
It’s time to head into Day 2 of the 2023 Royal Ascot meeting and I’m looking to try and find us some more winners after a profitable day yesterday. We started off with River Tiber winning the Coventry at 15/8 and then we watched Paddington romp home in the St James Palace Stakes at a price of 11/4, so we definitely caught the early value.
Today I have another four selections for you to take a look at. I’ve backed these as singles, but also put them in a Lucky 15 in the hope of landing a jackpot. So, here’s to another successful day at the Royal meeting.
To get Day 2 underway, why not start off with some free bets? Today’s offer comes courtesy of Betfred, who have a Bet £10, Get £40 in Free Bets deal ready and waiting for you.
I have had Beautiful Diamond in mind for this race since she won on debut at Nottingham two weeks ago. She cost a shade over £360,000 and won looking as though was money well spent. She travelled really strongly and pulled clear of the field from over a furlong out, at which point she was never going to get caught.
She is bred for speed and there’s absolutely no doubt that she has plenty of that. Admittedly she will need to take another step forward here and the price is getting a little skinny, but she could well be a class ahead of these here, despite it only being her second start of the season.
Karl Burke is doing really well with his two-year-olds again this season and he is double-handed in this field. He also runs Got To Love A Grey, who is unbeaten after her two starts to date and looks like a really uncomplicated filly with plenty of gears. The experience gained from her second run bodes well for her and I can see her picking up some of the place money here.
She perhaps isn’t quite as flashy as Beautiful Diamond, but I do think she is going to run a really big race and wouldn’t put anyone off backing her each way at her current double-figure price. My winning pick though is Beautiful Diamond, who is more than open to further improvement. She is going to need a clear run in a big field like this, but from what I’ve seen of her so far, she’s more than capable of keeping herself out of trouble and it’s hard not to be impressed by her.
The Kensington Palace is another wide-open race, but I really like the way Adelaise shaped last time out. She had absolutely no luck in running, having to switch routes twice before she could get going, but somehow still managed to finish a really close third. I’m convinced she would have won that day given a clear run.
That was only her second start for the Joseph O’Brien team and it was a big step forward in the right direction. The fact she was unlucky in running last time out means that she comes into this race on a very handy mark and she is carrying just 8st 12lb.
She is quite a big filly who is a very strong traveller and can show a pretty decent turn of foot too, so if she eases into the race like she did last time, then she should be bang on the premises come the end of the race. She’s currently trading at a value price for such a promising filly, so be quick.
I think Dunum is the standout entry in the Royal Hunt Cup. He looks to be one of the few candidates here who can cope with a field of this size. He’s as consistent as you like and looks as though he has plenty more to come. What’s more, he is running for a stable that has managed to win with four of their six runners this month.
So, to sum it up, Dunum has plenty of big-field Handicap experience and, considering we have a decent grasp on the majority of this field, he is the one that could still be open to plenty of improvement, despite being a five-year-old. He has won his last three starts on a faster surface and he commands absolute respect in this deep field.
My NAP for today comes in the last, where I’m convinced that Johannes Brahms will take a big step forward. That’s largely based on his winning debut at Naas, where he had to battle hard to get the job done and did so with a great attitude.
On form he does need to improve, but this is only his second start and connections have won this race three times in recent years, so they know what type it takes to win here. In fact, the yard has plenty of runners that could have been entered here, but the fact that they are running just Johannes Brahms speaks volumes.
Anyway, I have a sneaky suspicion that there is a lot of improvement to come from him today. Don’t be fooled by his short margin victory on debut, he is a serious horse this one, so expect to see plenty more from him in this race.
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Thanks for tuning in again today. We are sure to see another day of spectacular racing and I can’t wait to watch the action as it unfolds. Don’t forget to check out my YouTube and Twitter channels for more Ascot insights and analysis, but for now, good luck with your bets!
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