Bapak Chinta, who streaked home to an easy success at Hamilton on his one and only start, is napped to complete an encore tomorrow at no less a venue than Royal Ascot.
The North Yorkshire colt is selected to draw first blood on day three of the prestigious meeting in the hands of Phil Makin, who said: “I really love this horse. I’ve got some great rides at the meeting, but I think he’s my best chance of a winner at Royal Ascot this week.”
Trained by Kevin Ryan, for whom Makin rides as number one jockey, Bapak Chinta had a tall home reputation before running at Hamilton, where he was sent off the odds-on favourite and won like one.
In second place was Frederick Engels, who has since franked the form by going one better in hot company.
Although he has experience of only one racecourse outing, Bapak Chinta is considered to be ultra-professional and have an ideal temperament and connections are more than hopeful that he can cope with this big occasion so early in his career.
Blessed with an abundance of speed, he is strongly fancied to show his rivals the way home.
The £250,000 Ascot Gold Cup in tomorrow’s centrepiece and Fame And Glory, unbeaten in two starts this season and tipped to be a worthy successor to Aidan O’Brien’s previous Cup specialist Yeats, is the most likely winner.
Hopes are high in one corner of North Yorkshire that Blue Bajan can figure in the shake-up on behalf of Nawton trainer David O’Meara and owner Dr John Hollowood, who lives just a few miles from the yard.
Now a nine-year-old and seemingly in the twilight of his career, Blue Bajan has been in the form of his life since joining O’Meara earlier this year, going down narrowly to Duncan in the Yorkshire Cup on Knavesmire and then going one better in convincing style in the Henry II Stakes, another Group 2 contest at Sandown.
Hollowood has forked out £25,000 for a supplementary entry to allow Blue Bajan to contest this Group 1 prize and fingers are crossed that his veteran campaigner can figure in the money.
Richard Fahey has two runners in the Britannia Handicap and, even allowing for the hugely competitive nature of this 30- runner cavalry charge, both have chances. Common Touch has twice won at York this season for York Racecourse chairman Nicholas Wrigley and co-owner Kevin Hart, while Polar Kite was a good winner at Ripon before a luckless seventh-placed effort in a hot handicap at Haydock, where he met lots of trouble.
Polar Kite may just have the edge over Common Touch, but this is a race in which a pin may be the best method of finding the winner.
While Paul Hanagan, rider of Polar Kite, also has each-way claims on the progressive Dorcas Lane in the Ribblesdale Stakes, Purification should not be overlooked in the closing King George V Handicap.
John Gosden’s three-year-old ran out a ready winner on his reappearance at Windsor and looks fairly weighted in his first handicap. William Buick has the mount.
At Ripon, the £10,500 Ladies Day Handicap takes pride of place and Charlie Cool, trained at Stillington by Ruth Carr, has good prospects of taking the honours for the second successive year.
David Nolan, who won a useful race at Musselburgh recently aboard Lexington Bay (3.20) has every chance of adding another on the gelding, while the North Yorkshire jockey has double prospects aboard the tough and consistent Angelo Poliziano (5.10).
Racing selections
Royal Ascot
2.30 Bapak Chinta (NAP), 3.05 Dorcas Lane, 3.45 Fame And Glory, 4.25 Polar Kite, 5.00 Alkimos, 5.35 Purification.
Ripon
2.10 One Kool Dude, 2.45 Zomerlust, 3.20 Lexington Bay, 4.00 Charlie Cool, 4.35 Golden Future, 5.10 Angelo Poliziano, 5.45 Classic Descent.
Tomorrow’s other meetings
Beverley, Ffos Las, Leicester and Warwick.
Today’s meetings
Hamilton, Kempton, Ripon, Royal Ascot and Worcester.
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