16:25 Ascot, Wokingham Stakes

Waffle is one I’ve supported a good few times in the past. He was a great second in this last year of this mark and although I’m a bit disappointed in his price now at 16/1, he still has a hell of a lot in his favour. 6 Furlongs at Ascot on Soft Ground is just about perfect for him and he looks to have a great chance tomorrow. I’ll keep it to win only as I’d prefer a bigger price with 5 places to get interested in the EW bet.

1 Point win 16/1 Totesport & Betfred

Dungannon looks a little underestimated here. He won a very good race here last year in the Shergar cup series on good-soft of only 2 lbs lower. He has a decent amount of form on softer ground and is drawn low which could be an advantage. He has had only one poor race this year but I’d imagine that today was more his target considering his very good course record. 33/1 with 5 places looks great value.

1 Point EW 33/1 5 Places Various

I’m going to add one more real longshot in this race. Having a look at Ascot form from last year I noticed Joe Packet running well here in the Challenge Cup, when finishing 5^th. He looked for all the world as if he didn’t really stay the 7 and the 6 furlongs here might just suit. He is a huge price on Betfair and it looks worth a min bet. In addition he is back here after a decent break and he has won from a similar break before.

½ Point win 140 Betfair ½ Point Place 24

15:45 Ascot, Diamond Jubilee Stakes

There is no point opposing the favourite here so im going to ignore her and hope she wins by a furlong. I’m going to go for a bit of value in the W/O market. Genki is sure to love the soft ground has performed well in Group 1’s on soft ground before. He will more than likely be ridden for a place and hopefully will pick up the pieces left from some of the more fancied horses taking on the Fav here. 20/1 with bet365 EW w/o the fav looks great value.

1pt EW 20/1 Bet265 w/o Fav.

5:35 Ascot Queen Alexandra Stakes

Swingkeel last year’s winner looks a big price on Betfair considering he has the same conditions as last year. This is a stronger race with Overturn and Simenon, but the softer ground really shouldn’t suit overturn and the other fav has already ran this week. In my eyes Swingkeel looks the 3^rd most likely winner in this field and that makes him value. His first run this year can be ignored as we can be sure that today was his target.

1 Point win 20 Betfair

2:25 Ayr

Astrophysical Jet just has to get back to form at some, stage and considering she ran well enough last time out and was punted heavily before the off maybe signifies that a win could be imminent. She is 16/1 for this race and if she is one the way back at all that would seem a decent price.

1point win 16/1 Various

Able Master is well capable of winning a race like this of his current mark. He has been finishing his races poorly but he is bound to hit form at some stage soon. This looks a weak race and hes unlikely to get much better chances. 6/1 looks value.

2 Points win 6/1 Various

5:35

Imperial Guest is another Ascot specialist in a similar vein to my selection earlier on this week from the same team Excellent Guest. We can be sure  with both the Royal Ascot is their main target for the year and with such a good run from Excellent earlier on this week there is no way I can desert Imperial in this race. He has been in the firing line on a number of occasions on this course and the current 42 on Betfair is vastly overpriced so I’ll be taking advantage. Ill add another EW bet as soon as 33/1 becomes available with one of the bookies offering 5 places.

1 Point win 42 Betfair

33/1 EW with 5 places available with Paddy Power so and additional 1 PT EW here

Atlantic Sport is another I have picked a few times around here. He has a number of very decent performances in similar races in the last year or 2 off higher marks than the 92 he has today. For example he was a good 5^th in the International over this C&D last year on Good-Soft ground of a mark of 100. He has had only 1 run this year which should be to his advantage and the 40/1 with 5 places looks overpriced.

1pt EW 40/1 Paddy Power Boyles etc.

4:25

Opera Gal is the right sort of tough horse to have a decent chance at a huge price in this race. There are a lot of unexposed horses that may well be better in time than my selection but with the soft ground over this trip a lot of them might just struggle. She has plenty of decent form on softer ground and has won over further. She has been dropped 4lbs for her seasonal reappearance and that could be enough to give her a chance here. I particularly like the 6.2 to place price on Betfair considering it is for 4 places.

½ Point win 34 Betfair 1 Point place 6.2 Betfair

4:35

Man Of Action was a bit of a an eye catcher for me last time out. Despite starting slowly he seemed to pick up a lot near the finish. To me it might signify a return to form is imminent. He was very consistent last year of only 3lbs lower and should be more than capable of getting involved here at what looks a decent price for 5 places.

