16th June...Royal Ascot Day 1

It's the finest 5 days of horse racing if not sport as a whole in the World, it's the week my life builds up to every year.

I have the week off, I'm writing to you from my home in Dublin but will be flying in later today to attend the Royal meeting tomorrow.

The Racing Post is bought, the form books have many a scribble on them, the Antepost bets are on, the suit is out of the cleaners, the champagne is in the fridge and it's only hours away.

We kick off with the Group 1 Queen Ann stakes over a straight mile, this race holds a special place for me as the year before last Ramonti battled home at 8/1 with Frankie on board to land the prize and send me on my biggest winning streak of my 15 year betting career & it looks like the Royal Blue hold the aces again.

The stat I'm looking for here is a horse that didn't win the Lockinge at Newbury & did win the Sandown mile, reasons being the contestants of the Lockinge in previous years have gone on to win this race, in the past thirteen years it reads like this 08 - Haraduson, 07 - Ramonti, 04 - Refuse to Bend, 02 - No Excuse Needed, 96 - Charwood Forest.

The Sandown Mile, no horse has won the Sandown Mile and taken this prize in the last 10 years so that rules out Paco Boy for me.

The Goldpolphin have sent out 7 of the last 13 winners of this race, for me Alexandros who got pipped on the line in the Lockinge at Newbury holds the key and is a decent price.

1.30 @ Ascot - Alexandros €100 win @ 8.8

King Stand Stakes...

A 5 furlong sprint which attracts a big International field with Australia sending over their finest and have given a decent show of late with Takeover Target & Miss Andretti take 1st prize.

The big stats here is the Prix Du Gross at Chantilly and Tax Free landed the spoils there and gets the nod at 10/1, favourites have a shocking record in this and my opinion is the favourite hasn't gone down the prefer ed prep route and is there to be shot at.

Some decent each way shouts with Borderlesscott and Hoh Hoh Hoh fitting the bill over trip and ground.

2.05 @ Ascot - Tax Free €50 win @ 15
Borderless Scott €50 place @ 3.35
Hoh Hoh Hoh €50 place @ 8
Scenic Blast €50 lay @ 4.1

St James Palace Stakes...

Reading the history of this race can only be described as a who's who of the Irish 2000 guineas but the winner of this years classic has only acted on the most heaviest of ground and the 2nd only acts on the quickest ground, Ascot is good to firm today so I'm going with Delegator who was 2nd to the Derby winner Sea the Stars in the English 2000 g's and a prep race in France is a good pointer and Orziba came 3rd in a handy Group 3 at Chantilly recently so is worth a place.

3.45 @ Ascot - Delegator €100 win @ 6
Orizba €25 place @ 5.6
Mastercraftsman €100 lay @ 1.92

The Coventry Stakes...

Now this looks like a minefield, for reads like a pattern of over keen in the 1st 2 furlongs, night races & no group form to work with.

However one stat I do like is winner last time out over trip & ground with only one career win. The Flying Statesman fits this bill and is a very juicy price so some value to be had here.

4.20 @ Ascot - The Flying Statesman €50 place @ 9

4.55 @ Ascot - Judge the Moment €25 place @ 3.1
Som Tala €25 place @ 4.1

That's the 1st day folks, hope you enjoy this wonderful days racing.

Good Luck

JB