Royal Ascot Wednesday – The Placepot Will Be a Blast
Day 2 of Royal Ascot has ‘bumper Placepot’ written all over it! The action begins with 28 runners going to post for the Queen Mary Stakes. As this is a non-handicap, to proceed to the second leg with a live-ticket punters need to find a horse that will finish in the first three.
Portage, seen winning the 2016 Royal Hunt Cup ahead of 27 rivals, perfectly demonstrates the cavalry charge nature of the race. ©GettyImages
The second race on the card is a handicap, but it features 20 runners. The fifth leg of Jackpot and Placepot bets is the Royal Hunt Cup, and it will see 30 horses thunder down Ascot’s straight mile. A crystal ball is not required to predict today’s Royal Ascot Placepot dividend will pay three figures and maybe four!
A Handsome Royal Ascot Bet With Potential
Here you can read our idea of a Placepot perm that could give you some real excitement and has the potential to pay a handsome dividend.
Leg 1: 2.30 pm. The Queen Mary Stakes
There is nothing worse than exiting the Placepot on the opening leg. And so, with 28 runners, it is prudent to take several horses in this five-furlong sprint. Making the task difficult is the fact that eight of the top nine in the betting are drawn in stalls 14 or higher.
If there is a bias favouring those drawn low – and these horses fill the first three positions – the number of live tickets in the Placepot pool will be decimated. We should therefore include some of these runners.
The low-drawn selections are Out Of The Stars – who won on her Kempton debut despite losing several lengths at the start – and Princess Chizara, a very impressive winner of a Brighton race beating a 2/9 Hannon-trained hot-pot.
Yarmouth winner, Born To Rock, is drawn in 12. It will give her rider options as to which direction to head once the gates open. She is therefore included in our Placepot along with the high-drawn Got To Love a Gray and the American-trained Bundchen.
Leg 2: 3.05 pm. The Kensington Palace Fillies’ Handicap
This may be a handicap race, but all the big stables are represented. The online betting sites are betting 6/1 the field – it shows the wide-open nature of this contest. So, once again, a handful of selections is required.
Farhh To Shy travelled strongly when scoring on Ascot’s straight course here in May. And, despite a good number of miles on her clock, she should not be underestimated. Ireland’s Adelaise and Yerwanthere have raced just once this season and could be well handicapped.
Lovely from @tpqueally! Farhh To Shy hangs on to win at @Ascot for @MargarsonRacing… pic.twitter.com/Pkx1D041ro
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 13, 2023
In addition to those three, Royal Ascot’s winning most trainer, Sir Michael Stoute, has a chance with Crystal Caprice under the winning machine that is Ryan Moore. She is our fourth and final selection in this one.
Leg 3: 3.40 pm. The Duke of Cambridge Stakes
A third successive race that is restricted to fillies or mares, and once again crammed-packed full of horses from the leading yards. But we are taking Rogue Millennium to give the smaller Tom Clover stables a medal of some colour.
Prosperous Voyage shares favouritism with Jumbly. As the former is ridden by Frankie Dettori and may be over-backed, we are taking Jumbly as our second selection in this contest.
Leg 4: 4.20 pm. The Prince of Wales’s Stakes
A Group-1 race with only six runners – of which two have very little chance – means it is time for a banker selection. That distinction goes to the 2021 Epsom Derby winner Adayar. Charlie Appleby’s charge returned to action in May to comfortably land the Group-3 Gordon Richards Stakes. It was the perfect stepping-stone for this contest.
Leg 5: 5.00 pm. The Royal Hunt Cup
Thirty runners in a one-mile straight cavalry charge mean you will need a search warrant to find the winner of this one! Once again, horses drawn in high stalls head the betting. According to Royal Ascot’s best operators, horses from the four highest stalls have the best chance of landing this handicap contest.
Here Blue For You has been the subject of bundles of money and may run a big race for the North Yorkshire O’Meara yard. Likewise, Dunum could put the small Northern Irish Lupini stables on the map. Form figures of 1111212 show how this five-year-old is both consistent and improving.
Ghaly also has eye-catching form figures: 21412211. A very rare seven-year-old handicapper owned by Godolphin, this is an intriguing runner who should be included in your Placepot perms.
Leg 6: 5.35 pm. The Queen’s Vase
A second banker selection goes in the final Placepot leg. Gregory has raced just twice. An 11-furlong Listed winner at Goodwood four weeks ago – and with a pedigree that strongly suggests he will be suited by today’s longer trip – it is difficult to envisage this Dettori-ridden favourite missing the frame.
Royal Ascot Day 2 Placepot Perm
Race 1: 5-6-14-23-24
Race 2: 3-6-14-17
Race 3: 4-10
Race 4: 1
Race 5: 10-11-17
Race 6: 5
