Ascot Placepot: Wednesday May 1

John Gosden trains Caucus

There's a fine midweek card at Ascot today, which should attract plenty of betting interest, so we need look no further for our Placepot bid.

14:00 - The opener is a five-runner affair, but as a race for two-year-olds at this stage of the season we'd have to be pretty confident to bank. There's a temptation to go it alone with Anticipated, who as a speedily-bred Richard Hannon colt who was well backed when making a winning debut, but we'll resist. Montaigne is a good option to shore up with, having looked to know his job when winning on his own debut and having more than enough speed in his pedigree to think he can cut it with other good early two-year-olds.

14:30 - Another five-runner contest, this one for three-year-old fillies. Coronation Stakes entrant Chat is favourite and most likely has the greatest potential, but having just one run behind her, and that almost a year ago, we'll look elsewhere. We appear to have a pretty good Placepot prospect in Cruck Realta, who was consistent over shorter trips last year and duly improved up to 10 furlongs on her reappearance. Ideally, she'd have stuck to that sort of trip, but a stiff mile such as the one she's running over today should be enough for Cruck Realta to do herself justice.

15:00 - The listed Paradise Stakes looks pretty typical for a race of its type, with there not being a great deal of depth. There are a couple with among the best form who've also done it around Ascot, namely Boom And Bust and Pastoral Player. Boom And Bust won a handicap here last autumn and finished third in the Cambridgeshire on his final start, while he's already had a run this year (fourth in the Earl of Sefton). Pastoral Player was edged out by Fanunalter in the Summer Mile here last Jul and has a number of other good efforts at a higher level to his name.

15:35 - The Sagaro Stakes is the big race of the day, with most of the runners probably having an eye trained on the Gold Cup back here in June. An exception might be Caucus, who plainly failed to get home in last year's Gold Cup. With a good record fresh (beat Cavalryman returning from a three-month break last autumn) this could be his day. Second spot goes to Steps To Freedom, a strong traveller who has had a couple of warm-up runs this spring. His form is among the best on offer.

16:10 - A listed sprint for three-year-olds in which the main clue may come from a similar event at Newmarket recently. Zanetto took another step forward to win that race, with Graphic Guest in third, and that's enough to think Andrew Balding's colt will be thereabouts today. Second selection Hasopop ran in a handicap last time, shaping as though he's still going the right way when finishing in third, so he's worthy of inclusion, especially as he's got both plenty of experience and proven stamina for slightly further.

16:45 - Should we get to this stage, there's no point in trying to get cute in a closing 20-runner handicap; better just to stick with progressive four-year-olds Twenty One Choice and Rockalong, the latter in particular being unexposed.

Selections:
14:00 - 1, 4
14:30 - 1
15:00 - 1, 7
15:35 - 3, 5
16:10 - 2, 7
16:45 - 2, 11

= 32 lines