3:05 Royal Ascot: Emulous to surpass Windsor Forest rivals

Fillies carrying a penalty do not typically have the best record in the Windsor Forest Stakes, but this is set to change with Emulous favoured to get the better of fellow Group One winner Nahrain.

Five horses have attempted to defy a Group One penalty in the eight runnings of this race and all have failed, which does not bode well for the two market leaders.

However, with little looking up to their class from elsewhere in the betting, this statistic is ready to be broken.

Emulous is slight favourite at 5/2 and it is her additional speed that may just prove her advantage.

Dermot Weld ‘s horse has won on five of her last six starts, which includes a taking success in her one previous Group One outing at Leopardstown.

Her one failure can be forgiven as this was on heavy ground and the fact that she has shown the speed to win over 7f in the past can work in her favour.

Meanwhile, she has the added benefit of already having a run this season to shake off any winter rust when a comfortable victor at the Curragh.

Nahrain is unbeaten over 1m, but she has been run over slightly longer distances on her recent outings, suggesting that connections believe that 1m2f is her optimum distance.

This stamina is likely to mean she will hit the front first, but there is every chance that she will be collared by the favourite inside the final furlong.

Nahrain has also not been seen since suffering a first career defeat when second in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare in November, although the vibes from trainer Roger Varian is that she has been working well on the gallops.

It is 4/1 that Nahrain triumphs in the Windsor Forest, with Clinical arguably the pick of those at each-way prices at 12/1 given that she has triumphed on four of her last five starts.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.