2021 Royal Ascot Friday Tips by Dave Stevos
2021 Royal Ascot Friday Tips and Preview
Apart from Spanish Mission, Thursday was again a struggle. The Balding horse was our sole place and apart from Berkshire Shadow, it has been a bleak week for us. We still have two days left to turn things around and hopefully it gets better today. The rain has arrived in a big way and conditions will be testing this afternoon. Check out our 2021 Royal Ascot Friday tips and previews below.
2.30 – Albany Stakes (Group 3)
A field of 15 fillies will fight it out for the 6f Albany Stakes. Not many of these have previous experience on soft ground but one filly that does is Lady Ayresome. Trained by Kevin Ryan, this daughter of Kodi Bear is on a hat-trick. She has run only at Northern tracks and she finished 5th on her debut on good ground at Redcar (5f). She then got off the mark on good to firm at Beverley (2nd has won since). Last time out over the same C&D on soft ground she produced a career best in the Hilary Needler.
It wasn’t the smoothest of performances but she showed a gutsy attitude for Kevin Stott. When the runner up Guilded came to challenge, it looked like she had plenty left in the tank and she won cosily in the end. This heavy ground today is going to be even tougher going but at least she has shown she can handle soft. Her pedigree offers hope that she will be fine on it.
The form of her Hilary Needler win was put to the test by Guilded here on Tuesday. He ran a cracker in the Coventry behind Chipotle, showing loads of early speed and only fading into 8th in the last half furlong. The third home, Jilly Cooper, dotted up in a Hamilton maiden next time so the form has substance. Her draw in stall 4 shouldn’t be an issue and at odds of 33/1, Lady Ayresome is the e/w pick.
2021 Royal Ascot Friday Tips: Lady Ayresome e/w @ 33/1 (4 Places)
3.05 – King Edward VII Stakes (Group 2)
Alenquer beat the subsequent Derby winner Adayar last time out at Sandown (10f gd) so it is not surprising to see him as the favourite here. A soft ground winner on debut over 7f, this son of Alderflug has plenty going for him. However, the one I’ll be taking a chance on (again) is Belloccio. We backed David Menuisier’s horse at Sandown earlier this season. While he ran well to grab 5th, the ground was just too quick for him. Last time at York it was a similar story but I think the rain is going to elicit a much improved performance this afternoon.
This son of Belardo won his first two starts. He landed an 8f Novice at Salisbury (gd/sft) and then on his next and final start of 2020 he landed a Listed heat in Toulouse. The horse he beat, Cirona, has since won a G3 and was beat a head in a G1 at Longchamp. He looked an uncomplicated ride that day and Silvestre De Sousa’s agressive style should be well suited to him. There are big ground concerns for a couple of his rivals and at odds of 13/2, Belloccio is well worth backing each way.
2021 Royal Ascot Friday Tips: Belloccio e/w @ 13/2 NAP
3.40 – Commonwealth Cup (Group 1)
The one that looks massively overpriced in this contest, especially now that the rain has arrived, is Mooniesta. This daughter of Dandy Man took a while to get her head in front last season. She eventually got off the mark on her seventh and final start at Down Royal (5f yld). In fairness to her, she had run some crackers in defeat before then, including in a Listed contest at the Curragh behind Frenetic. However, this season her form has moved to a different level and she has run massive races on her last three starts.
She was narrowly beaten by Logo Hunter in a handicap at Cork off 89 on her first turf run of the season. Mooniesta was conceding 5lb to that rival and he is now rated 113 after winning a pair of Listed heats. Jack Davison’s filly landed a Listed heat herself next time at Naas (5f gd) and then she was just a neck behind A Case Of You on soft over 6f at the same course. A Case Of You reopposes here and he is into 10/1. Mooniesta is available to back at 33s. Whether she is good enough to win, I am not sure, but she’ll enjoy the trip and ground and she has the assistance of Wayne Lordan from the saddle. She should not be over triple the price of A Case Of You and with 5 places on offer, Mooniesta is worth chancing each way.
