Lambourn trainer Jonny Portman is a splendid ambassador for horse racing: he is talented, charming and witty. Television presenters and newspaper journalists love interviewing him because his dry sense of humour invariably comes to the fore. Addressing some challenging times for his stable in 2022, he told a racing journalist, ‘I’ve had four owners die this year and I know two more are planning on it. So I do worry.’
Portman invariably gets the best out of his horses – he currently has 45 in training – and, if he had a couple of big-spending owners, he would undoubtedly be competing for the sport’s top prizes more often. Two Tempting is this season’s star for the yard, winning four of his five races and picking up some £120,000 in prize money along the way.
Another top performer for the stable is RUMSTAR, who will be Portman’s only runner this week at Royal Ascot. What’s more, the four-year-old gelding has every chance of winning the ultra-competitive 28-runner Wokingham Stakes at Royal Ascot tomorrow (5.05 p.m.).
As the winner of a Group 3 (the Cornwallis Stakes in 2022) and after being fifth in a Group 1 (the Commonwealth Cup last year), Rumstar is capable of landing a big sprint handicap off his current rating of 104. ‘He’s in good form, he’s been working well at home and we are hopeful of a big run,’ Portman told me. The horse will appreciate the quick ground too. Back him each way at 16-1 with bet365, paying six places.
However, I want to go into this race double handed and, while Rumstar is drawn in stall 25, APOLLO ONE is drawn on the other side of the track in stall 2. I put Apollo One up for this race a year ago and was frustrated to see him caught by a late surge from Saint Lawrence. He again got beaten by just one horse when second to Aberama Gold in the Coral Stewards’ Cup at Glorious Goodwood in August.
He has crept up the handicap as a result of those big runs but he still looks fairly treated off a mark of 102. If ever a horse deserves to land a big sprint handicap, it is this one. Back Apollo One each way at 16-1, with Paddy Power or Betfair, both offering six places.
I have already put up two other ante-post bets for tomorrow, Shartash at 10-1 in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (3.45 p.m.) and Isle of Jura at 12-1 in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes (3.05 p.m.). Both are trading at shorter odds now.
As for today’s racing at the royal meeting, I have – in the same column – put up another horse ante-post, this time Jasour at 11-1 in the Commonwealth Cup (3.05 p.m.). Jasour is now trading at less than half those odds after some high-profile defections in the race and I would be very disappointed if he did not make the frame or better.
I will add just one more suggested bet for this year’s Royal Ascot meeting and that is MUKAAFAH in today’s five-furlong Palace Of Holyrood House Stakes (6.15 p.m.). Trained by Kevin Philippart De Foy, this three-year-old colt is two wins from just four runs over the past two seasons and I would suspect there is plenty of improvement still to come.
His most recent run came when he won at Doncaster on good to firm ground and so conditions will be ideal for him today and the drop in trip to five furlongs should not be a problem either. Back him each way at 10-1 with bet365, paying six places and Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG).
Backing decent-priced winners at Royal Ascot is never easy but I am glad that Mickley, put up with some confidence win only at 9-1, duly obliged yesterday.
With six tips running today and tomorrow, there is plenty of interest still to come but that’s it from me for another week of fun and games at Royal Ascot. I will back as usual a week today with some more tips.
Pending:
1 point each way Jasour at 11-1 in the Commonwealth Cup, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places.
1 point each way Mukaafah at 11-1 in the Palace Of Holyrood House Stakes paying 1/5th odds, 6 places.
1 point each way Isle of Jura at 12-1 in the Hardwicke Stakes, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places.
1 point each way Shartash at 10-1 in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places.
1 point each way Rumstar at 16-1 in the Wokingham Stakes paying 1/5th odds, 6 places.
1 point each way Apollo One at 16-1 in the Wokingham Stakes paying 1/5th odds, 6 places.
Yesterday: + 12 points
1 point each way Gregory at 11-2 for the Ascot Gold Cup, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places. Unplaced. – 2 points.
2 points win Mickley at 9-1 for the Britannia Stakes. 1st. + 18 points.
1 point each way Gorak at 20-1 for the Buckingham Palace Stakes, paying 1/5th odds, 6 places. Unplaced. – 2 points.
1 point each way Fresh at 11-1 for the Buckingham Palace Stakes, paying 1/5th odds, 6 places. Unplaced. – 2 points.
2024 flat season running total + 5.1 points.
2023-4 jumps season: + 42.01 points on all tips.
2023 flat season: – 48.22 points on all tips.
2022-3 jumps season: + 54.3 points on all tips.
My gambling record for the past eight years: I have made a profit in 15 of the past 17 seasons to recommended bets. To a 1 point level stake over this period, the overall profit of has been 517 points. All bets are either 1 point each way or 2 points win (a ‘point’ is your chosen regular stake).
Comments