Betting the Handicaps at Royal Ascot for Day 2 on June 17
2025 Royal Ascot Scenic from day three of racing. (Photo by Horsephotos.com)
No contest personifies the Royal Ascot handicap better than the Royal Hunt Cup on day two. There are 30 horses in an over-one-mile cavalry charge over the straight course, and finding the horse you backed during the running is a challenge. It must be a racecaller’s nightmare.
Like most of the handicaps, however, it offers brilliant betting opportunities. On opening day Tuesday, in the Ascot S., I touted the Joseph O’Brien-trained longshot Kizlyar ridden by Joey Sheridan. Kizlyar, 25-1 on-track and 37-1 stateside, was a game winner over stablemate Defiantly in a thrilling finish. In the Royal Hunt Cup, the favorite is at 6-1 on the morning line, and the next two are at 10-1. From there, four are at 12-1, and a further eight at 15-1. In a 30-horse field, that says something about the competitiveness of the race.
Royal Ascot, Race 5, 12 noon ET
Royal Hunt Cup (Heritage Handicap), turf, 1 mile, 4-year-olds and up, $160,000
Helpfully to punters, several of the leading contenders have met before. Several, for example, contested one of Newmarket’s key autumn handicaps, the 1 1/8-mile Cambridgeshire; current favorite #27 Indalo (6-1) was a very close second, with #18 Erzindjan (15-1) a very good fourth despite being on the less-favored stand side. #8 Ebt’s Guard (20-1), #15 Fifth Column (15-1), #17 Mister Winston (12-1) and #10 Thunder Run (15-1) were further back.
Indalo then resumed with a narrow second in a one-mile Newbury handicap to #25 Classic (12-1). The pair carried the same weight that day, and Indalo is one pound better off here. Classic had previously run second at the same racecourse to #3 Linwood (12-1), receiving 11 pounds; he actually meets Linwood two pounds worse off here due to his subsequent victory.
Linwood is well up in the weights, but the four-year-old is still lightly-raced and otherwise seems to be improving. He will be partnered by Jamie Spencer, who rides him rather than another well-backed runner he has ridden in recent times, #16 La Botte (10-1). The latter, an unlucky second in the Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot last year, has been running in black-type company recently, and will instead be partnered by visiting Australian rider Mark Zahra.
Another rider visiting from Australia, James McDonald, has the mount on Wathnan Racing’s #6 Archivist (15-1). He has his first British race since July last year, but he has been racing in Dubai, winning a handicap there on March 13.
Wathnan’s main jockey, James Doyle, is instead set to ride #31 Blue Brother (12-1). He hasn’t raced at all since this event a year ago, when he stumbled out of the gates and never got a clear run. Unfortunately for him, he’s the first alternate entry and needs a scratch to get a run; don’t be surprised to see the price drop if he does get a start.
Two others worth watching at opposite ends of the weights are #1 Holloway Boy (15-1), winner of the Chesham here in 2022 and still performing well in stakes races, and #29 Scoville (10-1), who has had wind surgery since failing at Thirsk on April 10.
However, I’m going to go for an Irish visitor. #13 Jagged Edge (15-1) has started four times over a mile for three wins, the most recent a decisive triumph at Naas under topweight of 137 pounds. He’s down to 130 pounds here but still appears to be improving.
Jagged Edge may well prove to be good value. But there are many, many chances. If you figure this out, you will probably have a very good day!