2021 Royal Ascot Friday Tips: Mooniesta e/w @ 33/1 (5 places)
4.20 – Coronation Stakes (Group 1)
Gavin Cromwell showed earlier this week that National Hunt trainers are more than capable of readying one for Ascot and I think Henry De Bromhead’s filly Flirting Bridge could outrun her massive odds here. This daughter of Camelot is a half-sister to Helvic Dream, a horse that absolutely loves it when the mud is flying. Last season Flirting Bridge ran on soft twice. She was 5th on debut at Punchestown (7f) and then 3rd over a mile at Leopardstown. In November she shed her maiden tag at Dundalk in an ordinary race and that was it for the season.
De Bromhead pitched her into Listed company on her return at Navan (10f gd) but it looked like she badly needed the run. He then dropped her back in trip and stepped her into G3 company on her last outing and she ran a massive race at 50/1, beat just 1.75L by subsequent Irish 1000 Guineas 2nd Joan Of Arc. Fantasy Lady was 3L behind her in 5th and she also ran a blinder in the Irish Guineas.
That form looks pretty solid to me and quite a few of today’s shorter priced rivals have questions to answer on this ground. So does Flirting Bridge but if she is anything like her half-brother she is going to love it. Her sire Camelot won an Irish Derby on soft/heavy and his progeny have a 13% strike rate on heavy ground. This looks an open race and with 5 places on offer from William Hill, Flirting Bridge is worth taking a chance on each way at odds of 40/1.
2021 Royal Ascot Friday Tips: Flirting Bridge e/w @ 40/1 (5 places William Hill)
5.00 – Sandringham Stakes Handicap (Class 2)
The rain has scared away 8 horses already so we are left with 22 runners in this 8f handicap for 3yo fillies. From stall 24, Urban Violet is a fascinating contender for Mick Channon and Ed Greatrex. This filly won her maiden on bottomless ground at Newmarket last October. She then flopped on the all-weather at Kempton before returning with a spectacular win at Sandown (9f sft) off 77.
She dotted up by 8.5L that day and I think the run probably came too soon a week later when she disappointed off 6lb higher over a mile at Sandown. Her form figures on soft/heavy read 1218 and connections will be thrilled with all the rain that has fallen. She is 10lb higher than when winning at Sandown and this is admittedly harder. However, she has her optimal conditions and I think she is capable of running a big race at odds of 22/1.
2021 Royal Ascot Friday Tips: Urban Violet e/w @ 22/1 NB (6 places)
5.35 – Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes Handicap (Class 2)
This is an absolute nightmare of a race to try and gauge. Heavy ground form is thin on the ground and it is tough to make a case for any of the outsiders. The one that makes most appeal at around 9/1 is Mirann for Johnny Murtagh and Ben Coen. This son of Motivator has run really well all three times he has encountered soft/heavy ground. He won in France on soft (12f) and this season he has run big races twice at the Curragh on testing ground.
In March he was beat just 2.75L off 99 by Lafayette over a mile there. Then in May he was unlucky not to win over 10f when finishing 2nd off 96. The way he finished off that day suggested he is going to enjoy today’s extra couple of furlongs and he hasn’t got a bad draw in stall 10. Plenty of these have to prove they handle these extreme conditions but Mirann doesn’t. At odds of 9/1, he is the each way selection.
2021 Royal Ascot Friday Tips: Mirann e/w @ 9/1 (5 Places)
6.10 – Palace Of Holyrood Stakes Handicap (Class 2)
I am going to take a chance on First Company in this 5f sprint. By a sire with a reputation for producing mud lovers, this horse has shown his best form on easy ground. He has never encountered anything like this before but on breeding, it should really suit him. This colt is by Fast Company, a sire whose progeny tend to go on heavy. He ran a cracker on his return to action at Chester (5f gd/sft) and the horse that beat him ran really well off 5lb higher next time out.
Fast Company ran a decent race in Listed company next time at York on ground plenty quick for him. He returns to handicap company off a rating of 97 and on his Harry Rosebery form at Ayr (5f gd/sft) that shouldn’t be beyond him. This is just his second handicap run and he has been handed a decent draw in stall 21. This straightforward sort likes to be close to the pace so hopefully he breaks well from the stalls. Heavy ground is admittedly an unknown but there has been a few quid for him so presumably connections think he’ll relish it. At odds of 18/1, First Company is the each way pick.
