Royal Ascot Day 5 Betting Tips: We preview all of Saturday’s action
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Another memorable week at Royal Ascot concludes with a bumper eight-race card on Day 5 featuring the St James’s Palace, the Diamond Jubilee and the Wokingham Stakes.
Those are just three of the contests on an action-packed afternoon which includes no fewer that five Group races and three tricky Handicap puzzles.
And we’re on hand to mark your card one last time ahead of the final day with our ITV Racing Tips.
Race 1 – Silver Wokingham – 12:40
If one Wokingham wasn’t hard enough to work out, a bumper card on Day 5 means there are two to solve this time around, with Nahaarr, Swindler, Aplomb and Blue Mist all near the top of the betting for this one.
The latter of those has run consistently well over 7f in big handicaps at Ascot before, which makes the drop back to 6f for the Silver Wokingham an interesting move.
Magical Wish is another who falls into a similar category, while Clive Cox usually has his sprinters spot on and has a chance with Louie De Palma, who ran well in a decent race at York when last seen.
Race 2 – Queen Mary – 13:15
Like all of the two-year-old races throughout the week, few of the runners in the Queen Mary have been out on the track more than once this season, which makes this a tricky puzzle to try and solve.
Wesley Ward’s Campanelle has had more time to prepare than most since her convincing debut win at Gulfstream, and with the trainer saddling the winner of this race three times, she has to be considered.
That said, Ward hasn’t been in the best form so far this week, which makes Naas scorer More Beautiful and Scared, who’s already beaten a number of these, of significant interest.
Elsewhere, Dickiedooda won under a hands and heels ride at The Curragh last weekend and would continue the theme of big-priced winners in the race.
Race 3 – Coventry Stakes – 13:50
For the Queen Mary, see the Coventry. Here we’ve got another bunch of precocious two-year-olds with little to no racecourse experience, so we’re paying close attention to the recent trends of the race.
As with the Chesham on Day 3, Aidan O’Brien is the one to note having saddled the winner of the Norfolk four times since 2011. He runs just one this time but it’s a hotpot favourite in Admiral Nelson.
The £440,000 purchase appeared to be worth every penny when scoring well on debut at The Curragh last week, now it’s a question of whether he can reproduce that over an extra furlong in a tougher race.
If he can’t, then a clutch of contenders including Creative Force, Lauded and Mark Johnston-trained pair Qaadar and Army Of India, who turned over the fancied Science on debut, will be on hand to pick up the pieces.
Race 4 – Coronation Stakes – 14:25
A maximum of seven will go to post for the Coronation Stakes, and in what looks certain to be a tightly-bunched market, it’s possible to make a case for almost any of the septet runners.
Quadrilateral is the obvious one to point out after her strong run to finish third in the 1000 Guineas, while Alpine Star, who is a half-sister to 2018 winner Alpha Centauri, won a strong Group 2 over 7f last term.
They’ll face competition from the impressive Run Wild, who took a Listed contest in fine style over 1m 2f at Newmarket last month leading from the front. The step back should be no problem and she looks a danger.
Race 5 – St James’s Palace Stakes – 15:00
This looks like a three-way battle between Wichita, Pinatubo and Palace Pier. The foremost pair finished second and third in the 2000 Guineas, but it’s the latter who may be able to steal victory at a bigger price.
John Gosden’s unbeaten colt could yet be anything and showed that he’s every bit the classy type when rallying to score by over 3l on his reappearance at Newcastle earlier this month.
The trainer built the Kingman colt up steadily for this and having opted to miss the classics in favour of an easier assignment in the North East, there’s every chance he’ll be spot on for a big run.
Race 6 – Diamond Jubilee Stakes – 15:35
It might be something of a disappointing turnout for this year’s Diamond Jubilee, but that won’t matter to Denis Hogan if he can saddle Sceptical to a fairy-tale win in the race and scoop the £148,000 pot.
The Exceed and Excel gelding was bought for peanuts from Godolphin and has since clocked up a four-timer across the Irish Sea, including an impressive 3l success in Listed company last time out.
He’s now the highest rated sprinter on the Emerald Isle, and if he can continue his rapid progression, then there’s every chance he’ll bloody the noses of the big boys in a race that lacks real depth.
Of the rest, Shine So Bright held Laurens last season over this distance, while One Master was runner-up in the Champions Sprint last October. Sprint Cup winner Hello Youmzain is also very capable on his day.
Race 7 – Wokingham Stakes – 16:10
Not even an Enigma machine could confidently crack the code in the Wokingham, and with winners at 33/1 and 25/1 in two of the last three years, it’s fair to say whoever you land on will need some luck in-running.
That said, Roger Varian has been in electric form all week and after saddling the winner 12 months ago, he looks well placed to go close again courtesy of the interesting Spanish City.
The seven-year-old has respectable form figures of 6645 in big handicaps over 7f at Ascot, with the feeling being that he’s due to win a big pot at some point. A kind draw should also help his chances.
Summerghand is a regular in these types of races and should go well, while Bielsa, progressive four-year-old Highland Dress and recent Newmarket scorer Tinto, who has won over C&D, may also get involved.
Race 8 – Queen Alexandra Stakes – 16:40
Alan King won the Ascot Stakes with a dual-purpose performer earlier in the week, and he could be set to make it a Royal Ascot double with Who Dares Wins, who has been a magnificent performer for the yard.
The eight-year-old has won a clutch of decent races over the years, including the 2019 Northumberland Plate at Newcastle and a Grade 2 over fences at Kempton in February.
He should enjoy the trip on offer here and rates as the main challenger ahead of 2019 Ascot Stakes winner The Grand Visir for a trainer in Ian Williams who has enjoyed great success on the flat and over jumps.
Elsewhere Nate The Great is unproven over the distance but did finish second on his comeback at Newmarket earlier this month, while Mekong is faced with a quick turnaround after his fifth in the Gold Cup.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
