Prince Of Wales’s Stakes tips and runner-by-runner guide to Wednesday’s 3.40 at Ascot

5 runners from 4 different countries!

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change

Bay Bridge faces four rivals on his first crack at a Group 1 in the lucrative Prince of Wales’s Stakes at 3.40pm on Wednesday.

The progressive four-year-old bids to make it six wins on the spin, with his most recent success coming in last month’s Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes.

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What the field may lack in numbers it makes up for in quality with 2020 winner Lord North, Prix Ganay scorer State Of Rest, Dubai Sheema Classic hero Shahryar and hat-trick seeking mare Grand Glory all declared.

You’ll find Prince Of Wales’s Stakes tips from our horse racing experts and a runner-by-runner guide to the five-strong field below.

Prince Of Wales’s Stakes runners

Bay Bridge

Trainer: Sir Michael Stoute Jockey: Ryan Moore Age: 4 Weight: 9st 2lbs Draw: 2

Highly progressive colt who has won his last 5 starts. Seriously impressive 5-length winner of Brigadier Gerard at Sandown (1¼m) on reappearance 3 weeks ago. Raced only on good or softer on turf so likely fast ground asks a different question but he looks a Group 1 winner in waiting.

Lord North

Trainer: John & Thady Gosden Jockey: Frankie Dettori Age: 6 Weight: 9st 2lbs Draw: 5

Won this in 2020 and has added 2 Dubai Turfs since then, dead-heating in this year’s renewal. Behind State of Rest when only a respectable 1¾ lengths fourth of 8 to Alenquer in Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh since.

Shahryar

Trainer: Hideaki Fujiwara Jockey: Cristian Demuro Age: 4 Weight: 9st 2lbs Draw: 3

High-class Japanese-trained colt who just held on from Yibir in the Sheema Classic at Meydan in March on his first foreign trip. A repeat of that form ought to put him firmly in the mix.

State Of Rest

Trainer: Joseph Patrick O’Brien Jockey: S. M. Crosse Age: 4 Weight: 9st 2lbs Draw: 1

Been seen to very good effect overseas, winning Saratoga Grade 1 last August, the Cox Plate in Australia last autumn and Prix Ganay at Longchamp on his reappearance last month. 1¼ lengths in front of Lord North when third in Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh latest.

Grand Glory

Trainer: Gianluca Bietolini Jockey: Mickael Barzalona Age: 6 Weight: 8st 13lbs Draw: 4

Sprung a bit of a surprise when shading tight finish in Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville last August but she’s shown that to be no fluke since, warming up for this with Longchamp listed/Group 3 wins this spring. Regular jockey Cristian Demuro on Shahryar this time.

Prince Of Wales’s Stakes tips

Matt Chapman: I’m all over Japanese star SHAHRYAR who has a great chance to make all the running. The small field means tactics come massively into play and teh Hideaki Fujiwara runner looks the certain leader after his huge win in Meydan over a mile and a half. If Cristian Demuro gets the fractions right it’s going to take a massive effort from anyone to go past him and that includes hot favourite Bay Bridge.

Rory Delargy: I fancy BAY BRIDGE. You can make a case that he’s short in the betting and might not have the Group 1 form that others do, but the way he went through the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown and the turn of foot he showed to win at the end in a race that wasn’t particularly set up to show that off was enormously impressive. You get plenty of races where they get involved in a battle up top, get a bit tired and someone comes from off the pace and looks more impressive than they are.

Timeform: BAY BRIDGE looked out of the top drawer when storming clear in the Brigadier Gerard at Sandown and can take the step up to Group 1 level in his stride and provide Sir Michael Stoute with a fifth success in this contest. Japanese-raider Shahryar proved himself on the international stage with his Sheema Classic win in March and can follow the selection home.

Ruby Walsh: This could be a tactical enough affair, but there’s no real front-runner. But I’m gonna take a chance win STATE OF REST. He just got caught in the wrong place in the Tattersalls Gold Cup. In that race, Lord North allowed High Definition plenty of room, which pegged him back and left State of Rest a length further out of his ground than he needed to be. So I’m gonna chance State of Rest for this one.

Jason Weaver: The Japanese raider SHAHRYAR brings in some fantastic home form and put up another sparkling performance in Dubai on World Cup night. The ground will be quick and that is definitely in his favour as in Japan they race on very quick and firm conditions, whereas most in the line-up may not have experienced that before. There’s a question mark over how they’ll handle it.

Royal Ascot Tips

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