Royal Ascot day two tips: Bay Bridge to continue Stoute resurgence

Elite-level horse racing and high fashion combine to make this five-day spectacular a can’t miss event on Britain’s sporting and social calendars.

However, we’re focusing on the action on the turf, as we try to pick out the best bets for Royal Ascot.

2.30 Queen Mary Stakes (Group Two)

American handler Wesley Ward is chasing a fifth win in this 5f contest for juvenile fillies and the vibes suggest that Love Reigns will take some catching at 10/3.

Ward beamed: “She had about the best debut race I’ve ever had at Keeneland – she won by almost 10 lengths and just scampered away from them.

“The guy that gives the figures here really didn’t want to give her a figure because he was sort of unsure, thinking ‘how could she run that fast?’.

“She has had three or four pieces of work since then and all of them have been nice and steady and beautiful breezes. Every horse that kind of engaged her, she just exploded away from them…we’re really excited about her.”

3.05 Queen’s Vase (Group Two)

Anchorage (6/1) progressed throughout his two-year-old campaign, culminating in a comfortable Thurles nursery win and a solid Group Three third at Leopardstown.

The son of Galileo looked every bit a future stayer when plugging on gamely in the Gallinule Stakes at the Curragh on his seasonal reappearance last month, so stepping up to 1m 6f here seems a shrewd move.

3.40 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (Group One)

Sir Michael Stoute has enjoyed a welcome resurgence this season, highlighted by Desert Crown’s superb Derby success, and Bay Bridge is backed to give the 76-year-old trainer another notable triumph at 11/8.

Stoute won this race as far back as 1981 with Hard Fought and also struck more recently in 2018 with Poet’s Word and three years ago with Crystal Ocean, so he knows what is required to get the job done.

Bay Bridge claimed his fifth straight victory when landing Sandown’s Brigadier Gerard Stakes by five lengths, a contest Stoute won with two of his past Prince Of Wales’s Stakes scorers.

Japan’s Shahryar promises to be a major contender for trainer Hideaki Fujiwara, but he has been off the track since scrambling home in the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan in March and could be tapped for toe now dropping back in distance.

4.20 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes (Group Two)

Market leaders Saffron Beach and Mother Earth both have questions to answer, so the in-form and progressive Bashkirova gets the nod here at 9/2 in our Royal Ascot Day Two tips.

The daughter of Pivotal put in a career-best effort when coming with a smooth run to win the Group Three Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom earlier this month and could again have the race run to suit her.

An 11-day gap between outings is a slight concern, but William Haggas said of his lightly-raced charge: “She tries very hard. She’s four and if you look after them when they are young, you reap the benefit when they are four and more.”

5.00 Royal Hunt Cup

Legend of Dubai (9/1) steps up in class but there was a lot to like about the way Roger Varian’s colt pulled clear to score at Newmarket in emphatic fashion and third-placed Eilean Dubh has franked that form by since landing a couple of competitive handicaps.

5.35 Windsor Castle Stakes

Varian could be worth following again here with 9/1 shot Bolt Action, who made a big impression when proving too strong for the well-backed New Definition on his racecourse bow at Leicester.

6.10 Kensington Palace Stakes

Saeed bin Suroor is very much Godolphin’s number two trainer these days behind Charlie Appleby but he has always done well at Royal Ascot and White Moonlight (7/1) could turn out to be nicely treated on her handicap debut after showing plenty of promise in just three runs to date.

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All odds and markets correct as of date of publication