2023 Royal Ascot Tuesday Preview & Tips – DS
2023 Royal Ascot Tuesday Tips
We managed to land a very nice winner at Sandown on Saturday with Maysong at 40s. Judgement Call ran a cracker too, missing out on place money narrowly. Our other fancies missed the target but Reidh was a shade slow away at Chester and ran better than the result suggests. Now, the focus switches to the greatest racing show on earth, check out Dave Stevos’ 2023 Royal Ascot Tuesday Tips below.
2.30 – Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1)
First up is this G1 for the older milers. With no Baaeed in the field it looks a lot more open than last year’s renewal. The bookies make it a match between Modern Games and Inspiral but the one that looks most overpriced finished third behind the former horse last time out at Newbury.
Berkshire Shadow is an old friend of the blog having won the Coventry for us a couple of years ago. After a solid run in the Dewhurst on his final 2yo start the son of Dark Angel seemed to lose his form. In his 3yo campaign he only managed one place from five runs, a third in a Listed contest at Newmarket. However, his best 3yo run came in the James’ Palace over this C&D when beat less than 2L into sixth behind Coroebus.
Andrew Balding gelded his charge in the off season and it seems to have worked the oracle. A Listed win at Wolves in March was followed by a class 2 conditions win at Newcastle and then last time, he ran a massive race when third in the Lockinge at Newbury (8f gd). He was 2.5L behind the winner Modern Games, 1L behind Chindit and he was ahead of Light Infantry, Lusail and Mutasaabeq.
Both of Berkshire Shadow’s previous Ascot runs were cracking efforts, hopefully he can produce another one for his jockey Oisin Murphy at odds of 33/1.
2023 Royal Ascot Tuesday Tips: Berkshire Shadow e/w @ 33/1
3.05 – Coventry Stakes (Group 2)
This has probably been the most fiercely debated race of the entire meeting. The sectional crew are all over Asadna, a 12L winner at Ripon on debut. Students of form aren’t convinced he beat that much and they are adamant River Tiber is the one to be on. Given that the two horses involved are the first and second favourites, I’ll be hoping that we can get both of them beat.
The last three winners of this race have gone in at 8s, 11s and 150s so a big priced winner is a real possibility. We backed Bobsleigh when he won at Epsom and I thought he was mightily impressive that day. However, his two wins have come on very different tracks to the one he’ll encounter here and instead, I’m going to take a chance on Chief Mankato for Charlie Hills and James MacDonald.
Windsor Win
Hills wouldn’t be renowned for having his juveniles gunned first time up so for this son of Sioux Nation to win at Windsor (6f gd/fm) was noteworthy. He showed a good attitude there to score by just under a length, staying on well to lead close to home. The third and fourth have both won since so there is a bit of substance to the form.
He is by a quality sire in Sioux Nation but to be honest, the dam side of his page is nothing to write home about. However, he has already shown that he is a horse with plenty of ability so the lack of blue blood isn’t that big of a concern. He’s drawn in 10 so James McDonald should have options from the gate and at odds of 20/1, Chief Mankato is the e/w selection.
2023 Royal Ascot Tuesday Tips: Chief Mankato e/w @ 20/1 (5 places)
3.40 – King’s Stand Stakes (Group 1)
We have already backed Mooniesta for the first big G1 sprint of the meeting. Our ante-post selection has been drawn in stall 14 and you can read why I fancy her here. The other one here I am interested in at monstrous odds is Annaf for Mick Appleby and Rossa Ryan. We have already backed this horse this season in the Temple Stakes at Haydock (5f gd/fm). That test didn’t really suit him and he is better judged on his last run at 6f at York.
In that G2 Annaf ran a massive race, just missing out on place money in fourth by a length. He was only 2.75l behind the winner Azure Blue and 2.25l behind Highfield Princess, the 9/4 favourite for today’s race. As the race developed Rossa Ryan just got caught in a bit of a pocket between the 2f and 1f markers and his mount lost a bit of ground. Once he got daylight he ran on really well to the line, getting up for fourth ahead of Marshman.
