It wasn't the ideal start to the Lucky 15 thread for Day 1 of Royal Ascot.
We had a winner with Gstaad, who looks to be a real star sprinter for Aidan O'Brien. He did a lot of the donkey work on his own down the middle of the track and won with ease.
Lake Forest was a sucker for a slow pace Queen Anne Stakes. He was towards the rear and only got going very late on.
West Acre looked terrible, and not the same horse we saw in Meydan. Maybe he needed the run.
Alphonse Le Grande was given a typical Spencer ride, which is always a risk. He got going late, but missed the places by a couple.
Day 2 Lucky 15 is advised an each-way Lucky 15.
Map Of Stars 7/2 EW (3pl) – Ascot 4.20 (Prince Of Wales's Stakes Group 1)
I'll keep this short and snappy as we have a race preview for this race.
Map Of Stars was a previous selection of mine in France and wasn't given the best of rides. I think he should have won last time out against a horse who was fourth in the Arc. The ground will be fine, and he can plunder the big pot for Day 2.
The Liffey 6/1 EW (6pl) – Ascot 5.00 (Royal Hunt Cup Heritage Handicap)
Another minefield of a race is the Royal Hunt Cup, contested by thirty horses.
It might be best to close your eyes and throw a dart, and pick the horse it lands on, as it's that competitive. There are a couple I fancy this race, which will be the case for 99% of punters, but for the Lucky 15 selection, I am going for The Liffey.
Joseph O'Brien inherited this horse from his father, and he made a nice enough return to the track with a fourth-placed effort at Naas in a Listed event. That was his first run in 350 days, and over a trip which is too short for him. He was weak in the market for that race, and running horses over shorter than ideal trips is an indicator it is a prep run for something down the line. Obviously, connections had today's race in their mind, and I think he has a solid chance.
He was a useful horse when with Aidan, shown by recording an RPR of 104 on his final start for Ballydoyle. The form of his win at Listowel was franked last year by the second and third, and the fifth was third at Ascot for new connections.
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Julia Augusta 18/1 EW (6pl) – Ascot 5.35 (Kensington Palace Stakes Handicap)
Going against the grain might not be the best thing to do, but whenever you do that, you get value.
This race has only been run at Royal Ascot four times, and on every occasion, a four-year-old has won it. The majority of the field is made up of horses of that age, but I like David O'Meara in big field handicaps, and his mare Julia Augusta caught my eye.
David is mustard at the big meetings, especially in handicaps. He has two horses in this race, but I think the one who has the best chance is Julia Augusta. Last year, she was highly tried in better races than this and didn't run terribly. At Royal Ascot last year, she finished 6th/14 in the Group 2 won by Running Lion, just 4.75L behind the winner. She then ran well in a Group 3 on the same track, but was poor towards the end of the year. She returned with an encouraging third-placed effort at Epsom in a Class 2 contest on ground which was too soft for her. That was her first run in 205 days, so it was a prep run for today.
Utmost Respect 9/1 EW (4pl) – Ascot 6.10 Windsor Castle Stakes Listed Race)
It's a bit frustrating that Ballistic Missile didn't run well on Day 1, as if he did, then my confidence in Utmost Respect would have gone up tremendously. Despite that, I am still confident of a big run by Richard Fahey's runner.
Richard has unleashed some smart juveniles over the years at Royal Ascot, and I'm hoping that Utmost Respect will be another.
Like all races, this is a tough race, especially to lose your maiden tag. But, the way that Utmost Respect ran on debut suggests he is a very talented horse. Nothing went right for him at York. He was keen in he beginning and was repeatedly blocked a clear run. Oisin Orr had to switch him out quite violently to get a run, but despite his best efforts, it was too late. However, he showed a sharp turn of foot, and even though a lot went wrong, it was good experience for him in this big field.
GambleAware