Royal Ascot SmartPlays: Tuesday June 18

Animal Kingdom can score in the opening contest

Timeform find you three bets on the opening day of Royal Ascot...

QUEEN ANNE STAKES - ANIMAL KINGDOM 

The globe-trotting Animal Kingdom looks a notch above his rivals in the opening contest, the Queen Anne Stakes (14:30), and he should be capable of enhancing his already-impressive CV.

Graham Motion's star performer has won a Kentucky Derby on Dirt, a Dubai World Cup on Tapeta and has finished second in the Breeders' Cup Mile on Turf to underline his remarkable versatility. People have pointed to the fact that he has yet to win over a mile, but his performance at the Breeders' Cup, where he endured a torrid passage, should allay any concerns that he has the speed for this task, and he will not face a rival of the calibre of US Horse of The Year Wise Dan.

Animal Kingdom has yet to face a straight mile such as the one he will encounter at Ascot, but those fears have been factored into his price and his proven versatility will surely stand him in good stead. The main point to stress, though, is that he is a confirmed high-class performer against a field of horses with form below the standard required to win an event such as this. The rewards outweigh the risks and Animal Kingdom can get us off to a flying start.

KING'S STAND STAKES - SWISS SPIRIT

Shea Shea is obviously the horse to beat in the King's Stand Stakes (15:05) following two impressive wins in Dubai, but he offers little value against 18 rivals and it could be worth taking him on. At the prices, the horse that makes the most appeal is the John Gosden-trained Swiss Spirit, an unlucky loser of the Temple Stakes at Haydock last time. 

Swiss Spirit, formerly trained by David Elsworth, hasn't been with his new yard for long, but he shaped with promise on his reappearance at York before showing marked improvement to register a career-best effort at Haydock. He was badly hampered at the start of the Temple Stakes, finding himself well behind as the runners hurtled down the Haydock straight, but he made relentless late headway inside the final furlong and only failed by a neck to overhaul the eventual winner, Kingsgate Native.

That run was clearly encouraging and a strongly-run five furlongs on a stiff track should provide Swiss Spirit with the ideal conditions to take another step forward. 

COVENTRY STAKES - THUNDER STRIKE

Thunder Strike has created a fantastic impression in his short career, winning on all three starts, including an impressive success in the listed Woodcote Stakes at Epsom on Derby Day, and he can take a typically-competitive renewal of the Coventry Stakes at 16:25.

It is worth mentioning that Thunder Strike fared best with the draw at Epsom but he displayed blistering speed to take advantage of his inside stall and tanked along on the bridle in deeply impressive fashion. In truth, he rarely looked in trouble and could be called the winner from some way out, eventually registering an emphatic three-and-a-half length victory over Riverboat Springs.

Riverboat Springs palpably failed to handle the unique course at Epsom and his fast-finishing effort ensured that he went into plenty of notebooks. However, you could hardly say that he was unlucky not to win, such was Thunder Strike's supremacy, and there is a chance that the winner's performance has been rather overlooked as a consequence. 

Thunder Strike can confirm himself as an extremely talented and speedy juvenile by taking the Coventry Stakes under Frankie Dettori. 

Timeform Uk SmartPlays:
All at Royal Ascot

Back Animal Kingdom in the 14:30
Back Swiss Spirit in the 15:05
Back Thunder Strike in the 16:25

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