GATEWOOD, a winner at York on his reappearance and two from two this season, is napped to complete a hat-trick at Royal Ascot tomorrow.
John Gosden’s fast-improving inmate overcame plenty of problems to come from an impossiblelooking position and win at Epsom’s Derby meeting in hot handicap company.
Gatewood now bids for the Wolferton Handicap on a course which should suit him much better than Epsom’s roller-coaster.
With William Buick again in the saddle, he should take all the beating.
Paul Hanagan has prospects of a double aboard Farhaan and Haamaat, both owned by Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, his new retainer.
Farhaan, a dual-winner last season, was beaten little more than a length into fourth on his reappearance at Newmarket, where he looked likely to win entering the final furlong. That race was won by Thought Worthy, who has since gone on to finish fourth in the Derby.
Thought Worthy is also in tomorrow’s field, as is Astrology, the Derby third. But Farhaan, with that Newmarket run under his belt, is thought capable of being a match for them and is fancied to have the edge in the King Edward VII Stakes.
Hanagan partners Haamaat in the Buckingham Palace Handicap, a wide-open affair with a huge field.
Sound cases can be made out for several of these runners, including Haamaat, a good fourth at Haydock last time out after a Kempton victory. Both those races were over six furlongs, but she is fancied to appreciate a step back up to seven furlongs, a distance over which she won last season.
Newfangled is selected to get punters off to a winning start on the penultimate day of Royal Ascot. John Gosden’s filly looked good on her debut and is surely open to further improvement.
In the Coronation Stakes, it is interesting that Aidan O’Brien is bringing Maybe back to a mile.
An outstanding juvenile last season, Maybe finished third in the 1,000 Guineas over this distance before being stepped up to a mile and a half in the Oaks, in which she finished a creditable fifth. She is not to be underestimated in the hands of the trainer’s son Joseph O’Brien.
At Redcar – the first day of a two-day meeting – Norton apprentice Shane B Kelly renews his association with Al Furat, on whom he won on this course two weeks ago.
Ronnie Barr’s gelding has coped well with the drop down in distance and he should be perfectly suited by tomorrow’s ten furlongs of the Win A VIP Day Out at redcarracing.co.uk Handicap.
Talent Scout looks to be coming to hand and Tim Walford may have found him a winning opportunity in the Follow RedcarRacing on Facebook & Twitter Handicap. Also worth noting are the consistent Mad Jazz (2.10), trained by Tony Coyle, and Alan Swinbank’s promising Star Deal (2.45).
Racing selections
Royal Ascot (tomorrow)
2.30 Newfangled, 3.05 Farhaan, 3.45 Maybe, 4.25 Gatewood (NAP), 5.00 Macbeth, 5.35 Haamaat.
Redcar (tomorrow)
2.10 Mad Jazz, 2.45 Star Deal, 3.20 Al Furat, 4.00 Next Edition, 4.35 Elizabeth Coffee, 5.10 Talent Scout, 5.45 Baltic Bomber.
Tomorrow’s other meetings
Ayr, Goodwood, Market Rasen and Newmarket.
Today’s meetings
Ascot, Ffos Las, Fontwell, Leicester, Ripon and Warwick.
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