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After some excellent Group races on the first day of Royal Ascot 2023, we move on to the second day of premier racing. On Wednesday, there will be just the one Group 1 race.
The Group 1 race in question is the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, which is run over one mile and two furlongs, contested by some of the best middle distance horses aged four and above.
Tightly grouped in the early betting
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Only six runners go to post for the 2023 renewal of this prestigious event, though that doesn’t make it easy to find the winner, far from it. The first four in the betting are quite tightly grouped, and the reality is, if you really tried, you could make quite a convincing case for each of those four.
Adayar already has an impressive strike rate, winning five of his 11 races, including over a shorter trip in the Champions Series at Ascot last season. Charlie Appleby’s runner returned to action with a solid win in a Group 3 at Newmarket over this trip last time out, so should be well prepared for this, while he likes cut in the ground too.
For the William Haggas yard, My Prospero cannot be entirely discounted after a decent performance on reappearance in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury last time out. The slight worry with that form is that winner Modern Games disappointed at this meeting on the first day, while this horse has twice failed to match his best form at Ascot.
Luxembourg, for the always popular team of Ryan Moore and Aiden O’Brien, tops the early market and he’s quite strong in the betting. Therefore, he’s likely to be sent off as a relatively warm favourite at something around the 7/4 mark. He’s won six of his nine races and comes here off the back of winning the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup. A repeat of that effort would likely see him go very close indeed.
Bay Bridge to beat them all
Bay Bridge was narrowly beaten by Luxembourg at the Curragh last time out, though I fancy him to reverse the form with that rival, and on that basis, odds of 4/1 look a tad generous.
In that race last time out, the five-year-old didn’t get a clear run when needing it and that’s probably what sparked his half-length defeat. With that run under his belt, though, he can do even better, while he’s already beaten both Adayar and My Prospero over course and distance when winning the Qipco Champion Stakes last November. That form should be taken very seriously and the Michael Stoute trained runner is my idea of the winner of this race as far as I’m concerned.
Best Bet: Bay Bridge @ 4/1
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