Royal Ascot tips (1505): Fouroneohfever and Gallantly target frame finish in King George V Stakes

15:05 Royal Ascot: King George V Stakes (1½ miles)

Just a day after 18/1 shot Temporize made the frame in the Ascot Stakes to earn us some each-way profit, we went one better on Wednesday when Wild Tiger won the big-field Royal Hunt Cup as the 11/2 joint favourite.

Incidentally, two of our other three shortlisted picks, Daysofourlives (20/1) and Metal Merchant (18/1) came fifth and seventh respectively, which is a pretty good return in a huge 29-runner line-up.

When it comes to finding the best betting value we rarely opt  for the easy route, so on Thursday we are tackling another big-field handicap, with 20 three-year-olds going to post to contest the King George V Stakes.

Planet Sport Bet Royal Ascot Special: Bet £20+ cash on any runner in the race and if Gallantly finishes in the first 4 places, get a £5 Free Bet!

As usual we are using the trends below to reduce the big field to a more manageable number:

• 20/21 – Never raced at Ascot before 
• 19/21 – Had at least 2 previous runs that season 
• 19/21 – Had between 2 - 4 previous runs that season 
• 19/21 – Placed last time out 
• 17/21 – Carried less than 9 stone 
• 14/21 – Had won over at least 1m2f previously 
• 12/21 – Returned 9/1 or bigger in the betting 
• 11/21 – Favourites placed 
• 11/21 – Won their previous race 
•   6/21 – Won by trainers Sir Michael Stoute (2) or the Johnston camp (4) 
•   4/21 – Ran at Haydock last time out 
•   4/21 – Winning favourites (2 joint) 
•   3/21 – Godolphin-owned (Charlie Appleby has trained 2 of the last 9)
• 11/18 - came between stalls 10-20 (inc.) 
•   8/18 - came between stalls 10-16 (inc.)

Fouroneohfever has grown into his frame over the winter and has won three races back-to-back since the end of April, albeit at a lower level, so this is a big step up from Class 4 to Class 2. 

Trainer George Boughey could not be in much better form with a 40 percent strike rate over the past fortnight while jockey Billy Loughnane has enjoyed a 19 percent win rate. 

Boughey believes there is more improvement to come, so Fouroneohfever could well be in the mix at a decent price in the final furlong.

Suggested bet (1): Fouroneohfever each-way in the 15:05 at Royal Ascot

 

Highland Bling has only had three runs and has improved with each start, culminating in a last-time-out success over this trip at Fairyhouse less than a fortnight ago. 

The penny finally seemed to drop with Jessie Harrington’s gelding in that race and he battled hard to win. He does need to improve to be competitive here and the ground should be ok as his win came on similar good going.

Gallantly is a good-looking son of Frankel and he backed up a season-debut second with a tidy win in his last race over a shorter trip at Chester six weeks ago. 

The Ballydoyle stable is flying presently, and having had only four runs this colt is likely to improve further, especially with the step up in trip. Gallantly holds an Irish Derby entry, which suggests Aidan O’Brien and connections think highly of him.

Suggested bet (2): Gallantly each-way in the 15:05 at Royal Ascot

Our original shortlist also included Charlie Johnston’s filly, Candle Of Dubai, but she was withdrawn on Wednesday, possibly in favour of her entry into the Golden Gate Stakes on Saturday, so it might be worth monitoring her price if she gets a run there.

This is a competitive race where at least half the field could be potential winners, but based on the trends I am suggesting each-way bets on both Fouroneohfever and Gallantly. 

My usual footnote is to advise that you look around for best prices and additional places from your bookmakers.

READ MORE: Royal Ascot Thursday tips: Best bets for ITV action on Day 3, June 20