Back & Buzzing For The Royal Action At Ascot





It's been a long while since I've posted anything here on TheStudentPunter.com but after spending some time writing content for other racing websites I have decided to bring the blog back.

Recent commitments meant I was unable to put the time in required to achieve the results I want for this website, so I decided to take a break.

But now we are back in business and just in time for Royal Ascot!

I hope to be posting on here the night before each day of the meeting next week if I can find anything which I deem betting material, but in the meantime I have got my teeth stuck into the curtain raiser, The Queen Anne Stakes, with a race preview below.


Queen Anne Stakes (Ascot 14:40, Tuesday)

A competitive renewal of this mile Group 1 contest kicks off the meeting, with 18 high class runners  still in the field at the time of writing. Previewing a race this far in advance requires an open mind with regards to conditions and potential race analysis, as it is difficult to tell at this point what the ground will be like on the day and it is unlikely all 18 runners will stand their ground.

That being said we don't have to bet now and we can still plan for a variety of conditions.

It makes sense to start by focusing on the current favourite, the Aidan O'Brien trained Le Brivido. He seems to be everyone's smart-arse angle into the race given he has shaped well recently but hasn't won a race since the Jersey Stakes at this meeting in 2017, but the problem is at around 7/2 he isn't the price of your usual 'smart-arse' probably mostly due to the genius who trains him.

Plenty in this field finished ahead of the favourite in the Lockinge at Newbury last month, with the winner Mustashry showing a devastating turn of foot in the final furlong to quicken nicely clear of Laurens who was 2 1/2 lengths behind in second. If the ground dries out before Tuesday then the former must have an excellent chance of improving further after a career best performance, but with the current grizzly conditions there has to be some doubt about that.

At the current prices my eyes are drawn to one who actually ran very disappointingly in the Lockinge last time out in the shape of Lord Glitters. David O'Meara's charge finished 13th of the 14 runners in the Newbury contest but theres plenty of reasons to think that a return to the Ascot turf could see him bounce back in style.



His form figures at the Berkshire track read 21226, including this race last year when he finished an agonisingly close second behind Accidental Agent who lines up again this year. Lord Glitter's versatility ground-wise makes him more of an appealing bet to me than last years winner, especially given his return to action this year was very impressive, finishing third out in Dubai achieving a career best RPR. Recent comments by his trainer suggest he is expecting a big run and at current odds of 14/1 he looks like he offers some each-way value in the early NRNB market.

For want of a better racing cliche, the potential fly in the ointment has to be Barney Roy. After not quite getting the job done as a stallion he returned to the track off the back of a 557 day absence to run a blinder over course and distance, just touched off by Zaaki who has franked the form at Epsom since. More recently he showed he retained his potent turn of foot when landing a listed contest in France but it remains to be seen if he can compete at the very highest level still.

One at a juicy price who could give us a big run for our money if the ground does end up on the softer side is Stormy Antarctic. His effort over course and distance (soft) on British Champions Day back in October would put him right in the mix for this race. Despite being left with far too much to do by Jamie Spencer on that occasion, he rattled home late on and was only beaten 1 1/2 lengths by the excellent Roaring Lion. He is 2-2 this season and although it's difficult to get a huge grip on the form of those wins as they were in Germany and Italy, you can only beat what is put in front of you and RPR's suggest they warrant his place in this field. Widely available at 33/1 at the time of writing, it may be worth holding fire to see how conditions fare over the next couple of days as he only looks worth backing if theres some cut in the ground.

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