RACE 1: QUEEN ANNE STAKES

This has gone to the favourite in five of the last nine runnings.  Palace Pier looks the banker of the week at Royal Ascot and is a general 2-5 shot for the opener, though 4/9 is available with Paddy Power.  Order Of Australia is a solid second-favourite at a general 7-1 (8-1 available with Betfair, BetVictor and Unibet), though stablemate Lope Y Fernandez is on the drift, out to 14s this morning with Betfair and Betvictor.

There hasn’t been any early money for the outsiders, with previous winners Lord Glitters (2019) available at 28-1 and Accidental Agent (2018) a 100-1 shot.

 

RACE 2: COVENTRY STAKES

Leicester winner Dhabab is the morning favourite for John and Thady Gosden, the son of No Nay Never available at 5-1 with Bet365, William Hill, BetVictor and Betway.  A runaway winner at Newbury last time, Gisburn is next in at 6-1 for Richard Hannon, while Kaufymaker represents Wesley Ward and is out to 6-1, having been as short as 3-1 yesterday – the stats are very much against her, as she bids to become the first filly to win the Coventry in 105 years, while her trainer has never won a 6f 2yo race at the meeting.

It is rare to see Frankie on a Gosden second-string and there has been a bit of money for his mount Tolstoy, into a general 9-1.

 

RACE 3: KING’S STAND STAKES

Despite a lot of pre-race talk about his troubled preparation, punters have latched on to  Battaash this morning and last year’s impressive winner of this is into 7/4 (15/8 in places) from 2-1.  Conversely, the Tim Easterby-trained Winter Power is weak, out to 5-1 from 4s.

This prize went the way of a US-trained sprinter in 2017 and US-based Irish native Brendan Walsh bids for a first Royal Ascot winner with Extravagant Kid, winner of the Al Quoz in Meydan in March.  The Dettori factor may well have played a part in his price halving, now 6-1 from as big as 12s earlier this week.  At bigger prices, the Andrew Balding-trained King’s Lynn has been backed to provide the yard with another winner in The Queen’s colours at Royal Ascot, a year on from Windsor Castle winner Tactical.  Available at 20-1 yesterday, he is now 14-1 across the board.

 

RACE 4: ST JAMES’S PALACE STAKES

Poetic Flare has been kept busy by Jim Bolger this year and the son of Dawn Approach is available at 9/2 to supplement his 2000 Guineas success here, eight years on from his sire’s recording the same double.  His position as market leader could yet come under threat from Chindit, who has been clipped a couple of points this morning into 6-1 to give his trainer a second success in this race, having won it in 2017 with Barney Roy.

The O’Brien challenger Battleground has drifted slightly to 6-1, while Highland Avenue is also weak in the market, out to 8-1.

 

RACE 5: ASCOT STAKES (HANDICAP)

This has gone the way of British trainers for the past two years, but those victories followed five renewals dominated by Irish trainers and they are responsible for the top two in the market, which is headed by the Emmet Mullins-trained Cape Gentleman.  The mount of Rachael Blackmore, he was available at 10-1 yesterday morning but is now into a general 4-1, with Willie Mullins, the winner of four of the last nine renewals, responsible for second-favourite M C Muldoon, out to as big as 6-1 with Unibet, having been as short as 3-1 yesterday.  Available at 14-1 yesterday, there has been money for Just Hubert, who bids to give the in-form training partnership of William Muir and Chris Grassick another high-profile winner – he is now as short as 17/2, though 11s is available in places.

 

RACE 6: WOLFERTON STAKES 

Patrick Sarsfield heads the betting for Joseph O’Brien and Tom Marquand, who combined for last year’s St Leger winner Galileo Chrome.  A general 4-1, he is a point shorter than Felix, who bids to give Marco Botti his first Royal Ascot winner since Aljazzi’s Duke Of Cambridge success in 2018 and is the choice of Oisin Murphy.

Solid Stone is just that, having barely moved in the market and a solid third-favourite, whereas Forest Of Dean is just a little weak and looks set to drift beyond the current 6-1 available, as he is as big as 17/2 on the exchanges.

 

RACE 7: COPPER HORSE STAKES (HANDICAP)

Just the second running of this and as a staying handicap, it is no surprise to see another Mullins representative heading the betting, with classy hurdler Saldier a solid market leader at 3-1.  There has been money for Charlie Appleby’s Global Storm, clipped half a point into 9/2, while Throne Hall is a market mover for the Sheikh Obaid/Atzeni combination that won this last year with the Roger Varian-trained  Fujaira Prince.  Available at 10-1 yesterday, he is now no bigger than 8-1 and as short as 13/2 with Betfred, Betway and Boylesports.