One of Britain’s favourite horseracing festivals –Royal Ascot – is just around the corner and excitement is reaching fever pitch. Whilst the new Village Enclosure – the first new enclosure for 100 years – is attracting a lot of media attention, talk has also started among punters about which horses to back.
The world-famous five-day event is a great opportunity to make some money, and whilst reading tips and studying the form book is certainly helpful, the best way to ensure you end the week in profit is by heading over to www.matchedbettingsites.com – a site offering a mathematically proven betting system.
One horse you should be tempted to back is the likely fan favourite Dartmouth. The five-year-old Bay horse is owned by the Queen – who shall be in full-attendance for the festival – and is trained by Sir Michael Stoute.
Dartmouth will be racing in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes on Saturday’s closing card – the same event that he won last year. The Royal winner comes into the week in fine form, having made a successful return to action in the Yorkshire Cup – the first significant stayers’ race of the season. Nevertheless, he’ll face stiff competition from Frontiersman, who put up a great fight in finishing second in the recent Coronation Cup.
If you want to kick the week off with a win, however, look no further than Ribchester in the Queen Anne Stakes on Tuesday. The four-year-old Chestnut horse, who’s trained by Richard Fahey, will be chasing down his second Royal Ascot win. He won the Jersey Stakes last year, and heads into the race in fine form having won emphatically in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury last month. His biggest threat is likely to be Lightning Spear, but Ribchester has seen him off in their previous four meetings.
Fast-forward two days to Thursday and the Gold Cup – arguably Britain’s most prestigious event for stayers – the bookies are offering evens for Order of St George to retain his crown. The five-year-old Bay horse heads a field of 17 declared, going into the race off the back of a simple victory at Leopardstown.
Looking ahead to Friday and the Coronation Stakes, and the clear favourite with the bookies is Caravaggio. The three-year-old Grey Colt is unbeaten in five starts, and will be looking for his second win at Royal Ascot after taking the Coventry Stakes with relative ease last year. Whilst he faces some competition – the Godolphin-owned duo Harry Angel and Blue Points are perhaps the strongest – Caravaggio has been described by trainer Aidan O’Brien as one of his fastest ever horses.
