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The Snout
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TUESDAY 20TH JUNE – ROYAL ASCOT – KINGS STAND STAKES – MARSHA. 4/1 is available at SkyBet (NON RUNNER NO BET), 5/1 elsewhere.
I find it absolutely staggering that MARSHA is not a short price for this race, and I have absolutely no doubts that she will be come 20th June. She won the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket under a 4lb penalty, which is a huge effort considering a) she is a filly and probably not at peak fitness and b) it was a very high class renewal. She absolutely flew up the inside rail that day and held on from 2 very good sprinters who had their conditions in the form of Washington DC and Goldream. Prior to this she won the Abbaye on Arc day which I believe to be the best sprint race in Europe, showing just how much she had progressed. She won’t carry a penalty here, and this race was earmarked as her next run right after she won at Newmarket. Profitable won the Palace House before winning this race last year and that trend should hold up. Lady Aurelia is a terrible favourite and Acapulco has never ran to the level MARSHA has shown, from a ratings point of view, in her career. MARSHA will be going off a short priced favourite, and deservedly so, and we will have the value.
FRIDAY 23RD JUNE – ROYAL ASCOT – KING EDWARD VII STAKES – SALOUEN. 16/1 is available generally.
SALOUEN looks a big price in the King Edward Stakes and seeing as this looks a very likely target I think he is worth a bet with 2 weeks to go until the race. He has always been highly regarded by his trainer and all of his form prior to his Derby run suggests he is improving and definitely has a big run in him. He was 2nd to National Defense in the Jean-Luc Lagadere on Arc Day in France which is smart form and then finished a very good 3rd in the Racing Post Trophy behind Rivet. He clearly stepped forwards as a 4 year old when a close 2nd to subsequent winner Khalidi (beaten a neck). In the Derby, he was definitely the most luckless horse in the race. He pretty much came to a standstill when clipping heels a few furlongs out, and still managed to find trouble after that which made it near on impossible. A few shrewdies were quietly confident of him running a big race in the Derby and with last years winner coming back from a poor Derby run to win this I think he looks like massive value here. Plenty of these in the race should come out between now and race time and his trainer has near on committed him to this race in the aftermath of the Derby. Just a note that this race is not NRNB but hence we are getting such a good price, this is firmly worth taking.
Good Luck.
