Ascot King George Day Betting Tips
The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (16:10) headlines the action at Ascot on Saturday and it promises to be a cracker despite the small field, with five Group 1 winners in the line up.
A pair of Group 3s - the Princess Margaret (13:40) and the Valiant Stakes (14:20) - supplement the action on Saturday alongside a potentially informative maiden (13:10) and some competitive handicaps.
There are eight races in all at Ascot on Saturday and we have selected our best bets.
13:10 - British EBF Crocker Bulteel 'Confined' Maiden Stakes
Charlie Appleby, who is having a great season with his juveniles, fields two, but the fact William Buick has picked WORDS OF TRUTH over newcomer Harbor Lock looks noteworthy. He could only manage eighth on his debut at Newbury in May, but that race was won by subsequent Chesham Stakes winner Humidity and has produced a stack of future winners. A brother to Group 2 winner Ancient Truth, he’s been gelded since and could take a big step forward.
Selection: Words Of Truth
13:40 - Sodexo Live! Princess Margaret Stakes
There was no fluke about FLOWERHEAD’s 100-1 second in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot last month, when she fared best of those on the far side. That form has received a couple of notable boosts since, with the winner romping home in the Group 2 Railway Stakes and fifth-placed Staya landing the Listed Dragon Stakes next time. She ran by far the quickest final furlong last time and could be even better over six furlongs.
Selection: Flowerhead
14:20 - Longines Valiant Stakes
It’s hard to get away from the class-dropping CHANTILLY LACE, who ran a fine race to finish fifth in the 1,000 Guineas on her reappearance before filling the same position in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot last time. She still has the potential for better after just three starts and looks a big player with her sights lowered.
Selection: Chantilly Lace
15:00 - Moet & Chandon International Handicap
There are few better jockeys on Ascot’s straight course than Jamie Spencer and he’s been booked to ride LORD BERTIE, who caught the eye doing good late work at Doncaster on his penultimate start. The hood that inconvenienced him last time is left off and he looks well treated now returning to the scene of his last win.
Selection: Lord Bertie
15:35 - Handicap
The Royal Hunt Cup was won by a potential future Group horse, so BULLET POINT ran a cracker to go down by just three-quarters of a length, having made the running on his side of the track. A 3lb rise for that looks more than fair and he represents last year’s winning stable, who took this with a similarly progressive four-year-old.
Selection: Bullet Point
16:10 - King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes
Jan Brueghel got the better of CALANDAGAN when the pair met in the Coronation Cup last month, but the selection was held up when there was a huge bias towards those who raced prominently, so he ran a fine race to go down by just half a length. He opened his Group 1 account next time when putting in rapid closing sectionals to land the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, comfortably seeing off last year’s Arc runner-up, and can reverse form with his old rival now on a quicker surface at a track that suits him well.
Selection: Calandagan
16:45 - Me2 Club Handicap
VENEZUELAN looks well treated from a mark just 3lb higher than when second on his handicap debut at Newmarket in May. He bumped into a progressive subsequent winner that day, while the fifth and seventh have both won since too, so the form is rock solid. He’s unexposed on turf and the longer trip and first-time blinkers are both potential sources of improvement.
Selection: Venezuelan
17:15 - Whispering Angel Handicap
The draw scuppered the chance of WOOLHAMPTON in a similar race over course and distance last time and although she’s drawn on the wing here, she’s got plenty of pace around her this time. She was a huge eyecatcher at Newcastle on her penultimate start and makes plenty of appeal from a mark 2lb below her last winning one.
Selection: Woolhampton
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation