Royal Ascot Placepot: Tuesday June 18

Richard Hughes is key to our day one Placepot

Royal Ascot always promises a big Placepot payout. Keith Melrose is up for the challenge on day one.

14:30 - Considering Animal Kingdom is seemingly either to be backed for a win or laid for a place depending on your point of view, a Placepot option he is not. Consistency and toughness were the hallmarks of Elusive Kate's fine three-year-old campaign and, taking on trust that trainer John Gosden has her ready to go after eight months off, she has everything in place to make a sound reappearance. We're going to double up on Gosden, including last year's St James's Palace third Gregorian. He recorded an overdue first pattern success last time at the expense of a couple of today's rivals and goes about things in a manner that should see him thereabouts at the finish.

15:05 - In a wide-open King's Stand taking two against 17 others is risky, but there are no easy routes to a big Placepot like this. As it happens, we're looking to John Gosden again, with his unlucky Temple Stakes runner-up Swiss Spirit. Second in is the likeable Sole Power, whose strong-travelling style should put him in a position to challenge. It's doubtful whether the stiff Ascot finish will ideally suit such a speedy horse, but Sole Power was third in this last year from the unfavoured side so is clearly effective here.

15:45 - The St James's Palace is about the only chance we're going to have to include a banker and reduce lines: the conundrum is with which horse? It's clearly going to be one of Dawn Approach, Magician or Toronado, with process of elimination taking us from there. Dawn Approach, though probably the most able of the trio, is first to be ruled out, there being niggling doubts that there was more to his Derby flop than just his fierce pulling. Similarly, Toronado was reported to be less than 100% following his latest run in the Guineas; he could yet prove to be the top-notcher he appeared in the Craven, though we'd need more evidence of a return to form before placing total faith in him. That leaves Magician, who left a deep impression when winning the Irish Guineas and will have no problem at all with a stiffer test at the trip.

16:25 - With Messrs Hannon and O'Brien both having live contenders for the Coventry, it's probably best to play it straight given the pair's record in the race and the profile of their leading contenders. O'Brien's Stubbs is currently favourite, but that's justified on what he's done so far, the style of his recent listed success especially taking. Of the Hannon-trained trio, Richard Hughes has perhaps counter-intuitively plumped for Championship, but we're keeping faith in Thunder Strike, whose win at Epsom entitles him to be regarded as Stubbs' main danger.

17:00 - We'll probably need three in the Ascot Stakes, with so many unknowns over the contenders. Midnight Oil would be a pretty typical example, having not been seen on the Flat since 2011 and looking less than straightforward back then. However, he's now in the hands of Willie Mullins and has confirmed himself a very useful hurdler. Back on the level off a fair mark and under the guidance of Richard Hughes, Midnight Oil makes the cut. Justification also gets in, the justification being that he might well be coming here off the back of a win in the Chester Cup but for enduring a torrid passage. Finally, Lieutenant Miller gets in by virtue of the impressive start he's made to his Flat career, a rise of 6 lb for his win at Doncaster last time looking less than prohibitive.

17:35 - Foolhardy perhaps, but we're taking on US raider Ogermeister in the Windsor Castle. A well-forward American two-year-old is always to be feared, but we have a couple of home-trained contenders who offer form we know to be solid. First up is Aniticipated, who has already won over this C&D and has seemingly been trained with this race in mind since. Second to Anticipated last time was Justice Day, who has run twice since, confirming his useful level on both occasions. Last time, Justice Day even shaped as though a return to a stiff five furlongs may draw more from him and that's exactly what he's been handed today.

Selections:

14:30 - 6, 13
15:05 - 12, 15
15:45 - 6
16:25 - 12, 14
17:00 - 6, 9, 19
17:35 - 2, 13

= 48 lines

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