Day 2 at Royal Ascot....

Tuesday, 17th June 2025

Day 2 at Royal Ascot….

Get my picks for Day 1 here….

In ATC today….

…. I swing the bat in the handicaps on Day 2 at Royal Ascot….

I’m on EPICTETUS in the Royal Hunt Cup at 5.00 – up at 33s, 28s & 25s ….

…. and I’m on VIENNOISE at 33s in the Kensington Palace at 5.35….

That’s the summary….

…. you’ll find all my reasoning below – as per usual….

Oh…. and if you’re looking for the standout place terms on offer – you’ll find them in the Bet Box below…. 

Read on….

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I fancy a couple of horses to go deep at big prices on Day 2….

In the Royal Hunt Cup (5.00) I looked very closely at Silawi….

…. but EPICTETUS is the one that makes appeal at 33s, 28s & 25s – there’s even a bit of 40s available with Paddy Power & some 50s with Ladbrokes….

The 5yo G3 winner lost his way with the Gosden team and was transferred to Jamie Osborne’s care in April….

He’s run for his new yard just the once – at Newbury on Lockinge day….

…. and whilst he clearly didn’t set the track on fire – finishing 5/11 and beaten 5.25 lengths – I thought his performance represented a promising step in the right direction….

It was his first go for almost a year….

…. it was certainly his best performance since he’d been running in Group races for his previous trainer 18-months earlier….

…. I think it demonstrated that he doesn’t need it soft to show-up and put a shift in….

…. and he should be plenty fitter for the run and some conditioning at home in the meantime…

Tomorrow the cheekpieces are back on….

…. the yard’s preferred pilot Saffie Osborne – who has a good clock in her head and rides Ascot well – replaces William Carver in the saddle….

…. you’d think 21 is a nice spot in the draw….

…. and I’m mindful that trainer Jamie Osborne has a strong record in this race – his 14 previous runners producing a winner, three placers and three more that finished 6th or 7th….

Epictetus is potentially well-handicapped too – off a mark of 101….

…. and he gets a bit further than a mile – no bad thing at the death on this stiff track off a fast pace….

A field of 30 goes to post, I could probably make a case for at least 20 of them, and there’s always an element of ‘lottery’ at work in races of this nature….

…. but there’s enough in the tea leaves to encourage me to swing the bat….

…. and if you can’t loosen-up and have a proper dig at the prices in an ultra-competitive big-field handicap at Royal Ascot – then when can you….

Saffie Osborne made my shortlist again in the Kensington Palace (5.35) – but James Fanshawe’s Sky Safari has been well-enough found….

…. and I prefer David O’Meara’s VIENNOISE at the general 33s….

She won last time out at Doncaster – earlier this month – with what was easily a career-best performance on turf….

O’Meara’s clearly got her firing in the ‘right now’….

…. and whilst she runs off 5lb higher tomorrow she’s only had five goes on turf, she’s pretty much unexposed, and there’s surely more to come off a mark of 80….

Last year she ran in the Sandringham at this meeting – but it didn’t work out on the day….

She’d won the time before – but an 11-week break ahead of the Royal meeting might have caught her out….

My point is that ahead of the race her trainer at the time – Archie Watson – thought she was well-handicapped on a mark of 83….

…. she’s runs off 3lb lower tomorrow – and O’Meara’s gone to the trouble of booking top claimer Warren Fentiman for the ride (he takes off 5lb)….

She’s at the very bottom of the weights, some of the fancied horses are conceding plenty of weight to her, and she could prove a proper handful….

Of course, Fentiman’s only 17, he doesn’t yet have much experience of racing, let alone Royal Ascot….

…. but he’s definitely talented – he showed that at Epsom recently when winning the 3yo Dash for Richard Fahey on Stormy Impact….

…. and he’s thought by many to be the best apprentice in the weighing-room right now….

Bottom line: I think this filly has more to come, she has plenty going for her tomorrow, and she’s a big price….

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Now, just to recap….

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That’s all for today….

I’ll be back tomorrow with my picks for Day 3….

Win, lose or draw – enjoy the racing….

Stay tuned….

Against the Crowd