Neil Morrice shares all of his best bets and tips for Saturday’s racing coming your way from day five of Royal Ascot 2023.
Race 1 CHESHAM STAKES (Listed)
No16 PEARLS AND RUBIES
Trainer: Aidan O’Brien – Jockey: Ryan Moore
Coolmore have run some exceptional horses in the traditional final-day opener and PEARLS AND RUBIES promises to be another. The daughter of No Nay Never was forced into a photo on her Naas debut but was doing all her best work at the finish, strongly suggesting she will benefit from today’s step up in trip.
Her stable companion CONTENT lost out in a blanket finish on her Leopardstown introduction and looms as a big threat. She is by Galileo out of the brilliantly fast Mecca’s Angel.
GOLDEN MIND carries high hopes from the North and can improve from what he’s achieved so far, while MATNOOKH is another potential improver that stayed on well after blowing the start at Windsor, and gives trainer Richard Fahey a fascinating second string to his bow.
Prediction: 1st PEARLS AND RUBIES, 2nd Content, 3rd Golden Mind
Race 2 JERSEY STAKES (Group 3)
No5 COVEY (Nap)
Trainer: John Gosden – Jockey: Frankie Dettori
Few handicaps have been won with such panache as when COVEY completed a treble at Haydock, where he was in total command up that long home straight and came home unchallenged. Part of the Dettori final day assault, he brings very strong credentials to the table.
ENFJAAR was an expensive purchase at the yearling sales but immediately started to pay back his price tag when beating Military Order at Newmarket.
He’s one to watch closely in betting exchanges but the credentials of HOLGUIN are far more obvious granted his run of straight seconds in three outings for Andrew Balding this year. The Havana Grey colt is the type that can cash in should those ahead of him in the market underperform.
THE ANTARCTIC is also a must-include in exotic permutations as he steps up the distance ladder for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore.
Prediction: 1st COVEY, 2nd Enfjaar, 3rd Holguin, 4th The Antarctic
Race 3 QUEEN ELIZABETH II JUBILEE STAKES
No13 WELLINGTON (Each Way)
Trainer: Richard Gibson – Jockey: Ryan Moore
Hong Kong’s only winner at Royal Ascot happened when Little Bridge took out the King’s Stand in 2012. The success went almost unnoticed, as it followed the greatest performance ever seen on a British racecourse – Frankel in the Queen Anne.
The old colony is back pitching with the Richard Gibson-trained WELLINGTON, who I’ve always thought could do well over the Ascot 1200 metres with its stiff finish. He’s been part of a golden age of sprinters in his homeland, and it will be interesting to see how their form matches up to the best Australia and Britain has to offer. Ryan Moore has won on the six-year-old and he urged Gibson to make the bold step to bid for this prestigious prize.
ARTORIUS finished third in the corresponding race 12 months ago and can prove the pick of the Australian challengers. His recent exploits have seen him land a Group 1 at Randwick and finish second at Rosehill. His compatriots CANNONBALL and THE ASTROLOGIST might not have as much to offer.
Charlie Appleby’s AL SUHAIL was a dual winner at the Meydan Carnival and finished third in the Al Quoz Sprint. He has a good turn of foot and is freshened up for the task in hand, though his stable could be in better form.
From the distaff side of the equation, SACRED needs respecting granted her good effort in this behind Naval Crown 12 months ago. She blew her rivals away when returning on the Lingfield Polytrack in May, and enjoys the luxury of the 3lb sex allowance.
HIGHFIELD PRINCESS was arguably unlucky not to be awarded the King’s Stand on Tuesday after being carried across the course by the winner. She’s a resilient mare who is going to prove a threat to all.
Prediction: 1st WELLINGTON, 2nd Artorius, 3rd Highfield Princess, 4th Sacred, 5th Al Suhail
Race 4 HARDWICKE STAKES (Group 2)
No5 HUKUM
Trainer: Owen Burrows – Jockey: Jim Crowley
HUKUM was running for the first time in a year when taking the notable scalp of Derby winner Desert Crown in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown. The Sea The Stars entire looks better than ever and today seeks an eighth success from his last 11 starts.
