S.P.Read Esq: Royal Ascot Thursday

Our daily columnist and pundit S.P. Read Esq. looks ahead to the third day of ROYAL ASCOT 2015 and finds the best opportunities available on Star Spreads, the home of sports spread betting.

Disappointing day two. It didn’t exactly start well with Ivawood running a below par race in the opener and the distances were all tight with a make up of just 4.45.

Richard Hannon would appear to have the opening Norfolk Stakes by the you know what on Thursday…..

His King Of Rocks and Log Out Island completely dominate the market but interesting to note in the lunchtime update from Trevor Harris at Star Sports fixed odds that the two are getting closer to parity with support for Log Out Island causing the favourite King Of Rooks to drift a little.

It looks pretty much a coin flip with them both having form that ties in with Tuesday’s impressive Coventry Stakes winner Buratino.

It’s really a question of whether you give more weighting to the scope of Log Out Island (1 run) against the experience of King Of Rooks (3 starts).

I’m narrowly favouring the market and siding with Log Out Island who I thought looked exceptional when winning here at Ascot on debut. I’m buying at 28 on the Star Spreads indices market.

Three non runners in the Tercentenary Stakes and the market revolves around the Newbury London Gold Cup winner Time Test who now looks a little short and it would be no surprise to see the bookies get a result in this race. The Aidan O’Brien trained Cape Clear Island is quite capable at Group 3 level and could run into a place at decent odds. He runs in first time blinkers today.

The Ribblesdale Stakes at 3.40 looks at the mercy of Irish 1000 Guineas winner Pleascach who bids to become the fourth Irish trained winner in the last five years. She is rated eight pounds clear of fellow Irish raider Curvy who is improving but would need to do so again after her narrow win in the Group 3 Gallinule Stakes at the Curragh last time out.

The market is perhaps the best guide of all in the Gold Cup. With the exception of 20/1 shot Rite Of Passage winning in 2010 there has been no winner bigger than 6/1 in the last 12 years.

Backing that stat blind you’d be on Forgotten Rules and Mizzou coupled at around evens.

It’s Forgotten Rules for me on the Star Spreads indices market. He’s unbeaten in three flat races and one bumper and is cast iron to get the trip. The ground is the only concern. It was heavy here when he won the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup in October but he has won twice on good to yielding ground and the overnight watering at Ascot will hopefully have helped matters.

I’m having another crack at distances. Hopefully we can see a wide margin winner today – possibly in the Gold Cup?

CLICK FOR ROYAL ASCOT MARKETS ON STAR SPREADS

RECOMMENDED BETS (scale 1-100 points)

BUY ROYAL ASCOT DISTANCES for 75 points at 9.25 with Star Spreads
BUY LOG OUT ISLAND (2.30 Royal Ascot) on the 50/25/10 index for 30 points at 28 with Star Spreads
BUY FORGOTTEN RULES (4.20 Royal Ascot) on the 50/30/20/10 index for 30 points at 23 with Star Spreads

JUNE LOSS: 529.50 points

• Any spread prices quoted are indicative and as always prices are subject to fluctuation.
• Please note the opinion, views and forecasts above are of the author and not of Star Spreads.