Day two of Royal Ascot on Wednesday boasts another stellar afternoon of equine thrills and spills as one of Britain’s summer sporting highlights continues.
The headline act on Wednesday is the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes over a mile-and-a-quarter as some of the most established performers in the lands strut their stuff over the intermediate trip.
They go at Royal Ascot from 2.30pm-6.10pm and the feature contest goes off at 4.20pm. Our racing expert has picked out three horses to follow on day two of Royal Ascot.
Tip 1: Rahiebb (Queen’s Vase, Ascot 15:05) @ 10/1
Roger Varian entered the week at Royal Ascot with a pleasing recent strike-rate of nearly 23% and the trainer has an interesting Queen’s Vase contender in RAHIEBB in the silks of Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum.
The Frankel colt won well at Newcastle over a mile on the Tapeta in March on his debut and was twice denied afterwards in good novice events under penalties at Newcastle (1m2f) and Haydock (1m3½f, good).
Latterly he was just worn down late by a promising William Haggas inmate in Opportunity. Rahiebb went to York’s Dante meeting for a handicap last month and ran second again, this time off a mark of 90 over 1m4f when denied by the well-handicapped Haggas inmate Merchant.
This is a rise in class for Silvestre De Sousa’s partner and further improvement will be demanded over this longer trip, but he has looked promising in all four races and he’s an outsider of some considerable note.
Tip 2: Cinderella’s Dream (Duke Of Cambridge Stakes, Ascot 15:40) @ 2/1
Charlie Appleby did some globetrotting with CINDERELLA’S DREAM last season after she finished fourth in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. Two big wins in the US followed, while she was second-best in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf on her final start.
Finishing second to Choisya at Meydan – the pair having gone miles clear – was a good effort and the Shamardal filly returned to these shores with a hugely impressive victory in the Group 2 Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket in May where Elmalka (second) and Running Lion (fifth) were simply no match for her.
She has a 3lb penalty for the success but on that Rowley Mile form, it may not prevent William Buick’s partner from holding sway again on her maiden visit to Ascot.
Tip 3: Rogue Legend (Windsor Castle Stakes, Ascot 18:10) @ 5/1
Trainer Paddy Twomey knows the time of day and it was noted that his Havana Grey colt ROGUE LEGEND was being touted for the Coventry Stakes at this meeting.
He was second in a maiden at Cork (5f, good) at the start of last month and went a place better at the Mallow venue under Billy Lee a fortnight later, putting clear daylight between himself and the chasers in a polished display. After that it was off to Tipperary (5f, yielding to soft) where he made every yard and gave upwards of 9lb and a solid beating to his five rivals with a fine display.
The 2yo Group 2 over six furlongs on day one was touted, but he’s shown more than enough speed to stay at 5f for now on a stiff track like this and the rapidly improving youngster looks tailor-made for the Windsor Castle test.
