Royal Ascot Tips 2024 – Day Two

Date: Wednesday 19th June 2024

Royal Ascot Day 2 Preview – 2024

Day 2 of Royal Ascot brings a very different feel to the opening day, with the card mixing high-class fillies, developing stayers, a championship middle-distance contest and one of the toughest mile handicaps of the entire week.

Using the core race trends and the Turf Talk ratings, the aim here is to build a realistic shortlist for each race rather than simply reverse-engineer the results. These are the horses that came out strongest on the figures before the action unfolded.

Main Selection: Twafeeg (7/2 available)

The Queen Mary usually goes to a filly arriving off a recent win with sharp five-furlong form already in place, and she looked one of the cleanest fits on the trends. A good draw on the high side only helped the case. She had shown enough speed and professionalism to suggest this test would suit very well.

Second Selection: Leovanni (16/1 available)

Not the obvious one in the market, but she still appealed on the key patterns. She came here off a recent run, had already shown plenty of natural pace and looked the type who could improve sharply for a race run at Royal Ascot tempo. In these juvenile sprints, that can often be enough to outrun bigger odds.

Main Selection: Illinois (15/8 available)

The Queen’s Vase usually rewards a colt arriving with strong middle-distance form rather than one already exposed as a thorough stayer. He fitted that profile very well, with enough class, enough recent racing and the right sort of pedigree to suggest this step up in trip would bring out further improvement. He looked the safest option on trends and substance.

Second Selection: Meydaan (7/1 available)

Another who made plenty of appeal on the profile. He had the right recent run, the right sort of trip background and looked open to more progress now going beyond a mile and a half. In a race where extreme stamina is not usually proven beforehand, he looked one of the more interesting alternatives at a fairer price.

Main Selection: Cinderella’s Dream (5/2 available)

The race trends are very strong for four-year-old fillies with Group class and a recent run, and she looked to fit them neatly. Her profile suggested there was still improvement to come, and she had already shown enough pace and class over a mile to make her a major player. She looked the right type for this race.

Second Selection: Running Lion (10/1 available)

She had the age trend on her side and enough strong mile form to command respect. While she was not as obvious as the market principals, she still looked a very live one on the figures. If she got into a smooth rhythm and saw the race out strongly, she had enough class to make a serious impact.

Main Selection: White Birch (7/4 available)

This race usually goes to a top-class four or five-year-old with proven Group form over ten furlongs, and he looked the strongest fit. He had the rating, the trip credentials and the recent profile to suggest this race had been the target. On paper, he looked the horse with the fewest questions to answer.

Second Selection: Auguste Rodin (15/8 available)

The talent was unquestionable and he was always going to be hard to ignore in a race like this. He did not tick quite as many recent-run trends as the selection, but the raw class meant he still had to be on the shortlist. If returning fully to his best, he clearly had the ability to win a race of this nature.

Main Selection: Blue For You (8/1 available)

The Royal Hunt Cup trends often point towards a four-year-old with a workable weight, recent form and enough Ascot experience to cope with the occasion. He looked one of the strongest trend fits in the field and had the sort of profile that tends to run very well in this race. Everything pointed to a major run.

Second Selection: Wild Tiger (12/1 available)

Not quite as obvious on first glance, but he still had several of the right ingredients. The draw, rating range and profile all gave him a chance, and he looked the type who could travel well in a big-field mile handicap. If things dropped right from a tactical point of view, he had enough going for him to get seriously involved.

Main Selection: Villanova Queen (10/1 available)

With only a relatively short history behind the race, there are fewer hard trends to lean on, but the more obvious angles still matter. A progressive filly with a workable handicap mark, a recent run and enough tactical pace to travel in a big field looked the right sort, and she fitted that shape better than most.

Second Selection: Doha (12/1 available)

Another who looked the right type for the race rather than a horse thrown in purely on reputation. She had enough recent evidence to suggest she was improving and looked likely to appreciate the straight mile test. In a race where positioning and timing matter, she had enough about her to make the shortlist.

Main Selection: Ain’t Nobody (6/1 available)

The Windsor Castle usually rewards a sharp juvenile with recent five-furlong form and enough experience to cope with the speed of a Royal Ascot sprint. He looked one of the stronger fits on the race trends and had already shown enough natural pace to suggest this race should play very much to his strengths.

Second Selection: Tropical Storm (12/1 available)

He looked the type who could improve significantly under these conditions. The race trends for this contest often throw up a horse from the edge of the market rather than the obvious jolly, and he had enough of the right ingredients to make him appealing. If breaking sharply, he looked capable of running very well.