Two Group 1 races are on the menu on Friday – day four of the 2023 Royal Ascot meeting.
The second race of the day sees the top 3-year-old sprinters do battle over 6 furlongs in the Commonwealth Cup, worth just over £340,000 to the winner.
Thirteen runners are declared and at the top of William Hill’s market is Little Big Bear, the mount of Ryan Moore and trained by Aidan O’Brien, at 2.20.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: June 21st, 8:00 P.M. (BST)
Second on debut in April last year, he then won five of his next six races with the only exception being a dead last finish in the 2000 Guineas when he came up lame.
Notable wins include the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh last August and last month he bounced back under Frankie Dettori to win a Group 2 at Haydock.
Dettori will ride third favourite Lezoo for Ralph Beckett this time, who is at 9.50. The filly struggled on soft ground in the 1000 Guineas last month but won four of her other five career runs, all on good ground or firmer, most notably the Cheveley Park Stakes, also at Newmarket, last September.
Separating them in the betting is 5.00 shot Sakheer, who will be ridden by David Egan. Roger Varian’s runner is another who did not take kindly to the 1 mile trip for the 2000 Guineas and should be happier at the same distance that saw him win Newbury’s Mill Reef Stakes.
Shaquille (12.00) has won his last four but nothing at group level; third to Shaquille last time out and in mid-division in the 2000 Guineas was Noble Style (13.00); Ocean Quest (19.00) counts two seconds in Group 3s as her most notable results.
Later in the afternoon, six other fillies are tasked with stopping Tahiyra from winning the Coronation Stakes.
Winner of the Irish 1000 Guineas, Dermot Weld’s star is at 1.66 with William Hill and will be ridden by Chris Hayes, as she has been for her whole career.
She is beatable, as proved by finishing half a length behind Mawj in the English 1000 Guineas. Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien will be reminding themselves of that as they ready Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Mediate (6.00) for a third attempt at trying to beat Tahiyra.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: June 21st, 8:00 P.M. (BST)
At 7.50 is Queen For You who was second at York last month after winning on debut a fortnight earlier at Ascot. Robert Havlin rides for John & Thady Gosden.
Beating Queen For You at York was Sounds Of Heaven (11.00) for Jessie Harrington. Three 26.00 chances in Comhra, Mammas Girl and Remarquee make up the field.
