Talking Horses: win tickets to King George VI Stakes day at Ascot

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/jul/10/talking-horses-racing-tips-best-bets

Version 0 of 1.

Today’s best bets

Both of the Pricewise selections in the Racing Post this morning were Guardian tips, too, which is irritating as both are now a point or two shorter than would otherwise have been the case.

All the same, Belardo (2.10) is an acceptable price for the Group Two July Cup, as the horses lined up against him who went to Royal Ascot came back beaten and without any obvious hard luck stories. Roger Varian’s runner could not have been more impressive when winning his maiden at Yarmouth last month and an odds-on starting price suggests that it was nothing less than expected. The bare form of that run gives him plenty to find on ratings but Varian did not compile a 20% strike-rate by overfacing his horses.

Madeed (3.15) is now 7-1 from 8-1 for the 10-furlong handicap but, again, is not one to overlook for the sake of a point. He was second home in his group in the Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot last month and this step up to a mile-and-a-quarter should suit.

Odeon (1.40) is a double-figure price for the opening Bahrain Trophy but worth an interest on the basis that James Given and his team will have been working overtime over the last three weeks trying to teach their colt to settle. On breeding – he is a brother to Kite Wood, a St Leger runner-up – this should be his kind of trip, and if he could only take it a little easier in the opening stages than he did in either the King Edward VII or the Dante at York, he could just spring a surprise.

Arab Spring (2.40) looks the pick of Sir Michael Stoute’s two entries for the Group Two Princess Of Wales’s Stakes, while From Frost (4.50) will take plenty of beating at Doncaster. Some may be put off that his two wins in as many starts to date were both on Fibresand, but both were excellent performances on the clock and even his mark of 86 here looks very fair with a 4lb rise in the pipeline already.

Tipping competition, day four

Our winners so far:

Monday

Cono Zur 4-1

Sartori 20-1

Gladiatrix 7-1

Tuesday

Audacia 12-1

My Name Is Rio 9-1

Byrd In Hand 5-2

Wednesday

Imperator Augustus 4-1

Good Hope 3-1

Brown Eyed Honey 12-1

And our leader is:

Sportingbest +32.50

… who continued in the brilliant form of a man for whom the prize means nothing, picking two winners yesterday. That said, lcprestes (+25) closed the gap with Brown Eyed Honey.

Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 3.15 Newmarket, 4.25 Newmarket, 5.30 Newmarket.

This week’s prize is a pair of Premier enclosure tickets to Ascot for the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday 26 July. It’s one of the highlights of our summer Flat racing and, in a good year, is one of the best races in the world. This year’s renewal is likely to pitch the Eclipse 1-2, Mukhadram and Trading Leather, against Telescope and Magician. If you don’t win, you can buy tickets here.

As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be three each day up until Friday. Non-runners count as losers. If you have not joined in so far this week, you are welcome to do so today, but you will start on -9.

In the event of a tie at the end of the week, the winner will be the tipster who, from among those tied on the highest score, posted their tips earliest on the final day.

For terms and conditions click here.

Good luck!

Click here for all the day’s racecards, form, stats and results.

And post your tips and racing-related comments below.