1 PT ew 33/1 Betvictor 5 places

Excellent Guest is a bit of a course specialist and although it is his first step up in trip to 1 mile, he has stayed well on soft ground here before over 7 finishing well so it looks to give him a chance of staying the extra furlong here on what is now good ground. He has proved he can go well of this mark when 2^nd to Brae Hill last year at Newmarket. I think his chances of being in the first 5 here are very good so the 33/1 available in a few places with the 5 places looks good value.

1pt EW 33/1 5 Places various.

2:30

Red Duke looks a decent price to me, he has largely been consistent but has been unlucky on a few occasions. There aren’t as many unexposed possible superstars as there could be in this and despite the fact the he has to give a few pounds away, his last run was eye-catching in the German 2000 when he was very unlucky in running. With 4 places on offer and 7 furlongs possibly his best trip 28/1 looks worth a small bet

½ Point EW 28/1 Bet265 4 places

3:05

Nahrain has in my view easily the best form in the race. Her win in Longchamp last year is easily the best bit of form here considering she didn’t get the best of runs, having a very solid yardstick in Banempire behind.  She possibly has more improvement in her considering her 2 main rivals are more exposed. 9/2 looks a big price and worth a decent bet. There is an element of risk that since she is most likely being targeted at end of season races again that she mightn’t be at her best here, but still she may not need her absolute best to win here.

2 Points win 9/2 Bet365

3:45

I’m going to take 2 French trained runners in this as it looks to me as if they will both be suited by  the conditions and look overpriced on form. Hermival probably has the single best bit of form here in his very good 3^rd in the 2000. He was a bit disappointing in the Irish version, but I’m not sure the race was run to suit and the ground there probably wasn’t to his liking. This greater test will surly suit him much better and I can see him finishing of his race better than most in these conditions. The same can be said of his stable companion Dragon Pulse who has top class 2yo form along with beating Dabirsim on his debut in France this year. Although he was poor enough in the French 2000 he hadn’t settled at all and if he can here he will be there at the finish as again he look sure to be suited by this test.

2 Points win Hermival 13 Betfair

2 Points win Dragon Pulse 14.5 Betfair

3:05

Secret Asset hasn’t really done much this year but he could be suited by the conditions today. His 2nd in the Abbey towards the end of last year would give him a small shot here, and there is inevitably one big priced outsider in the places in these races and he looks the most likely. 50/1 with 4 places on Bet365 looks with a min bet.

½ Point ew 50/1 Bet365 4 places

5:00

Elyaadi is the most proven horse around here in this field. When I look at the rest of the field nothing stands out and given that she is down to a rating 4lbs lower than before, for no apparent reason really, she has to have a superb chance here as this is bound to be her target for the year. 8/1 looks value.

1 Point win 8/1 Bet365

2:30

As much as i love watching a superstar, i can’t let any Horse like Excelebration who is clearly second best in what looks a 2 horse race go of at 14.5 on Betfair without having a small bet. This was easily Frankels worst race last year, and if there is anything amiss at all Excelebration looks very solid to take advantage. He looks more of a 8/1 shot to me.

1 Point win 14.5 Betfair

3:05

Prohibit last year’s winner looks to big on Betfair at the moment at 32 to win, he looks the most likely of the longshot to have a chance of winning here. His profile this year is not a lot different then last year, he ran an ok race in France before this and does go well on softer ground. Ill have a min bet at those odds

½ Point win Prohibit 32 Betfair

15:35 Doncaster

Marvellous Value is down to the same mark as his second in the Ayr Silver Cup last year. He will love the soft ground and has had 2 nice sweetener’s over an unsuitable 5 furlongs this year. There is the risk that he will be targeted at a repeat performance in Ayr later this year, but conditions are in his favour here and he looks worth a small bet at a huge price on Betfair.

½ Point win 34 Betfair

2:50 Salisbury

Noverre To Go doesn’t have any real form on Soft but he really has never run on it so far. This has the look of a weak enough race and considering his good return at Haydock this year, his price with Boyles of 9/1 looks too big. He was poor enough next time from a bad draw, but his mark here should put him in with a great chance and I think he is a cert to start shorter than 9/1

1 Point win 9/1 Boyes

4.40 Doncaster

Collateral Damage  has always been better on a softer surface and he has shown some signs this year that a revival might be imminent. He looks to have dropped to far in handicap mark given a couple of half decent runs at Beverly this year. With almost no weight and soft ground along with what looks a decent 10/1 available in Paddy Power it all adds up to value.

