Royal Ascot 2025 Day 4 Selections | Speaking Sense

We’re over the Royal Ascot 2025 hump, as we roll into the fourth day of the Royal Meeting.

Yesterday was a day that we needed. Trawlerman, my NAP of the meeting, duly obliged at 5/2, and Pentile Warrior placed at 33/1 to give us a profitable day.

Hopefully, this can continue, but this is Ascot; anything can happen.

Royal Ascot 2025 Day 4 Selections

2:30 Ascot – Green Sense @ 8/1 with William Hill (4 places) – 1pt EW

I’ve developed a new betting system for two-year-olds this season. If they have run into Lady Iman, just back it.

Green Sense fits this criteria having given Ger Lyons’ Starman filly a right race in the Group 3 Blackbeard Fillies Sprint Stakes last month, so she appeals in the Albany Stakes at 8/1.

So far this season, Lady Iman has beaten True Love (Queen Mary winner) and Power Blue (Coventry Stakes fifth), so any form line with her warrants a second look.

After bolting up on debut at the Curragh in April, Green Sense led them for much of the way at Naas last time out, and the front two pulled clear of Signora, the third.

Yes, Signora was having her first start of the season, so she could reverse the form with race fitness on her side, but the price differential between Signora (9/4) and Green Sense (8/1) seems way too big considering Aidan O’Brien’s Frankel filly needs to reverse one-and-three-quarter lengths.

Dylan Browne McMonagle will be able to make a choice out of stall eight, which also helps.

3:05 Ascot – Shadow Of Light @ 2/1 with Boylesports – 1pt Win

Charlie Appleby’s record at Royal Ascot this week is something against Shadow Of Light, but, having tried to find a way against him, I can’t.

He’s such a strong finisher in his races, and he made Whistlejacket look average when beating him in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes last season. That was a serious performance.

He then backed up quickly on soft ground in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes over seven furlongs, and he managed to win despite travelling across from the far side to the middle of the track.

His 2000 Guineas run was obviously very good, and the form has been franked with both Field Of Gold and Tornado Alert this week at Ascot.

I think his price may hold due to Appleby’s form and the strength of the Commonwealth Cup, but I get the impression that this has been in the back of Appleby’s mind, and I’ll keep him on side.

5:00 Ascot – Miss Nightfall @ 9/1 General (6 places) – 1pt EW

I don’t know why I’ve been attracted to these difficult 30-runner handicaps on the Ascot straight course this week, but God loves a trier.

Miss Nightfall looks like a fascinating runner in the Sandringham, and she has come for a bit of money, which is always fun to see, even if we did miss the 16/1 that was available this morning.

Although James Fanshawe wasn’t too aggressive with his campaigning last season, she ran into Star Of Mehmas on her second career start at Lingfield. Richard Hughes’ daughter of Mehmas is now rated 99 having placed in a Listed contest recently.

Miss Nightfall then ran in the Weatherbys Scientific £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes at Doncaster, and despite breaking slowly, she stayed on like a steam train to finish a good third.

Camille Pissarro finished second that day, and he has gone on to win two Group 1s, notably the French Derby earlier this season.

To finish the season, she ran in a hot Class 2 event at Goodwood on heavy ground. It was tough conditions, but she did fine to finish second, and Shes Perfect, the third, has franked the form since.

After a really good seasonal reappearance at Goodwood in May, where she had a tough route through, she should come on for it, and Fanshawe bringing her here is notable.

6:10 Ascot – Miss Lamai @ 20/1 with William Hill (5 places) – 0.5pt EW

Miss Lamai has batted around in Group 2, Group 3, and Listed company for much of her career, but I think this step into handicap company for the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes gives her a genuine chance at winning.

The Mehmas filly finished fourth in last year’s Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes, and she thundered home on the near side when the day’s racing favoured those who raced in the middle or on the far side.

After that, she looked classy when winning a Listed race at the Curragh in July, and although she was fifth of six in the Group 3 Prix d’Arenberg on her final start of last season, the race was won by the useful Aesterius. She also wasn’t given a hard time by Alexis Pouchin when he knew the race was gone.

With two runs under the belt this season, one of which when behind Tropical Storm and Star Of Mehmas in the Listed Westow Stakes at York last month, she arrives here on a very interesting handicap rating of 97, and box 26 should work for her.

She has form closely matched with her owner-mate Maw Lam, but she has shown more promise so far this season, and I like her form in the book as a juvenile.

For these reasons, she gets the vote.