THE King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes Group 1 is a cracking renewal with the market tightly matched with the top two, Calandagan Unibet 13/8 and Jan Brueghel Unibet 7/4, flip-flopping. Jan Brueghel beat Calandagan by half a length at Epsom when leading from two out and showing a good attitude, though away from the top two you can’t ignore the tough seven-year-old Rebel’s Romance, who has won eighteen of his twenty-six races, nor the filly Kalpana, who returning to her ideal trip after two runs over one mile two furlongs will be the idea of the winner for many.
The 2023 St Leger winner Continuous Unibet 125/1 makes up the field and is the pacemaker for Jan Brueghel, though one is tempted to have a small each-way nibble!
Enjoy whether at Ascot or watching #athome on ITV Racing
Cheers
The Wine Tipster
2:20 Ascot – Longines Valiant Stakes Group 3 (1m)
Chantilly Lace (nap) has been running well at Group 1 level on her last two starts, finishing a close fifth in both the 1000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes, having won on her sole juvenile appearance.
If you watch the replay of the Coronation Stakes, you will see she just lacked the pace to join the leaders but kept going well to be beaten by three and a half lengths.
This is only her fourth career start, and there is definitely more to come from this three-year-old who gets the weight allowance from her key rival, the five-year-old Royal Dress.
3:00 Ascot—Moët & Chandon International Stakes Heritage Handicap (7f)
Billyjoh hasn’t won since February 2024 and whilst victory has eluded him on the back of several good runs success will surely come his way sooner rather than later.
In the Buckingham Palace Handicap at Royal Ascot, he finished way down the field on the back of a poor draw, having been runner-up in the race in 2024 and then he did too much too soon when favourite for the International last year, when there wasn’t enough pace early on.
Billyjoh arrives at this year’s renewal in good form after finishing third in the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket behind More Thunder and Aalto after coming from out of the pack to challenge.
Billyjoh has plenty of big field experience, is very effective at Ascot, and with more pace, this five-year-old can make a late challenge to secure his second turf success.
Two Tribes was beaten head-on in his seasonal debut at Newmarket over six furlongs by subsequent Bunbury Cup winner More Thunder and then headed to York’s Dante meeting, where he was the favorite over this trip but was outpaced early on ahead of doing all his best work in the final two furlongs to finish fourth.
Two Tribes has stepped up to this distance on his subsequent three starts, and he finished fourth behind the winner, Akkadian Thunder, and runner-up, Billyjoh, at Doncaster. He ran well on his most recent start at Newmarket when third and would have been suited by a stronger pace.
Two Tribes hasn’t won since a juvenile success in 2023, though certainly has the ability, and if everything falls in his favour after some good, placed runs, he can reward each-way players.
3.35 Ascot – Handicap (1m)
Bullet Point was my selection for the Royal Hunt Cup and he ran a blinder to finish second to My Cloud on the back of a strong winning performance at Newmarket. In the three running’s of this race favourites have won the last two years and Bullet Point can continue that trend.
4.10 Ascot – King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes Group 1 (1m 4f)
Jan Brueghel has won five of his six starts, including the Coronation Cup at Epsom when holding off the challenge of Calandagan and then moved away at the finish. The 2024 St Leger winner looks the most progressive runner in the field with a good attitude, though it is interesting that he is wearing cheekpieces here for the first time. There is clearly more to come from this exciting type, who will win many more races.
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