Bookies Enemy
Good afternoon,
A couple more early ones for Ascot.
Tuesday - Ascot Stakes
Pied Piper - 1pt win @5.5 generally
Ex Gosden and now with Gorden Elliott who's taken this horse to another level now he's got him hurdling, winning a grade two and finishing 3rd and 2nd in two grade ones. He won his last flat race in a good time and by 4L before leaving the Gosden yard, and off just 7lb higher returning to the flat, if he can run to anything like the level of his hurdle race over this longer trip, then he should be very hard to beat for a trainer who's only had 7 runners at Royal
Ascot, but he's won two of them and is coming with a strong hand this year. Jamie Spencer gets the ride and I'm happy to back him now.
Saturday 4:20 Hardwicke Stakes
Baratti - 1pt win @21 generally
There's not many trainers with a better record at Royal Ascot than top French trainer Andre Fabre and this is his only runner of the meeting. This filly has won 5 of her 7 races to date and having watched her last two, she looks a very taking filly and full of ability, if admittedly, she's a bit of a 'madam' as she can lose focus in her races. But the way she quickened when winning her last two races suggested to me that she's got tonnes of ability, and I've no doubt
this daughter of Frankel has the potential of being top-class. The short-priced fav Hurricane Lane who's rated 113 is a major concern if he runs, but he's a group 1 winner and an Arc third, so he's surely too classy to race in this group 2 so I'm expecting him to drop this race and just take up his King George entry, which would leave this race wide open. A filly and a mare have won this race in the past two years, and if this filly 'puts it all in', then I think she could run a huge race.