Ascot Tips: Versatile Prince Of Zenda a solid contender

There is no shortage of Saturday racing action this weekend with a whopping eight meetings taking place across Britain and Ireland. 

They include afternoon fare from Ascot, where the Group 2 Summer Mile at 14:20 is the feature event on a seven-race card, from 13:45-17:17, with conditions forecast to be 'Straight: good to soft; Round: soft-good to soft in places'. Amongst our trio of Ascot fancies is Prince Of Zenda for Hugo Palmer, as the four-year-old bids to make good use of proven stamina in a sprint contest on the stiff track. 

13:45 Ascot - Prince Of Zenda @ 14/1  

A competitive field of 19 are set to contest the opening A1R Services Heritage Handicap over the flying five furlongs and it's a Betfred Extra Place Race, with five places for each-way punters. 

At the time of writing it is 7/1 the field and one that strikes as being interesting at a solid price is PRINCE OF ZENDA for trainer Hugo Palmer. 

The gelded son of Kingman has proven stamina for more than 7f but that could be an asset in this contest if they get racing early on this stiff track. 

He's more proven on synthetic surfaces but won last year at Chester on soft ground, so the bit of give under foot should be absolutely fine now. 

His rating shot up after wins at Lingfield and Newcastle in January and, following a break, he has run well in his last three starts, including when second in the Class 2 Gosforth Park Cup Handicap at Newcastle off this mark a couple of weeks ago. 

In-form claiming rider Aidan Keeley can take a handy 3lb off in the saddle now and they are worth considering back at Ascot, where Prince Of Zenda was second to a handicap blot on his only previous appearance, albeit over a mile. 

14:20 Ascot - Bolster @ 10/1 

Double-figure odds about BOLSTER in the Summer Mile are worth an interest. The Group 2 feature race has the unbeaten Quddwah atop the market for Simon & Ed Crisford, but the Kingman colt is back from a short break and now facing the toughest test of his fledgling career. 

Karl Burke's Bolster, meanwhile, could go well and kick-start a good afternoon for the Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum ownership, with Inisherin the star attraction in the July Cup at Newmarket later. 

This son of Invincible Spirit is an ex-Crisford inmate himself and has improved this term for the stable-switch. 

He won handicaps at Pontefract (1m2f, soft) and Epsom (1m2f, good to soft) on his first two outings and then ran well for a long way in a Curragh Group 3 last month. 

Dropping in trip at this venue is no concern and he was a winner on sole previous try at a mile. 

16:42 Ascot - Azahara Palace @ 7/2 

Later on, look out for AZAHARA PALACE for trainer Hughie Morrison in the Village Hotels Fillies' Handicap over the straight mile. 

The Adaay filly won at Leicester (1m, good to soft) on her seasonal comeback and that was enough to prompt connections to have a tilt at the Kensington Palace Stakes Fillies' Handicap at the Royal meeting here last month. 

She was well beaten off this increased mark, but finished an honourable seventh in a 24-runner field and this represents a drop in class, with Hollie Doyle taking over in the saddle. 

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