Our horse racing tipster gives his best bets from Ascot including the feature race, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes.
2.25pm Valiant Stakes: Friendly Soul
Three-year-old filly Friendly Soul was a winner on debut on her only all-weather appearance to date back in December. Off until her next run at Newmarket in a listed race at the start of May. She was much improved in her reappearance run and comfortably beat subsequent Ribblesdale third and listed winner Kalpana.
She came stone dead last in her most recent appearance at York, but she can be forgiven that performance. Slowly away and unable to tuck in to find cover, she was incredibly keen and pulled severely to the right throughout not appreciating at all the switch to a left handed track. Dropping in trip she will need an honestly run race but stands every chance of her third career success now going the preferred way round.
3.40pm King George VI Stakes: Auguste Rodin
Last year’s Derby winner Auguste Rodin has six Group 1 victories to his name. The most recent coming from his latest appearance at Royal Ascot last month in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes. Ridden to get in behind the pace setters, he took the lead two furlongs out but didn’t find much and idled slightly. However he found extra when he was pressed by his rivals inside the final furlong and did enough to win.
Although he is clearly world class he has been far from perfect in his career, coming towards the rear three times in his career, most notably his tallied off last in this race last year. However he can be forgiven those blips as something clearly wasn’t right in that race last year and the other two incidents were in reappearance runs. With him proving he can win at this track with his performance last month and the extra two furlongs likely to help he should increase his Group 1 victories tally to seven today.
4.15pm Pat Eddery Stakes: Chancellor
Two-year-old colt out of Kingman, Chancellor was heavily backed late on debut despite going against experienced horses, ending up as the 16/5 favourite. Backers would of been biting their finger nails early as he was slowly away and had to be ridden to gain his stride.
He latched on to the back of the field and from the three final mark started making smooth headway down the inside. He only continued to improve from there and put the race to bed from over a furlong out quickening away emphatically to win with ease. This of course will be a lot more difficult but if he is able to clean up his start and improve from his debut performance the Cheveley Park Stud could well have a Dewhurst contender on their hands.
