Ascot Wednesday Preview - 03/05/2023

The first selection of the afternoon from Ascot comes in the Apprentice Handicap over a mile and the horse that takes the eye is Yaanaas, who is looking to stay unbeaten on handicap debut.

A well bred son of Ulysses costing €150,000 as a foal and a further 320,000gns as a yearling, he is related to classy Group One winner Almanzor.

Making his debut in March this season for Roger Varian at Newcastle he was a bright winner of a Maiden Stakes over a mile giving over a stone away to the second.

Last seen at Kempton over the same trip and under a penalty he made it back to back wins scoring by 1/2 a length.

Aidan Keeley takes 3lb off him for his handicap debut this afternoon which effectively sees him off a mark of 89 and we think that makes him well in on Wednesday afternoon.

Next up is the Conditions Stakes for two year olds and it looks a bit of a match race between the two winners on debut Action Point and Maximum Impact.

We have decided to go with the Amo Racing owned Maximum Impact who went on to bolt up on debut at Leicester by 12 lengths in heavy ground.

Tackling soft conditions again, the ground might just play to his strengths and with Amo Racing horses normally more forward than others, he might be at a better place in his career than those in the field.

A tricky punting race on the Ascot card is the Novice Stakes over a mile and for us it was very hard to split the three horses at the top of the market.

With that in mind we have gone with Veil Of Shadows, who looks to be the second string of the Godolphin runners but with her price of 9/2 being the biggest of the three at the top of the market, from a price perspective we think she is a more sensible bet with not much to split them.

Seen just once to date the daughter of Frankel made a very impressive debut with the penny seeming to drop late on at Kempton over a mile when just seeing off stablemate Spring Promise.

Spring Promise has advertised that form quiet well since winning her last two races at Lingfield over 7f and although this horse might want further in time, she will definitely stay out the mile well.

The first big race of the afternoon on Wednesday at Ascot sees the Group Three Sagaro Stakes over two miles with the feature race acting as one of the leading trials for the Gold Cup in June.

Trueshan and Coltrane did battle with each other all year last term and they start off again in this and we are siding with the seven year old Trueshan, who just has that fitness edge.

Having won the Group Two Long Distance Cup on British Champions Day in 2020 at the end of the campaign it firmly put Trueshan in the mix for a go at the staying races last season.

His dominant display over two miles on soft ground at Ascot in October of that year saw him go off second favourite for the Ormonde Stakes at Chester but found the trip and course too taxing for speed to get the better of Japan.

Missing the Gold Cup due to the underfoot conditions, he instead tried to shoulder top weight in the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle, but a rating of 118 left him giving away too much weight to the rest of the field.

Since then he has waited on for his perfect conditions and got that in the Group Two Goodwood Cup where he went on to rout a good field of stayers by close to four lengths.

Skipping the Doncaster Cup he headed into the Group One Prix Du Cadran in France and getting his ideal trip and ground he went to battle with Stradivarius and beat him by close to five lengths.

He was then seen winning back to back renewals of the Group Two Long Distance Cup at Ascot cementing himself as the best stayer throughout the season.

Starting last season at Nottingham when taking the Listed Further Flight Stakes ahead of the talented Quickthorn, he then missed his engagement in the Gold Cup due to the ground and instead was sent to Newcastle for the Northumberland Plate.

Running off a top weight of 10st 8lb giving two stone to the second he went on to take 20 runner handicap, putting up a superb staying perfromance.

Looking to make it a hat-trick of wins for the season he went into the Goodwood Cup but could only finish third behind Kyprios, running a cracker but the ground ultimately too quick for him,

He rounded out the season with a neck second to Coltrane in the Doncaster Cup but he then reversed the form at Ascot when taking a third straight Long Distance Cup.

Back for another term this year, he started off again at Nottingham and was a shock second behind Rajinsky. That event should have put him spot on for this and getting cut in the ground he is the one to beat.

The second Group Three event of the afternoon is the Commonwealth Cup Trial Stakes over 6f and we are giving a chance to Bradsell who is hopefully firing on all cylinders for his seasonal return.

An emphatic winner at York on Seasonal debut in a Novice Stakes bolting up by nine lengths, he was last seen at Royal Ascot taking the Group Two Coventry Stakes with more in hand at the line.

The form of that race has been massively franked with the likes of Persian Force, Blackbeard and Royal Scotsman all going on to perform well throughout last year in good Group races.

Bradsell was seen just once more last term when only fourth in the Group One Phoenix Stakes behind the winner Little Big Bear.

It was revealed that he had picked up an injury in the race which was the reason for his poor run, but now getting back to Ascot having hopefully fully recovered from that setback, he looks to hold some very strong form.

One of the best bets of the afternoon from Ascot comes in the Listed Paradise Stakes over a mile and from what My Prospero did last season he should not be beat here.

A model of consistency last term the son of Iffraaj was seen five times, making his seasonal debut in a Maiden Stakes at Newbury when comfortably beating Britannia Stakes winner Thesis.

Kept at a mile for the Listed Heron Stakes at Sandown he was a very convincing winner of the event ahead of Reach For The Moon.

Stepped up massively in class to the Group One St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot he ran a cracker to finish third in a photo finish behind Coroebus and Lusail in a great race.

Sent to France when next seen up in trip to 1m2f he got back to winning ways when taking the Group Two Prix Eugene Adam, taking to the softer conditions.

Last seen at Ascot at the back end of last term in the Group One Champion Stakes over 1m2f, he ran the best race of his career to finish a narrow third behind Bay Bridge and Adayar, managing to finish ahead of the superstar Baaeed.

Ground is no issue in this event, he drops in class to a Listed event and having showed his ability at a mile the drop in trip should be no problem.

He is a short price for a reason and looks tough to beat.

The final event on the card sees the Class 4 Handicap over 5f and at a price we are taking a chance on the Daryll Holland trained Fantasy Master.

The five year old at the back end of last term really put it all together, winning at Nottingham over 6f off a mark of 72 and then backed that up at the same track over 5f with two good third placed efforts.

Off a mark of 78 he finished just over two lengths behind the talented Fast Response and then off 1lb lower over the same C&D he was three lengths behind the talented Tarhib.

Having made his seasonal debut this season when needing the run at Newbury over 6f, he has now been dropped to a mark of 76 and having showed he handles conditions, we think he can go close.