We are on the other side of Royal Ascot 2024 as the Northumberland Plate up at Newcastle takes centre stage.
Firstly, I’ll quickly review Ascot from both a racing fan perspective and with my Bestofbets.com-tinted glasses on.
Without trying to re-cover too many things, the meeting was a strong event to show to the wider public.
👏 Royal Ascot 2024 was something else.
Why? Quality racing, competitive contests, and willing competitors.
Big credit to @Ascot & Chris Stickels for creating a perfect surface which facilitated the action.
That was British horse racing at its finest. Let’s do this more often. pic.twitter.com/G0MQ7T3ws6
— Ash Symonds Journalism (@ASymondsJourno) June 22, 2024
The racing was great, the areas around the track for social gatherings felt busy but not cramped, and the races themselves felt like prestigious events due to the prize money on offer and the number of participants.
As shop windows to wider society go, the royal meeting did well above what was required of it, and the fact a few non-racing celebrities who resonate with a younger audience attended and posted about it on their social media (notably KSI from the Sidemen) is brilliant to see.
As for this column, we clawed in 23.5pts of profit from 44.5pts staked at an ROI of +52.80.
✅ A pretty good week for the @BestOfBetsUK Royal Ascot columns as we finish the week in profit.
• +23.5pts
• 44.5pts staked
• +52.8% ROIWinners included Soprano 18/1, Running Lion 10/1 & Israr 7/2 plus a few handy big-priced places.
Nice to see the work rewarded. pic.twitter.com/6NFscyC1to
— Ash Symonds Journalism (@ASymondsJourno) June 22, 2024
Of course, good form and bad form crop up at random points throughout the season, but we certainly found some good selections through Royal Ascot, so hopefully that positive form continues.
2:04 Newcastle – Spycatcher @ 5/1 with William Hill – 2pts Win
The Group 3 Chipchase Stakes has an interesting profile this year and two horses have solid Group 1 form already in the book, though it’s the bigger-priced one of the pair – Spycatcher – that I’m siding with.
Kinross has the best form in the book based on his third to Shaquille in the July Cup and all of his Group 1/2 wins, but today is his first start for 252 days.
For a horse priced up at 3/1, that puts me off considering he is 0/3 in races after a 200-day+ break.
As for Spycatcher, he nearly won this race last year but found the talented Tiber Flow too good, and I wonder whether he hit the front half-a-furlong too soon as his effort in the final few strides didn’t look the strongest.
Tiber Flow wins the Chipchase!
A great effort from @TomMarquand to run down Spycatcher and land Group 3 glory at @NewcastleRaces for William Haggas… pic.twitter.com/GWyPFqWz6x
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 1, 2023
Since then, the six-year-old by Vadamos has bolted up in a Group 3 at Deauville and finished third in the Group 1 British Champions Sprint.
That form looks solid as the fourth, Swingalong, finished second in last week’s Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.
Furthermore, when connections tried him over seven furlongs in the Group 2 Park Stakes, he performed admirably behind Sandrine and Audience, the later of which went on to win the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes this season.
With two runs under his belt this season, one can imagine that connections have targeted him for this race and he picked up a win on the all-weather in 2022, so his form on the surface is solid.
2:15 Newmarket – Teej A @ 9/2 with William Hill – 1pt Win
If Teej A wins today’s Listed Empress Fillies’ Stakes, she will become one of my favourite horses in training as it’s hard to knock her attitude at this young age.
The two-year-old Mehmas filly has an obvious piece of form in the book from Chester that makes her appealing in this company as she beat Rashabar, last week’s Group 2 Coventry Stakes winner, by two-and-a-quarter lengths.
A few of Rashabar’s connections believed they should have won at Chester if he was better drawn, and while that is a fair comment, Teej A still delivered an impressive performance.
Teej A pulls nicely clear on just her second career start at @ChesterRaces for @karl_burke and @CliffordleexLee…
— Sky Sports Racing (@SkySportsRacing) May 9, 2024
He did something similar at Epsom to win the Woodcote Stakes as Clifford Lee sauntered to the head of affairs and kicked clear with a furlong to go.
Interestingly, Lee didn’t use his whip once at Chester and didn’t use it in the final half-a-furlong at Epsom, suggesting that connections have yet to get to the bottom of the 52,000gns purchase.
Of course, the presence of Tales Of The Heart (a 400,000gns purchase) and Arabian Dusk (a 525,000gns purchase) are worries, but Teej A has impressed numerous times this season and I’m not willing to ditch her.
3:30 Curragh – Lumiere Rock @ 17/2 with William Hill (3 places) – 1pt EW
A couple of horses contesting this year’s Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes have form that ties in with Warm Heart, a good yardstick for the division last year, but Lumiere Rock is the one I’m siding with.
For all that Bluestocking looked impressive in the Group 2 Middleton Fillies’ Stakes at York in May, her form with Warm Heart is arguably worse than what Lumiere Rock has in the book.
Lumiere Rock was ahead of Bluestocking in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes won by Warm Heart and then she went on to bolt up in the Group 2 Blandford Stakes over the same course and distance as today’s assignment three months later.
"And they're away!"
Consistent filly Lumiere Rock, sporting first-time cheekpieces, deservedly enjoys her day in the sun in the Blandford Stakes @curraghrace 👀@JosephOBrien2 | @DylanBrowneMcM pic.twitter.com/4U3476Zgp5
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 10, 2023
Following a solid third in the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera on Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Day, the four-year-old by Saxon Warrior went to the Breeders’ Cup and produced a career-best effort to finish sixth to Inspiral and Warm Heart.
With a run under her belt, the conditions of this race (at the Curragh on good ground over 10 furlongs) look perfect for her to run a big race and she is the choice of Dylan Browne McMonagle over stablemate Maxux.
3:40 Newcastle – Raadobarg @ 16/1 with William Hill (4 places) – 1pt EW
Amo Racing have a strong hand in the Class 2 0-105 seven-furlong handicap at Newcastle, but Raadobarg has a bit more appeal than Baradar.
Both horses have the ability to win a race like this, though one would question whether the Bunbury Cup or International Stakes next month is the long-term target for Baradar.
As for Raadobarg, he is solid Listed/Group 3 horse based on last year’s form as he finished third in five pattern races and a close fifth in the Group 3 Prix Quincey Stakes.
The winner of that race, Poker Face, was second to Charyn (a subsequent Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes winner) in the Group 2 bet365 Mile at the start of this season, so that looks like solid form.
Held on! Chindit lands the Listed Howden Bloodstock Paradise Stakes for Pat Dobbs and @rhannonracing at @Ascot… pic.twitter.com/P7dXfRTnvT
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 3, 2023
As for other bits of form, his third to Chindit on two occasions last year looks solid as Chindit finished second in the 2023 Group 1 Lockinge Stakes.
If he handles the step back to seven furlongs, this six-year-old by Night Of Thunder could do some danger off a mark of 101.
