Affair and Andab can Raid Ascot on Day One
ROYAL Ascot has come round in a flash, and there’s certainly plenty of speed on show on the opening day, with the Group One King Charles III Stakes (3.40pm) featuring some of the fastest horses on the planet.
I put up AMERICAN AFFAIR in this column ahead of his run in the Temple Stakes at Haydock but he wasn’t at his best there.
Jim Goldie’s five-year-old had been an impressive winner of a York handicap before that, landing the spoils in the style of a Group horse.
Things didn’t go to plan in the Temple, and he was hampered when just beginning to run on entering the final two furlongs.
An end-to-end gallop is what this horse needs and he should get that here, while over this stiff five furlongs his rivals are likely to be coming back to him, which is another positive.
American Affair is the classic example of a horse that isn’t trained by a big, internationally-known stable so is likely to be under bet with World Pool, which will be in operation for all five days at Royal Ascot.
The global pools offer UK punters betting via the Tote real value, with the added liquidity meaning winners often return at bigger prices than when betting with traditional fixed odds operators.
World Pool also offers exotic markets which can reward small stakes with a potentially huge payout, so I’m keen to throw two other selections together in a Quinella (predict the first two home).
NIGHT RAIDER was well beaten in the seven-furlong Jersey Stakes at this meeting last year but has looked a better horse since dropping back to sprint trips.
He showed up well for a long way on his return to action in the six-furlong Duke Of York Stakes last month.
Usually a frontrunner, it will be interesting to see if he can last home over this minimum trip, and he certainly has the speed to get his rivals working in behind.
MGHEERA is a rapidly improving sprinter, who stayed on powerfully from the back of the field to land the Temple Stakes.
She should be suited to coming from off the pace once again here, and is another for our Quinella.
Before the King Charles, there’s the Coventry Stakes (3.05pm), the top six-furlong race for two-year-olds.
A field of 21 unexposed horses make this a tough betting heat, especially with last year’s winner Rashabar – returned at World Pool odds of 129.0, compared to an SP of 80/1 – fresh in the memory.
Again, I think it’s worth looking away from the head of the market, and ANDAB is a horse that caught my eye.
He made a striking impression on debut at the Curragh, winning by nearly five lengths, and then ran a very good race when a close third in the Group Three Marble Hill Stakes at the same track.
The winner, Albert Einstein, was a very short price for this race before being ruled out through injury, and that makes Andab’s odds look good value on a win and place line.
Trainer Archie Watson has an excellent record in the Coventry, winning the 2022 edition with Bradsell, having Army Ethos finish a neck second in 2023, before going even closer last year when Electrolyte was beaten by just a nose.
That entitles his three runners, Tadej, Shaatir and UNDERWRITER to plenty of respect, but it’s the last named, who has taken a similar route to this race as Electrolyte and Army Ethos in winning an Ayr maiden, that is the one for the Quinella.
Add in Paul and Oliver Cole’s AMERICAN GULF, who was impressive at Windsor on debut, and we can dream of landing a major day one payout.
POINTERS TUESDAY
Andab (Win and Place) 3.05pm Royal Ascot
Andab, Underwriter, American Gulf
(Quinella) 3.05pm
American Affair (Win and Place) 3.40pm Royal Ascot
American Affair, Night Raider, Mgheera
(Quinella) 3.40pm Royal Ascot