Royal Ascot Friday Tips: Owen marks your card for Day 4

Royal Ascot continues into Friday with another seven-race card featuring a few Group 1s and some big field, extra-place handicaps.

Read on for my Royal Ascot Friday tips.

14:30 - Venetian Sun @ 6/1

Karl Burke has been raving about VENETIAN SUN ahead of the Albany Stakes - a Group 3 over six furlongs for two-year-old fillies - and I fancy the daughter of Starman to justify his bullishness in Friday's opener.

After winning on debut at Carlisle last month, the Middleham-based trainer was quick to label her "very, very useful", suggesting there's stacks of improvement to come from the 240k guineas purchase.

The form of her victory in Cumbria has been advertised in the meantime, courtesy of runner-up Argentine Tango winning her subsequent start at Beverley.

The selection ought to relish the extra furlong and like her top connections, I've got high hopes about her chances.

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15:05 - Babouche @ 9/2

Next up is the Commonwealth Cup, featuring 22 of the best three-year-old sprinters in the business.

Favourite Shadow Of Light, outstanding over the six-furlong trip last year, commands plenty of respect, but he drops back in distance having contested the Dewhurst and Betfred 2000 Guineas over seven furlongs and a mile respectively in his last two starts. Jonquil tries sprinting for the very first time.

BABOUCHE, meanwhile, comes to Berkshire off the back of an impressive Group 3 success over six at Naas last month, beating the reopposing Whistlejacket by just shy of three lengths, eased down at the line.

Ger Lyons' daughter of Kodiac, already a winner at the highest level having landed the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh last year, has plenty of top-class form in the book and remains open to significant improvement.

She's reportedly been working back from this all year and must have every chance under the excellent Colin Keane.

15:40 - Satin each-way @ 25/1

The first handicap of Royal Ascot's fourth day is the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes, and Betfred are paying 5 places on this 0-105 affair over 1m4f.

Selected race(s). Applies to Each Way, Single & Multiple bets only. Antepost bets don’t apply. Min. runner rules apply. T&Cs Apply.

Of the 18 set to go to post, it's Jessie Harrington's SATIN who gets my vote.

The five-year-old Australia mare struggled last season, dropping from a mark of 101 to 95 after three sub-par efforts during August/September, but is faring much better of late.

Her narrow defeat to Ascending at Cork early last month was franked by Henry de Bromhead's six-year-old winning the Ascot Stakes on Thursday, while her third to Aidan O'Brien's retired Kyprios in the G3 Levmoss Stakes at Leopardstown a few weeks later needs little explaining.

Off a mark of 96, just two pounds higher, she looks overpriced and well worth a few quid each-way.

16:20 - Falakeyah @ 9/4

Spoiler alert, I'm predicting a huge 40 minutes or so for Owen Burrows and Shadwell, starting with FALAKEYAH in the Coronation Stakes.

Plain and simply, I think the New Bay filly is a serious talent who'll take all the beating in this mile-long Group 1 contest.

She raced just once at two, beating a modest field at Wolverhampton without breaking a sweat, before reappearing in the Betfred Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket last month and cruising to a three-and-three-quarter-length success.

That's decent form. The runner-up Life Is Beautiful was a fine fifth in the Ribblesdale Stakes on Thursday, while Qilin Queen, who was third behind the selection at HQ, has since triumphed at Listed level herself.

Falakeyah could be absolutely anything and dropping back to a mile should be no bother for this classy individual. I'm expecting big things.

17:00 - Alfareqa each-way @ 12/1

Burrows/Shadwell team up again in the Sandringham Stakes - a fillies' handicap over a mile - with ALFAREQA.

Despite setting connections back a mouth-watering 1.6m guineas back in October 2023, it's been a slow start to the three-year-old daughter of Frankel's career.

However, she is improving with every run and after her second to a classy rival in Pina Sonata (rated 94) at Leicester last month, an opening mark of 84 could easily be on the lenient side.

I don't think making the running suited her at Leicester. In her sole victory at Doncaster in April, they went a strong gallop and she thrived off it, pulling nearly two lengths clear of her 11 rivals.

Something to aim at is guaranteed on Friday, which can bring out the best of her. With 6 places on offer, she's a cracking each-way bet in my book.

17:35 - Puppet Master @ 4/1

The penultimate race on Day 4 of Royal Ascot is the King Edward VII Stakes - a Group 2 over 1m4f for three-year-old colts and geldings.

Amiloc heads the market at time of publication, and it's hard to knock Ralph Beckett's unbeaten son of Postponed. He's 4-4 so far and was emphatic in Listed company at Goodwood last time out. However, I don't think he's beaten much yet, so I'm keen to oppose her at the prices.

With that in mind, I'm siding with PUPPET MASTER for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore.

A useful juvenile, the Camelot colt has taken his form to new heights this season, finishing a fine fourth behind stablemates Delacroix (subsequent Group 3 winner rated 116), Lambourn (Betfred Derby hero) and Tiberius Thunder (101) on reappearance in the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown in March.

Then, he went to Lingfield for the Derby Trial and beat stablemate Stay True, who had Betfred Derby eighth Nighttime Dancer over three lengths adrift. That's another smart piece of form.

There ought to be more to come from Puppet Master who, with Ryan Moore pulling the strings, rates a likely type for this fascinating contest.

18:10 - Adrestia each-way @ 9/1

Finally, we've got the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes. Betfred are paying 6 places on this 0-105 handicap over the minimum trip, and I intend to take advantage of those enhanced terms and back ADRESTIA each-way.

Simon & Ed Crisford's three-year-old fetched £420k after a breeze-up in April last year, and two months later she lined up in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot despite failing to win on debut at Windsor just over a week prior.

She fared okay in that Group 2 contest, finishing 11th of 24, just under seven lengths off the pace. Not bad at all, in fact, given her vast inexperience.

A couple of victories at Yarmouth and Sandown - the latter in handicap company off an opening mark of 82 - followed, but she struggled towards the end of the campaign, beating just three rivals in August appearances at Newbury and Chester.

After a well-earned break of 282 days, the daughter of Havana Grey was a highly-encouraging third off a reduced rating of 89, which ought to have put her spot on for this.

Off an unchanged mark, with the brilliant Oisin Murphy taking over in the saddle, she's got solid each-way claims in another ultra-competitive heat.

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