sport news Royal Ascot 2019 Day 3: Robin Goodfellow's tips for Thursday, June 20

Frankie Dettori will on Thursday chase his seventh win in the feature £500,000 two-and-a-half-mile Ascot Gold Cup on Stradivarius buoyed by two winners on day two of the royal meeting.

Dettori landed a 75-1 double of Crystal Ocean in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and Raffle Prize in the Queen Mary Stakes to take his career tally of Royal Ascot victories to 62.

The 48-year-old Italian has called 5-4 favourite Stradivarius ‘the people’s champion’ who ‘never goes down without a fight’.

Jockey Frankie Dettori and Stradivarius can strike right note again in Gold Cup at Royal Ascot

Jockey Frankie Dettori and Stradivarius can strike right note again in Gold Cup at Royal Ascot

But his trainer John Gosden has warned that the rain that has fallen on the Berkshire track could blunt acceleration of the chestnut five-year-old who is bidding to become the first back-to-back winner of the Ascot Gold Cup since Yeats had four consecutive successes from 2006 to 2009.

Gosden said: ‘It is not ideal but we will be running. He is at his best on summer ground. This ground is loose at the moment but it will get a bit tackier tomorrow.

‘He is a horse who can quicken but it is going to be more of a slog. That’s the problem.’

Stradivarius, owned by Bjorn Nielsen, won the two-mile Long Distance Cup at Ascot in October on soft ground but Dettori’s tactical nous and nerve are likely to be tested as rivals try to exploit any weakness in his mount who has won his last six races.

Opposition is headed by Dee Ex Bee, Mark Johnston-trained winner of both the Sagaro Stakes and Henry II Stakes — both over two miles — this season.

Johnston said: ‘From those races, the one indication we got was the further the better. We are relishing the extra half mile, not concerned about it.’

ROYAL ASCOT 

ROBIN GOODFELLOW

2.30 Sunday Sovereign

3.05 Great Scot

3.40 Fleeting

4.20 Dee Ex Bee (nb)

5.00 Awe (nap)

5.35 Sinjaari

GIMCRACK 

2.30 Sunday Sovereign

3.05 Headman

3.40 Star Catcher

4.20 Strad ivar ius (nap)

5.00 King Ademar

5.35 Sir Ron Priestley (nb)

2.30 NORFOLK STAKES  

SUNDAY SOVEREIGN first appeared on the radar for this meeting at the Curragh last month when thumping subsequent Coventry Stakes winner Arizona and it will be disappointing if he can’t vindicate the view he is a smart colt today. 

Blessed with speed and stamina allied with an ability to handle easy ground, the selection enjoyed a smooth debut in the colours of his new owners, King Power, at Tipperary when routing a small field and he appears to have all bases covered for a race of this nature. 

It is hard to judge how Maven will fare under today’s conditions but A’Ali will have learned a lot from his Ripon debut and is feared, along with Air Force Jet, who rallied gamely to score at Navan last time and is progressing rapidly.

SELECTION: SUNDAY SOVEREIGN 5-2

DANGER: AIR FORCE JET 12-1

3.05 HAMPTON COURT STAKES  

A multitude of potential improvers contest this intriguing event and a lengthy shortlist is narrowly headed by GREAT SCOT. 

Made favourite to beat Fox Champion in the German Guineas last time, the Requinto colt was outpaced before staging a rally late on to claim third. Having won over a mile on deep ground as a juvenile, there could be significant progression to come now that he tackles 10 furlongs for the first time and underfoot conditions should be no issue either. 

Roseman had no answer to the turn of foot by King Of Comedy at Sandown but there was no disgrace in that, given his conqueror’s subsequent effort in the St James’s Palace Stakes. He too could relish another couple of furlongs and will enjoy the cut in the ground.

SELECTION: GREAT SCOT 10-1

DANGER: ROSEMAN 8-1

3.40 RIBBLESDALE STAKES  

The decision to supplement FLEETING for this event looks a significant move by Aidan O’Brien given his filly probably endured a tough race at Epsom in the Oaks. 

The step up in trip certainly suited the selection that day as she had failed to beat a rival in the 1,000 Guineas on her return, yet posted a career-best behind Anapurna. 

She holds Frankellina on that running, but may have something to fear from Queen Power, who will be fresher than most coming into this race. She looked as though she would relish an extra couple

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