1 Point win 10/1 Paddy Power

3:15 Cork

Borderlescott has been creeping back to form after his injury last year, and his last run when 4^th in the Temple Stakes is a long way clear of anything the rest of this field has done apart maybe from Inexile. I think he should be favourite here and 4/1 available in a few places does look great value. He does have some decent form on soft ground in the past but although its not ideal he may not need to be at his best to win this.

2 Points win 4/1 Coral/Betfred/Will Hill

3:50 Cork

Betterbetterbetter Ran a decent race in the oaks, when the race probably wasn’t run to suit at all being far to slow early on. She ran a good race at Chester on Soft Ground and looks to me to have plenty of progression left in her. She looks more of a 7/2 shot to me than the 7.2 available on Betfair at the moment and easily worth a bet.

2 Points win 7.2 Betfair

The last 2 weeks was poor enough really with a few close calls, Hazelrig just failed this Friday at a big price losing by a nose. A very good run from 50/1 shot Boris Grigoriev yesterday despite being on the wrong side of the track kept the wolf from the door. The previous 10 days had nothing to show but these runs have to be expected with longshot backing, and some close calls proving were on the right track. Ill update the stats later on this morning, but were in loss territory. Hopefully Royal Ascot can be better.

15:10 York

Boris Grigoriev in my view looks a sprinter, and his one good run this year was in a 6 Furlong Listed Sprint that has worked out very near top class. His run there in 6^th would make his mark here of 85 look very enticing were it not for a number of poor runs since (Although mostly over further). Last year he ran another great race in a Group 3 at the Curragh on Soft Ground when 3^rd behind 2 decent stalemates. Given the few factors in his favour here in that he is bottom of the weights, has come down considerably in mark and goes on soft, along with the fact he has a proper jockey on today all leads to the hope that today might be a going day. 50 on Betfair looks worth a bet just in case

1pt win 50 1pt place 9 Betfair

2:05 York

Halla San looks a very solid place bet in this race. He is down to a reasonable mark will certainly stay and go on the soft ground and has been running well this year apart maybe from his last run. This ground could find out a lot of this field today and 9.0 to place on Betfair looks about double his real odds of making the first 4. I’ll have to have a small min bet for the win just in case.

2 Points Place 9.0 Betfair .5pt win 55

2:35 York

Classic Colori, I tough would be shorter for this race, she ran an eye-catching race last time out on soft ground and the extra furlong here will only help. She has a long losing record but I’m not seeing a lot in the opposition today and 7/1 looks at least 2 points too big.

2 Points win 7/1 Betfair  and BetVictor

3:45 York

Doncaster Rover has proven softer ground form, and with only 3 runners in this race its likely to be a slow enough pace which will suit him as he hasn’t been this far before. He’s against a horse that’s too short in the betting with a bit to prove and one with no Soft Ground form. 5/1 with Stanjames in this race looks value .

2 Points win 5/1 Stan James

5:15 York

Jedward was heavily backed last time but ran a poor enough race. He does however have plenty of good 6 furlong form on soft ground in Ireland , and Chester doesn’t suit every horse, so I’m going to draw a line through that. He must be doing something right at home to have been backed last time and hopefully hell repay that faith today at a decent price.

1 Point win 22 Betfair

Calm Bay, has been fairly poor this year, but his mark has dropped alarmingly to a stage where is in this race of 73. On his form last year he would easily be capable of winning of that mark. The fact that he has blinkers on today for the first time in a while and a 3lbs claimer on to negate the 3lbs he is out of the handicap give me some hope that he may be about to come back to form and at a big price is worth a small bet also considering he appear well drawn for a prominent racer.

½ Point win 24 Betfair

Address Unknown has been poor enough since he left Dermot Welds yard this year. He had one decent looking run behind Gulf of Napels at Ripon, but in general last year in Ireland he looked to prefer good ground and a 12 or 14 furlong trip. He is in here today over 14 Furlongs with a 7lbs claimer on and dropped 10lbs for his 3 runs so far the last 2 of which were over probably too far. He is currently a huge price on Betfair and worth a small bet just I case those few factors get him back to form in any way.

½ Point win ½ Point Place Betfair 55/13