He holds PYLEDRIVER on Epsom running in last year’s Coronation Cup and can make this a third triumph over the Ascot mile-and-a-half track en route to a tilt at next month’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Pyledriver is like Hukum a past winner at this meeting, having taken out the King Edward VII Stakes in 2020 as well as last season’s King George. However, he’s been waiting in the wings to return to action and this is his first race in almost a year.
FREE WIND is without question a potential joker in the pack for John Gosden and Frankie Dettori. She’s a lightly-raced five-year-old, and her defeat of Rogue Millenium in the Middleton Stakes at York was given a big boost when the latter landed the Duke Of Cambridge here on Wednesday.
Prediction: 1st HUKUM, 2nd Free Wind, 3rd Pyledriver
Race 5 WOKINGHAM HANDICAP
No4 DUCA DI COMO (Each Way)
Trainer: C Erichsen – Jockey: Elione Chaves
DUCA DI COMO can do Scandinavian racing a massive favour by taking away a cheque in the betting extravaganza of the day. The eight-year-old has been selectively campaigned and wasn’t totally disgraced when posting a midfield finish behind Mubakker over seven furlongs at Meydan in January. He’s a wild card and can only be recommended as a speculative choice, but it’s going to be interning to see how his winning form in Norway stacks up in this valuable handicap.
BIELSA gained an appropriate success at the York May meeting on the same day his namesake was appointed coach of Bolivia’s national soccer team. Oisin Murphy is an eye-taking booked for the Kevin Ryan-trained gelding.
CHIPSTEAD enters calculations for his own success at York in late May and this Roger Teal-trained gelding is speed through and through, being by Mayson out of a mare by Choisir.
The classy KING’S LYNN is a serious contender in the colours of the King in spite of his big weight, while MR WAGYU frequently attracts support but has become expensive to follow.
ORAZIO has the best recent form courtesy of his course and distance triumph. He’s 9lb higher in the ratings but hails from a yard that can upgrade its handicappers into Pattern company
Prediction: 1st DUCA DI COMO, 2nd Orazio, 3rd Bielsa, 4th Chipstead, 5th King’s Lynn, 6th Mr Wagyu
Race 6 GOLDEN GATES HANDICAP
No13 KNOCKBREX
Trainer: Charlie Johnston – Jockey: Frankie Dettori
Johnston’s Kingsley House stable fields a strong twin attack on a race relatively new to the Royal Ascot schedule. The trainer snapped up Frankie Dettori for KNOCKBREX, who could have the necessary armoury to strike a blow for the North. His Pontefract success over Perfuse was double boosted, while that horse ran well here on Thursday when he didn’t quite see out the trip.
LION OF WAR put one of the board when going clear of his foes at Musselburgh where he looked value for a subsequent 4lb rise.
CUBAN DAWN is by former champion two-year-old Teofilo and runs for the latter’s trainer Jim Bolger. He’s been narrowly denied at Cork and Gowran Park and also needs taking seriously.
Prediction: 1st KNOCKBREX, 2nd Lion Of War, 3rd Cuban Dawn
Race 7 QUEEN ALEXANDRA STAKES
No3 DAWN RISING
Trainer: Joseph O’Brien – Jockey: Ryan Moore
Ireland looks to have an iron grip on the final race of the meeting. Last year’s winner STRATUM is not in the same form as he was then, and though likely to start favourite is worth taking on.
Cesarewitch hero RUN FOR OSCAR found the mile and a half an insufficient test when warming up for this at the Curragh and can improve.
Chester Cup winner FALCON EIGHT hasn’t cut the mustard recently and was beaten 30 lengths when trying for a second success in that contest last month.
But DAWN RISING has much to recommend him, as he had Stratum behind him when third in a Leopardstown Group 3 and was a very smart hurdler last season. He could be the right pick if you are looking to jump out of punting jail.
1st DAWN RISING, 2nd Run For Oscar, 3rd Stratum, 4th Falcon Eight
