Royal Ascot 2020 - Day One





13:15 Buckingham Palace Handicap

Going to keep this write up fairly brief as the price of Kaeso is contracting all the time and he looks a fairly solid looking each-way bet. He posted the best run of his career when finishing second over course and distance on his final start of last season, beaten only by the Ascot specialist Raising Sand.  Nigel Tinkler's charge tends to need his first run of the season so I wouldn't read too much into his run at Newcastle on reappearance, but it should have blown away the cobwebs for this. The excellent Oisin Murphy takes the ride and his mount looks a bet to me with many firms paying 6 places each way.

Daarik finished in front of the selection last time out at Newcastle but he doesn't offer much value and all of his best runs have come on an artificial surface, whereas the selection is very versatile ground-wise, so if the showers do arrive it shouldn't be a problem.

Kaeso 8/1 - 1 Point Each-Way



13:50 Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1)

It's not hard to see why Circus Maximus is heading the betting at the time of writing, he won at the royal meeting last year and Aidan O'Brien is in absolutely flying form at present. However he looks short enough at the head of the market and given this is a race which has been known to throw up a few surprises, I'd rather take a couple at bigger prices.

Followers of this blog weren't shocked when Lord Glitters landed this contest last year, he was a 14/1 winning selection in what is usually the curtain racer for the meeting. One at a bigger price who I like this year, Roseman is still very much unexposed and I think he has slipped under the radar in the market here. Pretty much everything went wrong for him in the Hampton Court here last year, but he still finished a creditable strong finishing 5th.

He looked like he'd taken a huge step forward later in the year when landing a listed race at Newmarket in taking fashion in November. Form which has been advertised well since, with the second landing a Group 3 at Newbury last week. With the strong possibility of further improvement on what will be just his 6th start, he looks worth backing with firms offering extra places each-way.

I'm also going to have a small each-way bet on Bless Him. He landed a handicap over course and distance in stylish fashion on his final start last season and while handicap form wouldn't normally be something to shout about in this company, the second that day was Lord North who has won Listed and Group 3 races since. He had little chance at Newmarket on reappearance when held up in a race that favoured those up with the pace, I'd expect him to come on for that run returned to a track which he has already shown plays to his strengths.

Roseman 16/1 - 0.5 Points Each-Way

Bless Him 33/1 - 0.5 Points Each-Way




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