If Annaf had a clear passage, he surely would have finished a good bit closer to both Azure Blue and Highfield Princess. The way he travelled, a fast run race over 5f could really suit him and I’d imagine connections had this race in mind ever since his close 5th in a Listed heat over C&D in October. This horse has never won on turf but that York effort suggested that he has a stakes race in him on grass when things drop right. Annaf is capable of outrunning his odds of 80/1, hopefully he can finish second to Mooniesta!
2023 Royal Ascot Tuesday Tips: Mooniesta already advised e/w @ 40/1 NAP; Annaf e/w @ 80/1 (5 places)
4.20 – St James’s Palace Stakes (Group 1)
Galeron has run really well the last twice in G1 company. By Camacho, Charlie Hills trains and James McDonald gets the leg up for the first time. A winner on soft at the Curragh last season, the son of Camacho won his maiden on good to firm and it seems he acts on all sorts of ground.
It was soft when he shaped so well in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, finishing 4th just 5l behind the winner Chaldean and 2.75L behind Royal Scotsman. He proved that run was no fluke in the Irish 2000 Guineas three weeks later when finishing 5th despite meeting minor traffic problems, reversing form with Royal Scotsman and closing the gap to Hi Royal.
If Galeron gets a clear run, he is more than capable of upholding the form with Royal Scotsman. Why the Cole horse is 14s and the Hills horse is 40s is beyond me. He’d also have finished closer to Paddington and if they go at a good clip from the outset, he might just stay on best of all. At odds of 40/1, Galeron is the e/w selection.
2023 Royal Ascot Tuesday Tips: Galeron e/w @ 40/1 nb
5.00 – Ascot Stakes Handicap (Class 2)
The first handicap of the meeting and it is a 20f marathon. It will be a shock to the system watching these plodders after the first few races and to be honest, with Mullins and Henderson horses at the head of the market, this is a race I find it very hard to get excited about. It should be moved to Cheltenham in March. It’d be great to see Billy Loughnane win the race for Richard Hughes on Calling The Wind but I’m happy to let him run without the weight of the Stevos’ shilling on his back. I don’t usually swerve handicaps but this is going to be an exception. No bet.
2023 Royal Ascot Tuesday Tips: No Bet
5.35 – Wolferton Stakes (Listed)
We backed Cadillac last time out when he won decisively at Epsom. The key to this horse is rattling quick ground and he could well repeat, or even better, his third placed finish in this contest last season. The bookies aren’t taking any chances with him though and his odds of 10/1 look about right. The one I’ll take a chance on at bigger odds is Checkandchallenge for Andrea Atzeni and William Knight.
This son of Fast Company was a winner of a G3 on good ground in France last season. He has been exclusively campaigned at a mile since his debut win over 7f and this will be his first run beyond that distance. He has been running at a much higher level than this so far this season and on his last Listed start at Newcastle just over a year ago, he won.
On his comeback at Newmarket (8f gd) he looked like he’d improve plenty for the run. In the Lockinge he just got outpaced and I think connections have now conceded that he hasn’t got the speed to compete at the highest level at 8f. He should find things happening a lot slower over 10f in Listed company and he is a half to a 12f winner so hopefully, he’ll stay. If he does get the trip, Checkandchallenge can reward e/w support at odds of 22/1.
2023 Royal Ascot Tuesday Tips: Checkandchallenge e/w @ 22/1 (4 places)
6.10 – Copper Horse Handicap (Class 2)
The final race of the day is another staying handicap, this time over 14f. At least we are getting them out of the way early. The one I like at a big price is Raymond Tusk for Alan King and Rossa Ryan. This grand 8yo son of High Chaparral lost his form at the tail end of last season. However, he returned from a nice break with an excellent run at Newmarket last time (12f gd), finishing 3.5L third behind Teumessias Fox.
That was off a mark of 99 and while he is 2lbs higher today, he remains 4lbs lower than the mark he was beat 4L off in this race last season. That was his fourth run at this track and he has run well on all four visits.
He was 2nd off 102 on heavy in the 12f Duke Of Edinburgh in 2021, a creditable 7th in the 20f Gold Cup in 2019 and he also finished 2nd in the G3 Sagaro Stakes here (16f gd/fm) earlier in 2019. If Raymond Tusk can reproduce the form of any of those four runs, he is more than capable of staying on late for e/w money at odds of 33/1.
