Royal Ascot Tips: Tom Collins focuses on the Royal Hunt Cup on day two

3.05 Royal Ascot, 1m6f Queen’s Vase

Aidan O’Brien has won seven of the last 15 editions of the Queen’s Vase, including five of the last nine. In four of the renewals that he has failed to win since 2007, O’Brien has trained the runner-up. There is no getting away from his complete domination in this race.

Leading Light (2013), Kew Gardens (2018) and Santiago (2020) feature among his recent winners. The latter won the Irish Derby after his Royal Ascot success, while Leading Light and Kew Gardens both plundered the St Leger later in their three-year-old campaigns. Why is that significant? It shows that O’Brien uses this race as a stepping stone for his most talented staying prospects.

His representative this year is Anchorage, who broke his maiden in a mile handicap at Thurles in October. This son of Galileo has taken plenty of time to develop and seemed to need his reappearance in the Group 3 Gallinule last month, where he ran fifth of seven and never really threatened.

However, the key to his chance is the significant step up in trip from 1m2f to 1m6f. Anchorage has come under pressure at an early stage on each of his seven career starts - he was even ridden along before the hometurn when he won at Thurles - and I’m happy to put that down to the fact that he’s been competing over insignificant trips rather than possessing a touch of the slows.

He regularly hits the line with zest - I loved the late progress he made at the Curragh last month - and he has little to find on official ratings with the market protagonists in this race. With progression extremely likely over this distance, Anchorage looks the value against a number of doubtful stayers.

Selection: Anchorage @ 7.4

3.40 Royal Ascot, 1m2f Prince Of Wales’s Stakes

Although we are treated to just five runners in this year’s Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, the calibre of equine talent on show is magnificent. 

Last year’s Prix Jean Romanet winner Grand Glory is somehow the lowest-rated runner in the field with an official mark of 116, 2lb below three-time Group 1-winner Lord North and 3lb lower than the globe-trotting State Of Rest, who also boasts three successes at the top level. 

Japanese Derby and Sheema Classic winner Shahryar is undoubtedly the most interesting runner in the field on his British debut. He beat the Charlie Appleby-trained Yibir in Dubai, so his form stacks up reasonably well in this division, but I find it difficult to bet a horse that I don’t know much about. He may well win - Japanese raiders have done phenomenally well across the globe over the last year - but I’m happy to bypass him this time around.

Preference is for Bay Bridge, who is the only horse in the race that is yet to record a Group 1 win. I don’t see that as a negative - how can you? He hasn’t been tried at this level yet - as his Brigadier Gerard RPR (126) is well up to scratch for this grade. In fact, a repeat of that success would have been good enough to win eight of the last ten renewals of this race.

Sir Michael Stoute is a master at progressing his middle-distance performers until they are ready to glow during a blockbuster four-year-old campaign, and Bay Bridge is his latest superstar on a never-ending conveyor belt.

Selection: Bay Bridge @ 2.4

5.00 Royal Ascot, 1m Royal Hunt Cup

The Royal Hunt Cup hasn’t been overly kind to me in the past - I backed Temptress in 2015 and Clon Coulis in 2019, both of whom finished second - but it’s a race that I tend to spend plenty of time analysing. You have to love the idea of 30 runners scampering down the straight mile at Ascot.

After watching the replays of the last ten editions of this race, it’s hard not to conclude that you need to focus on those drawn middle-to-low on good to firm ground. Belgian Bill raced over the far side in 2013; GM Hopkins followed suit in 2015, Real World blitzed his field from stall four last year and even Settle For Bay finished closer to the far-side rail after jumping from gate 22 in 2018. 

As a result, I made a conscious decision to avoid those drawn high in my staking plan. Yesterday's action seemed to confirm that opinion as those who raced furthest towards the far-side rail dominated the opening two contests.

Astro King is the first of two selections in this year’s Royal Hunt Cup. Sir Michael Stoute’s five-year-old was a talking horse in this race 12 months ago and was sent off the 11-2 favourite off a mark of 98. He ran a great race and finished second (first home on his side) despite suffering traffic problems at a crucial stage.

Connections have clearly had this race in mind once again - they made that obvious by using the Thirsk Hunt Cup as a warm-up for the second year in a row - and he’s just 4lb higher in the weights. Ryan Moore takes over from Mark Crehan, which is a big positive, and he should play a leading role from stall nine.

Don’t sleep on the Jane Chapple-Hyam-trained Intellogent, who won the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat as a three-year-old and will make just his third start for the yard here. Both of his previous efforts have been laced with promise, especially last time when he tackled superior rivals and didn’t get the fast pace he needed to thrive. 

A 9lb rise in the weights for finishing third of four may seem a little harsh, but he was beaten just a length by horses rated 111 and 110 off level weights. This race is sure to suit and the booking of James Doyle increases my enthusiasm. Watch out for him from stall four.

Selection 1: Astro King @ 8.8
Selection 2: Intellogent @ 32

Recommended bets

Anchorage (3.05 Royal Ascot) @ 7.4
Bay Bridge (3.40 Royal Ascot) @ 2.4
Astro King (5.00 Royal Ascot) @ 8.8
Intellogent (5.00 Royal Ascot) @ 32