40 Ribblesdale Stakes
Queen Power 100-30
4.20 Gold Cup
Stradivarius 5-4
5.00 Britannia Handicap
Eclipse Storm (nap) 40-1
5.35 King George V Handicap
Constantinople 9-2
Nothing remarkable about five of those but the elephant in this room is the 40-1 nap. Sometimes “nap” represents great confidence. On this occasion, it stands for my sense that this is a potential winner at a really big price. Is Eclipse Storm the most likely winner in the race? I wouldn’t argue that. But there’s easily enough encouragement in his background to think he could be in the shake-up and it’ll be some thrill if it pans out that way.
Blue Point bids for big sprint double
Saturday’s big race, the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, looks a stormer after the news this morning that Blue Point has been declared to run again, having won the King’s Stand here on Tuesday. He will try to become just the second horse to do the double, following the extraordinary performances by the Australian raider Choisir in 2003.
Blue Point evidently loves Ascot, having won four times from five races here, and Charlie Appleby reports him in the form of his life, which explains why they’ve opted to roll the dice with him. Also making a quick reappearance in the race is Le Brivido, who didn’t quite get home when fifth in the Queen Anne on Tuesday. Aidan O’Brien clearly thinks he might have enough speed to make a classy sprinter.
Ladbrokes-Coral Royal Ascot tipping competition
You could win a £50 account credit from Ladbrokes Coral by proving your tipping prowess on today’s races. All you have to do is give us your selections for all of today’s races at Ascot. As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price. Non-runners count as losers.
Please post all your tips in a single posting, using the comment facility below, before the first race at 2.30pm. There are six races at Ascot today and you must post a single selection for each race.
Our usual terms and conditions, which you can read here will apply, except that this will be a strictly one-day thing. If we get a tie after all the races have been run, the winner will be the one who posted their tips earliest out of those with the highest score.
If you don’t win today, don’t despair. You’ll have one more chance tomorrow.
Congratulations to melonk, who won Wednesday’s competition with a final score of +28, thanks to Raffle Prize (18-1), Dashing Willoughby (6-1) and Southern Hills (7-1). On a high-scoring day, that was enough to see off Affirmed and Harrytheactor, joint second on +21.
Please post your tips or racing-related comments below.
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Preamble
After two consecutive days when the forecast rainfall for Ascot was barely on nodding terms with the drenching actuality, it is probably unwise to point out that the prospects for Ladies’ Day, featuring the Gold Cup at 4.20, are much more promising. But you can only deal with the forecasts put in front of you and there is genuine hope of a dry afternoon on the biggest day of the week at the Royal meeting.
That would be good news for anyone with an expensive outfit to protect from the elements. Whether it is quite as much of a positive for the punters remains to be seen. Ascot’s ground drains more freely than it did in the past but it still has a reputation for turning a bit gluey as it does so and Stradivarius, last year’s winner and the favourite for the Gold Cup, is the most obvious example of a horse that might not find it entirely to his liking.
The latest going report from the course has just dropped on Twitter and Chris Stickels, the clerk of the course, reports that “the going this morning is now soft, good-to-soft in places”.
He adds: “It’s actually been dry since racing yesterday, but we did have 10mm of rain during racing yesterday afternoon. The forecast is better for today, it’s due to stay largely dry, with a risk of an occasional sharp shower this afternoon.
“There’s a decent breeze blowing up the track at the moment so we may see an improvement in the conditions as the day goes on. The forecast for the rest of the week is largely dry, with a reduced risk of showers for Friday and Saturday.”
It was good-to-soft when John Gosden’s magnificent chestnut took the stayers’ race on Champions Day last October, becoming the first Gold Cup winner for half a century to go unbeaten through all season. That, though, was a Group Two and his best form is all on good-to-firm ground. It is certainly something for punters to think about ahead of today’s race and it looks like they already are, with Stradivarius out to 6-4 from a price of 6-5 overnight.
The strength of this year’s opposition may also have something to do with that, as he faces up to last year’s Melbourne Cup winner in Cross Counter and also Mark Johnston’s Dee Ex Bee, who was within two lengths of winning the Derby when he finished second to Masar at Epsom last June. Capri, the 2017 St Leger winner, adds further quality to the line-up, bringing form that includes a three-and-a-quarter length fifth behind Enable in last season’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Stradivarius will still start as one of the shorter favourites of the week, and with Frankie Dettori in the saddle after his fine double yesterday, the success, or otherwise, of the Gold Cup favourite is likely to a defining moment in the week-long battle between bookies and punters. The Oaks third Fleeting, in the Ribblesdale Stakes, and Pat Twomey’s exciting Irish two-year-old Sunday Sovereign, a recent purchase by the King Power Racing operation to run in the opening Norfolk Stakes, will be other big fancies today but Stradivarius is the one that really matters.
Chris Cook’s tips for the day are here and the action gets under way at 2.30pm.
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