Hugh Taylor has 4 alternatives for the ultimate day of Royal Ascot on Saturday – watch all seven races reside on Sky Sports activities Racing.
Karl Burke’s two-year-olds have had a terrific week, and Motawahij appears to be like overpriced within the Chesham Stakes (2.30).
He made a promising debut at Hamilton earlier this month, shaping in typical vogue for one sourced from the breeze-up gross sales, figuring out his job however over-racing barely and unable to go together with a speedier rival, who subsequently ran creditably within the Coventry Stakes, ending third of eight within the far-side group and twelfth of 24 total.
Burke has solely had three earlier runners on this race however considered one of them, Markyg, had a really comparable profile to that of Motawahij, as he was a US-bred breeze-up buy who additionally ran at Hamilton on debut (ending fourth of six) earlier than discovering tons of enchancment to complete third within the 2008 Chesham at 22/1. His two different runners produced a mid-division end at 66/1 and, famously, Holloway Boy’s 40/1 debut win two years in the past.
Bedtime Story is clearly the correct favorite after doing nicely to overtake her better-fancied stablemate on her debut at Leopardstown, and that appears one of the best type on provide, however Motawahij appeals as one of the best each-way various.
Center Earth was a wise horse final 12 months, however he formed like a much-improved performer on his seasonal debut at Newbury, and, with a run beneath his belt and situations in his favour, he appears to be like to have a sound probability of turning the tables on St Leger winner Steady – who’s the one considered one of Aidan O’Brien’s 40 runners at Royal Ascot this week to be making his seasonal debut – within the Hardwicke Stakes (3.05).
On his seasonal debut at Newbury over 1m 4f, he wasn’t nicely positioned off a gradual tempo, particularly contemplating his finest type final 12 months came to visit 1m 6f, however he produced a terrific, sustained burst of pace to run down King Of Conquest, who very a lot loved first run on him and went on to win a Listed race in emphatic fashion subsequent time.
Center Earth’s closing sectionals that day have been eye-catching to say the least – for example, his ultimate two-furlong time was a lot faster than the spectacular end produced by King’s Gambit within the 1m 2f race, and he was additionally sooner over the closing two furlongs than Elite Standing within the 6f Carnarvon Stakes or Viewers and Charyn within the Lockinge Stakes.
These figures in isolation do not truly imply a lot, as common followers of sectional instances might be conscious that it is commonplace for middle-distance races to produced sooner ending instances than races over shorter relying on the respective paces of the races. Nonetheless, they do spotlight how briskly he needed to go to overtake a wise rival (now rated 114) who himself was pulling nicely away from the rest.
Steady is clearly the one to beat, having had Center Earth over 15 lengths behind when profitable the St Leger on softish floor, and if he returns on the high of his sport, he’ll be laborious to beat. O’Brien acknowledged in a current At The Races steady tour that they did not really feel there was an acceptable prep race for him and that he had been for 2 “away” exercises.
Nonetheless, in addition to the very completely different underfoot situations, the truth that Center Earth has had a run and proven what seemed to be much-improved type are believable causes for considering it needs to be a lot nearer between them this time.
Fivethousandtoone has run shockers in his earlier three begins at Ascot, however they have been in his pre-headgear days throughout a interval when he was very a lot within the doldrums, and he is no forlorn hope within the Wokingham Stakes (5.05) regardless of his huge weight.
He has gone from power to power since headgear was fitted and was extraordinarily spectacular when overcoming a poor monitor place to beat Misty Gray, who received subsequently over course and distance in a lightning-fast time earlier than profitable a sizzling Class Two handicap at Epsom.
With hindsight, Fivethousandtoone confronted a really stiff activity within the Duke Of York Stakes final time, particularly as he raced away from the place the competition unfolded, and he carried out with loads of credit score in a sizzling race – six of the eight horses that beat him run within the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes earlier on the cardboard and he wasn’t that far behind them.
His fashion must lend itself nicely to the straight monitor right here and he would possibly go away his earlier Ascot type behind within the headgear.
Primo Lara has improved considerably since being stepped as much as 1m 2f, unsurprisingly given his pedigree, and he nonetheless appears to be like a giant participant regardless of the 9lb rise for his newest win at York within the Golden Gates Stakes (5.40).
His dam was Listed positioned over 1m 4f and 1m 6f, and having been handicapped on three runs over 7f, he has proved a unique proposition over 1m 2f on his final two begins.
He got here from final to first in nice fashion, recording some quick sectionals, to win at Chelmsford on his handicap debut, and once more impressed with the power of his end at York final time, having an peculiar subject nicely strung out behind him.
That efficiency hasn’t been missed by the handicapper, however he began off such a lowly mark that he stays troublesome to evaluate, and a truly-run, big-field race (which he hasn’t but encountered) would possibly see additional enchancment.
Hugh’s finest bets (1 to five factors)
2.30 ROYAL ASCOT – 1pt each-way MOTAWAHIJ
3.05 ROYAL ASCOT – 1pt win MIDDLE EARTH
5.05 ROYAL ASCOT – 1pt each-way FIVETHOUSANDTOONE
5.40 ROYAL ASCOT – 1pt win PRIMO LARA
Watch each race from Royal Ascot reside on Sky Sports activities Racing on Saturday.
