11am Hannon admits first day of Royal Ascot will be crucial
Tony Paley: Trainer Richard Hannon has admitted that the first day at Royal Ascot will be crucial for his stable next week.
The champion trainer has his Lockinge Stakes winner and runner-up, Night Of Thunder and Toormore, taking on Hong Kong runner Able Friend and French challenger Solow in the Group One Queen Anne Stakes that kicks-off the meeting next Tuesday.
Then in the next race, Hannon hopes Log Out Island can followiup his debut success at the Berkshire track with victory in the Group Two Coventry Stakes.
Later in the week, he is looking forward to saddling two runners for the Queen - recent Haydock scorer Ring Of Truth in the Queen Mary Stakes and Peacock in the Tercentenary Stakes.
“The first day will be a massive day - the Coventry, the Queen Anne, the Windsor Castle. It’s a big day for us,” Hannon told At The Races. “In the Queen Anne we’ve got Night Of Thunder and Toormore. That’s going to be a very good race. I would say we’ll have Log Out Island in the Coventry and King Of Rooks will go for the Norfolk.
“We’re not sure about the Windsor Castle yet. Illuminate will go for the fillies’ race, the Albany. We might have a runner for Her Majesty in the Queen Mary, Ring Of Truth, and Peacock will go for the Tercentenary.”
Wednesday’s best bets, by Chris Cook
Once in a blue moon, I rummage in the Pathe archives for old footage of horse racing and, since it’s Salisbury today, I’ll share this soundless series of clips from the Wiltshire track back in the 70s. Oh for the days when we all wore trilbies to the races, even the women.
I’m not sure a cameraman would, these days, expect to get away with quite so blatantly following a pair of legs across the back of the betting ring. And I’m not at all convinced by the effectiveness of the riding in one of the close finishes shown here. But it’s interesting and not terribly surprising to see that the grandstand housing the press room was exactly the same then as now. Some of the sandwiches to be offered to the media folk there today were doubtless being prepared even as that footage was shot.
The betting market has got behind Richard Hannon’s Holland Park in the third race, a maiden for horses aged three and up, and that’s understandable. We know that Hannon horses can come on quite dramatically for a run and he was third on his only start so far, right behind a horse who has since won at Listed level.
On the other hand, we haven’t seen Holland Park for almost a year and, of Hannon’s four in the race, he isn’t a clear pick on jockey bookings, even with the very promising Cam Hardie claiming 3lb, because Ryan Moore is on Prefect (2.55). An offputting ‘0’ is next to Prefect’s name but it’s worth forgiving him that, as it came in a Newbury maiden last month in which the half of the field who raced stands’ side turned out to be at a terrible disadvantage and he was not given a hard time by Richard Hughes when that became clear.
Prefect had previously shown quite a bit of promise when second at Kempton after a slow start and I’ll take 6-1 that he can build on that here. Under the old regime, Hannon horses would tend to show quite a lot of their ability in their first two starts but it is not at all uncommon these days to see significant improvement in their third racecourse outings.
In the fillies’ handicap, 10-1 looks a bit big about Palerma (3.55), who broke her maiden at this course last June and produced a career best to win a Bath handicap on her reappearance. She was sixth of eight in her latest start at Goodwood but I’m putting a line through that as she was held up out the back in a race that was slowly run to three out.
George Baker gets the leg-up this time and Palerma drops back to the 10 furlongs over which she won at Bath, so there will be no need for exaggerated waiting tactics this time.
At Fontwell, La Madonnina (4.40) has been handicapped as if she had won at Fontwell last time, which is a great pity because she actually fell at the last when four lengths clear. On the other hand, she is still value for her new rating and punters are being put off by the ‘F’ next to her name, so that you can get 11-2, which would not be available if that form-figure was a ‘1’.
Those odds are also, of course, due to the staggering plunge on Gary Moore’s Knockyoursocksoff, who recently landed a gamble in a point to point. I can’t say I find him tempting on the basis of what he’s shown under rules, though.
Tipping competition, day two
Our winners so far:
Monday
Tiger Jim 15-2
Dawn’s Early Light 9-1
Foxtrot Knight 7-2
And our leader is ...
yasmin11 +11.50
... who had the day’s only double, pairing Dawn’s Early Light with Foxtrot Knight. She is handily ahead of four others who had Dawn’s Early Light and are therefore on +7.
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 3.55 Salisbury, 4.55 Salisbury, 6.00 Lingfield.
This week’s prize is a pair of tickets to Cartmel for Sunday 28 June, which, I’m told by the course, is their first ever Sunday fixture! So you’ll witness a bit of history, as every other British track has already raced on a Sunday at some point. The day has been billed as Big Top Racing because there’s a circus on the site that weekend offering free performances for racegoers before and after racing. Those of you who don’t win can buy tickets here.
As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be three each day up until Friday. Non-runners count as losers. If you have not joined in so far this week, you are welcome to do so today, but you will start on -3.
In the event of a tie at the end of the week, the winner will be the tipster who, from among those tied on the highest score, posted their tips earliest on the final day.
For terms and conditions click here.
Good luck!
Click here for all the day’s racecards, form, stats and results.
And post your tips or racing-related comments below.
