It’s here. The undeniable highlight of the flat racing season isn’t just about swanning around in a top hat and tails and betting on the colour of the Queen’s hat. There’s some serious horse racing involved too.

Unfortunately for me the week got off to a bad start. Ryanair’s baggage restrictions meant that I ended up having to wear my top hat on the flight. You feel a bit daft but on the other hand it’s a good place to squeeze any extra luggage onto the flight. One day some smart inventor will create a special Ryanair hat and in the process become a very rich man.

So what about the racing itseslf? Well, I’ll be here every day of the week to cast my inexpert eye over the card, and I’d love to hear your opinons as well.

In the St James Palace Stakes its Mastercraftsman vs Delegator round 3. Mastercraftsman might be short at 4/5 but Aidan O’Brien always seems to have his horses right for Ascot and it would be a brave man who takes him on. We did last year and got our fingers seriously burned! Delegator, on the other hand, is a real enigma and I can’t help feeling that we’ve seen the best of him and that the change of jockey won’t make enough of a difference. There’s not much else to consider in this field, so I’ll stick with Mastercraftsman here.

The other big talking point will be Gladiatorious in the Queen Anne Stakes. On paper he’s the best horse in training. On grass, in the British Isles, he’s nothing special. At 9/4 he’s there to be taken on because I just don’t believe Dubai form translates easily to a track like Ascot. Take your pick from the other runners but I fancy Paco Boy at 11/4.

The Kings Stand Stakes looks like a huge race this year with a field from around the globe looking to land what feels like a sprint world championship. It’s difficult to read international form at the best of times and this race really does feel wide open. It would probably be won by five different horses if they ran it five times! If I have to take a punt I’ll got for globe trotting Australian raider Scenic Blast at a not exactly tasty, but not exactly miserly either 7/2.

This entry was posted on 5:22pm Monday, June 15th, 2009 at 5:22 pm and is filed under Horse Racing Tips, Racing, Sportsbook. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. By commenting on this site you agree to abide by our terms and conditions.

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