Royal Ascot: Day Three – 22/06/2023
Gold Cup Day. Arguably the feature event of the Royal Meeting, so don’t forget to check out our teams’ thoughts on the big race at 4:20. However, as well as the Gold Cup we also have 6 very competitive races to enjoy, and our team have found another 4 selections for you on the rest of the card.
2:30 – Norfolk Stakes (Group 2)
Another day at Ascot begins with another very competitive 2-year-old sprint. The entire field is open to improvement with so little form to go on. Wesley Ward naturally has a good record in this race, winning it in 2013 with No Nay Never and 2018 with Shang Shang Shang, so it is important not to discount American Rascal, who powered away to win by 10-lengths on his debut at Keeneland in April. He is a son of Lady Aurelia, so a trip to Royal Ascot was always on the cards after such an impressive debut and he sets a fair standard. If the ground stays fast, American Rascal is probably a solid bet to at least hit the frame, but he may be slightly unlucky to bump into a potential superstar in the shape of Elite Status.
5:00 – Britannia Stakes (Heritage Handicap)
As you might expect this is another wide-open Royal Ascot handicap but whilst there is a case to be made for many, there a few with claims as strong as Racingbreaks Ryder. The winner of his last 4 starts, he has already risen 18lbs in the handicap after wins at Nottingham, Haydock and here last month. His new mark of 97 still looks fair, judging by the way he dispatched a small but select field over 7-furlongs here 6-weeks ago. James McDonald is booked for the ride which is a definite positive and the step back up to 1-mile shouldn’t cause any concern and he has already proven himself to be ground versatile, so there is no add cause for alarm if the rain comes. By the end of the season, he may well take the step up into Group races, in which case he should go close in a race like this on a mark of 97.
5:35 – Hampton Court Stakes (Group 3)
This is a very deep renewal of this race. Top of the form list is Caernarfon, whose 3rd placed finish in the Oaks sets a very decent standard for the others to aim at. The drop back to 10-furlongs should be fine for her and it isn’t a surprise to see her come here rather than the Ribblesdale. Her Oaks form looks stronger than the 6th placed finish of Waipiro in the Derby, especially as he was slowly away at Epsom and in receipt of her fillies’ allowance, she should confirm that view. However, like many others in this race, we know where we are with these horses in terms of their ability. It’s a similar story with the likes of Epictetus, Bold Act and Brave Emperor, who have all run with credit and confirmed themselves to be capable of running well in pattern company, without quite taking the step up to the very top of the ladder. The same cannot be said of Bolster.
Trained by the Crisfords, he fits into the “could be anything” category after 2 very easy successes in Novice races at Leicester and Windsor on either side of the winter break. He is turned out quickly after his run at Windsor last week, but he won with any amount in hand (6-lengths clear of the rest) and didn’t look to have an overly hard race. That run should bring him on and the time figure of 107 that he recorded doesn’t leave him with too much more to find. Although this is a deep race for such an inexperienced horse, he is a very exciting prospect and if there is a Group 1 contender in here, it may well be him.
6:10 – Buckingham Palace Stakes (Handicap)
Exposed. That word perfectly sums up the majority of this field and probably none more so than our selection Ropey Guest. With 3 wins from 35 career starts he can hardly be considered to be an improving type and needless to say with that record, this is an each-way selection. However, he has spent most of his career running in much deeper races than this and he has a good record at Ascot, including when 2nd in this race 12-months ago off a 3lb lower mark. He ran his best race for some time when winning by 3-lengths at Goodwood at the end of May and looks sure to run his race again. Whilst there is always the danger that he bumps into a less exposed type with more in hand, the list of well handicapped horses in this field is a short one and he looks a solid each-way bet the end the card with.
