Royal Ascot Prince Of Wales’s Stakes odds, form and free tips
THE Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes is the only group 1 on the second day of the Royal Ascot carnival. The Thursday morning feature 2000m race has attracted a field of only six runners, but two of the world’s best thoroughbreds are set to collide.
Japanese champion A Shin Hikari is one of the star attractions at Royal Ascot this year and is odds-on to take the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes back to Japan, but Aidan O’Brien usually has something to say during the carnival.
O’Brien lines up Found which has competed around the world at the highest level and punters are keeping it well and truly in their sights. It’s looming as another match race between two champion thoroughbreds and we can’t wait till start time on Thursday morning at 1.20am.
Get involved with the betting duel at Sportsbet.com.au which currently has A Shin Hikari as the firm favourite.
Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes market and tips
1. A Shin Hikari – $1.66
2. My Dream Boat – $17
3. The Grey Gatsby – $9
4. Tryster – $17
5. Western Hymn – $15
6. Found – $4
A Shin Hikari is one of those horses which is good enough to bring in the crowds. The Japanese star has won 10 of its 12 starts and it destroyed a classy field to win the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan last start in France. That win was one of the best in the modern era as it was fresh up and the conditions weren’t favourable.
The Masanori Sakaguchi has an interesting record in that the two times it hasn’t won, it has finished in ninth position. Punters will be happy to find that it’s impossible for the five-year-old to finish ninth at Royal Ascot as it scared off many of the fringe contenders.
The son of Deep Impact has already won the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup this season and another big win looks on the cards. The Japanese stayers are bred tough and the testing Royal Ascot track shouldn’t pose any problems. It looks like one of the best bets of the carnival if you’re prepared to take the $1.66 at Sportsbet.
The biggest and possibly only danger to the favourite is the Aidan O’Brien-trained Found. The classy four-year-old is rarely out of the money and its recent runs behind Postponed in the Group 1 Coronation Cup and Fascinating Rock in the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup were full of merit.
Its biggest win to date came in the Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland in America. It lowered the colours of Golden Horn and although its biggest win since came only in group 3 grade, it should prove its worth against the likes of A Shin Hikari. Bookmakers have kept it very safe in the market at $4 and it looks a top quinella chance with the Japanese star.
There are other horses in the race which are worth mentioning. The Grey Gatsby finished second in this race last year at odds of $5.50 and punters are getting a much better price of $9 this time around. The Kevin Ryan-trained horse hasn’t won since beating Australia in the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes in 2014, but despite being sparingly-raced since, it could pose a threat with plenty of experience under its belt.
Another runner which is a top three chance is Western Hymn. It finished third in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes last year, but having had only four runs since could be a detriment to its chances. The John Gosden-trained gelding has placed in all four runs, most notably a last start second behind Time Test and it could provide some value as an upset chance. There are only two place dividends in the six-horse field so it should be paying around $6 to place.
The best bet of the race is either a quinella of A Shin Hikari and Found, or simply taking A Shin Hikari to win at $1.66 with Sportsbet. The quinella will likely pay around $1.85, so we advise on taking the Japanese star on the nose as the safer option.