Royal Ascot Tuesday Tips: Owen marks your card for Day 1

The biggest flat meeting of the year, Royal Ascot, gets underway on Tuesday with a seven-race card featuring three Group 1s, a Group 2, a Listed event and a couple of handicaps.

My task is to come up with a selection for each and every race on Day 1. Check out my Royal Ascot Tuesday tips below.

14:30 - Notable Speech @ 6/1

The Queen Anne sees the Lockinge 1-2-3-4 renew rivalries, with further intrigue provided by the likes of Sardinian Warrior, Diego Velazquez and the supplemented Carl Spackler from Down Under.

I could believe any of those winning this historic race, but my preference is for last year's 2000 Guineas hero NOTABLE SPEECH.

Charlie Appleby's four-year-old Dubawi colt has won just one of his five starts since that Classic success, but a no-show at the last Royal Meeting and struggling with soft ground at Longchamp in September aside, he's kept a high level of form.

On reappearance at Newbury last month he finished fourth behind the reopposing Lead Artist, Dancing Gemini and Rosallion, but travelled as well as anything before appearing to blow up late in the piece. Appleby confirmed as much afterwards, saying he "just got tired in the final 200 yards" and will be "spot on for Ascot".

With a bit of improvement, I can absolutely see him coming out on top this time.

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15:05 - Rock On Thunder each-way @ 12/1

I prefer to steer clear of those towards the head of the market in juvenile races such as the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot. The fields are littered with unknown quantities and there's been a couple of upsets recently, with Nando Parrado at 150/1 in 2020 and Rashabar at 80/1 last year.

With that in mind, I'm taking on the likes of Postmodern, Gstaad and Military Code with ROCK ON THUNDER.

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

Kevin Ryan's two-year-old, who fetched 380k guineas back in October, made the perfect start to his career at Leicester exactly three weeks ago, beating 12 rivals in good style.

It's early days but the form looks fairly strong, with the third-placed Calico Blue and fifth-placed Egoli winning at Chester and York respectively last weekend.

Rock On Thunder was pulling away at the line in the East Midlands, shaping like he'll appreciate the stiff six furlongs at Ascot, and he ought to have a lot more to offer. He's the each-way play for me.

15:40 - Believing @ 9/2

Following a fine effort in last year's renewal, George Boughey's BELIEVING can win the King Charles III Stakes on Tuesday.

I backed her 12 months ago and she ran well into fourth, a length-and-a-half behind the reopposing Asfoora. The Aussie sprinter returns to Berkshire on the back of a sub-par effort, with first-time blinkers applied, while the former has just broken her Group 1 duck.

That victory, in the £696k Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan, was arguably a career-best, and previous defeats to Bradsell at the highest level last season are right up there too.

The daughter of Mehmas has developed into an incredibly-consistent sprinter and she can reverse form with Asfoora on Tuesday.

She beat Regional in the Middle East and Night Raider has never raced over the minimum trip. The majority of her other 19 rivals are inconsistent and/or have a bit to find.

I fear Ed Walker's in-form Mgheera most, although I do feel she needs to progress again from her triumph in the G2 Betfred Temple Stakes at Haydock last month.

16:20 - Field Of Gold @ 4/5

Betfred 2000 Guineas winner Ruling Court is respected - and probably a tad overpriced too - as is Aidan O'Brien's Henri Matisse who obliged in the French edition, but I can't see past FIELD OF GOLD in the St James's Palace.

I opposed John & Thady Gosden's Kingman colt ahead of the Irish 2000 Guineas as I wasn't convinced he was quite as unlucky behind Ruling Court at HQ as was suggested, but he proved me very wrong at the Curragh.

He was emphatic and the regard in which the Gosdens hold him, going as far as to suggest he could be even better than his father, makes you sit up and take notice.

If it doesn't come too soon, given it's his fourth run of the season already, he should take all the beating.

17:00 - Dawn Rising each-way @ 22/1

Joseph O'Brien is an outstanding target trainer and I think it's worth taking a chance on DAWN RISING in the Ascot Stakes.

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

The eight-year-old Galileo gelding has gained a lot of experience in these long-distance handicaps, finishing fifth and sixth in the Irish and British Cesarewitch respectively as recently as September/October last year and winning the Queen Alexandria over 2m5f at the Royal meeting in 2023. He was third in the same race 12 months later.

A couple of lacklustre efforts during the first half of this calendar year has seen his mark drop to 100, the lowest of his career, which means he qualifies for this 2m4f event for a change.

Of course, if he turns up in the same sort of form, he's got no chance. However, I'm encouraged to see a tongue-tie applied - hopefully that's a sign of more to come.

He was capable of winning a Group 3 over an extended two miles at the Curragh just seven months ago, so I find it unlikely he's regressed quite as much. Would he be running here if he had?

It's speculative, so modest stakes are advised - and we're going each-way under Betfred's enhanced place terms.

17:35 - King's Gambit @ 17/2

It's a similar story, albeit to a much lesser extent, for my selection in the Wolferton Stakes.

Harry Charlton's KING'S GAMBIT was a classy three-year-old, despite just one win in five starts. He beat subsequent Triumph Hurdle hero and Ascot Stakes hopeful Poniros by four lengths on reappearance at Newbury last May, before finishing an eye-catching runner-up to the late Jayarebe in the Hampton Court at last year's Royal meeting over course and distance.

Immediately after he occupied the same position behind the 118-rated Alflaila in a Group 2 at York, before returning to the Knavesmire for the Great Voltigeur in August and finishing within a length of Aidan O'Brien's Los Angeles (rated 123 and favourite for the Prince Of Wales's Stakes) and Illinois (116 and favourite for the Gold Cup).

The son of Saxon Warrior underperformed in the mud on Champions Day over 50 days later, as many do, but to an extent bounced back in a Group 3 out in Qatar earlier this year.

He was gelded soon after that run in the Middle East and reappeared for the current campaign at Newbury last month, finishing a modest sixth of seven, as many lengths off the pace.

Not only was it his first run in 90 days, during which he underwent that significant operation, but he was sporting first-time blinkers which appeared to have the opposite effect. He raced far too keenly under Ryan Moore, fading tamely at the business end of the race.

The selection ought to improve substantially for the run, and possibly for the removal of headgear. If he can get back to anywhere near his best, he has as good a chance as any in this field.

18:10 - Charlus @ 4/1

Willie's in the bumper, anyone?

National Hunt supremo Willie Mullins is no stranger to a big winner on the level, especially at Royal Ascot. He's won the last couple of renewals of Tuesday's finale - the Copper Horse Stakes - and has every chance of making it a hat-trick courtesy of CHARLUS.

Ever since he acquired the four-year-old son of Churchill for a cool €315k last summer, the Closutton handler has been mentioning a possible flat campaign.

His form in this discipline over in France is smart. He won a couple of ordinary affairs at Pau before landing a conditions race at Bordeaux Le Bouscat, where he returned weeks later and finished runner-up to Jean-Claude Rouget's Sibayan in a Listed heat. That rival has since gone very close in Group 3 and Group 2 company.

Charlus is unexposed, especially over this sort of trip on the flat, for a trainer who knows all about winning this race - and he has the best jockey in the world on his back. What's not to like?

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