Coronation Stakes Tips: True Love to prevail again

The prestigious Coronation Stakes takes centre stage at Royal Ascot on Friday (16:20) as the mile-long contest brings together nine of Europe's elite three-year-old fillies.

Here's my Coronation Stakes tips - or should I say tip - ahead of the big race.

Aidan O'Brien has surprisingly only won the Coronation Stakes on three occasions, those victories coming at lengthy intervals through Sosphisticat (2001), Lillie Langtry (2010) and Winter (2017).

The master of Ballydoyle is responsible for both Precise and TRUE LOVE in Friday's renewal and they rightly dominate the market.

It's 1-1 between the pair so far this season, True Love finishing five lengths ahead of Precise in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket at the beginning of last month, prior to the former gaining revenge in the Irish equivalent at The Curragh three weeks later.

Precise was sent-off favourite at Newmarket, but she was clearly undercooked from a fitness perspective and looked a different animal with that run under her belt at The Curragh, comfortably turning the tables.

The market has got it badly wrong both times, however, and I certainly wouldn't be jumping in to back Precise at odds of 4/7 on Friday, albeit she won with a fair bit in hand at The Curragh.

This represents a different test and True Love has already shown a liking for this stiff, uphill track, winning last season's Queen Mary Stakes.

There's nothing to separate the stablemates on official ratings (115) and at current prices, she's by far the best value.

Horse Racing Odds

Donnacha O'Brien's Balantina is rated within 2lb of the two market principals, though that figure is based heavily around her victory in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf at Del Mar last October.

Her form before that was nothing like as good, her two next best performances coming when running to Racing Post Ratings of 93 when placed in the Group 3 Albany Stakes over 6f here a year ago and when touched off in the same grade in France.

She's returning from 231 days off and looks to be playing for minor honours at best.

The Charlie Johnston-trained Timeforshowcasing won the German 1,000 Guineas at the end of last month, supplementing her victory in the Listed Barradon Stakes at Newcastle on her reappearance.

However, her win at Dusseldorf came on soft ground and she's likely to be vulnerable on this much quicker surface, as was the case in the 1,000 Guineas when she beat only a couple of home.

Therefore, Owen Burrows' Touleen gets the vote for third, the mount of Saffie Osborne having acquitted herself well when sixth of 19 behind True Love at HQ (half-a-length ahead of a below par Precise).

She was narrowly beaten by the reopposing Sukanya on her reappearance in the Fred Darling at Newbury, but that was over 7f and Jack Channon's filly has since run poorly in the Irish 1,000 Guineas.