Ginger Joe - Gold Cup Day at Royal Ascot 2023

It’s time for the Ascot Gold Cup!

Thank you for joining me again tonight. I've already made my Day 3 selections and I have an EW Lucky 15 ready for you to get stuck into. They are all at decent enough prices and I’m hoping to get back on track after an unusually poor day at the office today.

The highlight of Day 3 is undoubtedly the Ascot Gold Cup, where Coltrane and Eldar Eldarov will lock horns to find out who is the best stayer in the land. I know exactly which one I think will win and I feel strongly enough to put him up as my NAP selection for tomorrow.

I think the ground is what will truly make a difference at Ascot tomorrow and for that reason, I’m rather bullish about my winning picks for Day 3. So, let’s hope for a big day to get us back into the winner’s enclosure

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For Day 3 of the 2023 Royal Ascot meeting, I have got a cracking offer for you from Coral. Bet just £5 and you’ll get a £20 free bet to use as you wish.

15:05 King George Stakes - 1m 4f Handicap

Valiant King @ 8/1

My first winning pick for Day 3 is the Joseph O’Brien-trained Valiant King, who looks sure to improve for a step up in trip here and already holds confirmed entries in both the Irish Derby and the Irish St Leger. If he is being taken down that route, then he surely must be knocking at the door here.

He won going away in a fairly ordinary race last time out at Navan, but even though it was a weak event, he showed us that he has plenty of gears at the ready. The only slight concern I have is the fast ground, but he is a strong galloper and he is pretty well handicapped here, so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue for him. There is already plenty of support for him in the markets, so if you agree with my view of Valiant King, then you’ll need to get on fast.

16:20 Gold Cup - 2m 4f Group 1

Eldar Eldarov @ 4/1 (NAP)

For the Gold Cup, I’m siding with Eldar Eldarov who is my Day3 NAP. Even though he is a stayer, he has shown a great turn of foot in the late stages of his races so far and I think he will be able to outdo Coltrane, the current favourite based on that alone.

Basically, he has gone from strength to strength, building up a really strong resume along the way. He won both the Queen's Vase and the St Leger, and still looks open to even more improvement as he goes up in trip. If the ground were softer, I would most likely have gone for Coltrane, but the fast ground has me siding with the flashy Eldar Eldarov, who I think will take all the beating.

17:00 Britania Stakes - 1m Heritage Handicap

Panic Alarm @ 25/1

The Jessie Harrington yard is definitely one to latch onto when they hit form and they bagged a nice win today with Villanova Queen, who ran very well to take the Kensington Palace at an SP of 25/1.

My belief is that they may just have another winning candidate on their hands for tomorrow and at an equally big price. So, my pick for the Britania Stakes is Panic Alarm and don’t worry, I am looking way beyond his oversized price tag.

Firstly, Panic Alarm only has 2½ lengths to find when compared to the St James Palace winner Paddington over a 7-furlong distance. He is weighted to go well again here, which will be his first attempt at a mile, and I think that extra furlong could just bring out a little more improvement still.

He will need to dig deep and pull out a career-best effort to take this, but he has been remarkably consistent while going up in weight. Granted, he may need a little luck in running, but in my opinion, his talent has slipped under the radar, so I’m more than happy to take a chance on him at the price.

18:10 Buckingham Palace Stakes - 7f Handicap

Kingdom Come @ 12/1

Kingdom Come was a very progressive lad last year, when he won three on the bounce over 7 furlongs, before being slightly outstayed over the mile at Newbury last time out. There was no doubt that he stayed the trip well enough, as there were just two lengths between him and the winner, Bear Force One. Had different tactics been used, I think the outcome could have been different.

Anyway, he is bred to relish the current faster ground and he drops back to his favoured 7 furlongs here. He is a very likable type, who remains relatively unexposed at this trip and he is far more appealing than most here. I’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t run a big race tomorrow.

Free bets aplenty here

If you already have a Coral account, there are plenty more where that offer came from right here – feel free to browse to your heart’s content…

Good luck with your bets!

Thanks for joining me here once again. Hopefully I have found us a nice EW Lucky 15 to get us set up for the rest of the week. Good Luck with your Day 3 bets and I’ll be back tomorrow with my Day 4 selections.

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