Horse Racing Tips: Paul Jacobs’ value plays for final two days at Royal Ascot

PJ's back and he's got value on his mind for the final two days of Royal Ascot.

Paul Jacobs Generic

By / Horse Racing Tips / 2 years ago

Paul Jacobs’ Royal Ascot Racing Tips

Friday 3.40 – Duke of Edinburgh Handicap – Jack Darcy
Saturday 3.05 – Jersey Stakes – Holloway Boy
Saturday 5.00 – Wokingham Handicap – Lethal Levi

*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.

Clerk of the course Chris Stickels was on a hiding to nothing at the beginning of the Royal Ascot meeting with the forecast thunderstorms in the Berkshire area. Had he not watered and the rain missed the track, trainers and others would have been enraged.

He took the view that watering was the lesser of the two evils and he was proven right, but still some short sighted idiots were quick to get on the blame bandwagon and I that was wholly unfair. As it has turned out that natural watering, always better than human intervention, was hugely welcome with the last three days set to be very warm.

And so onto Friday and Saturday and with fast ground guaranteed I have shifted my opinion slightly on several races at the back end of the meeting along with a chance to look at some of the other contests.

Friday 3.40 – Duke of Edinburgh Handicap – Jack Darcy

A devilishly difficult handicap to try and unravel and plenty of these like to race at the sharp end so at the trip I think we are almost guaranteed a relative test of stamina. I have the utmost regard for Okita Sushi (third in last year’s Copper Horse Handicap) and now 2lbs lower with the added plus of the services of Ryan Moore, and the lightly raced daughter of Frankel, Aimeric.

But my big priced outsider Jack Darcy is worth a second glance especially with the extra place terms of the race. A very lightly raced four-year-old with only eight runs under his belt, including a cracking fourth in the Group Three Gordon Stakes last year, he merely used the Sussex Downs track for a warm up for this when last of five over 10 furlongs. Because of the booking of claimer Mohammed Tabti, he is now fully 7lbs lower and at a massive price I cannot leave him alone with ground conditions to suit.

Saturday 3.05 – Jersey Stakes – Holloway Boy

Always a conundrum of a race as some horses will be dropping in trip having found a mile a shade too far and on the other side of the coin, six furlongs too sharp. In tandem with those two roads to this Group Three event there are several of these dropping in grade after dabbling with Group One players in the spring.

Covey is arguably the most progressive entry here having completed a treble on fast ground at Haydock, his first run on such a surface. It would be common sense to assume that he has further improvement in him, but at the price I am happy to oppose him with an each-way play especially as he had his own way up front at the Merseyside track and that victory came off a rating of 90.

There are several in here that meet my e/w requirements, but none more so than the selection Holloway Boy who merely pulled too hard in the 2,000 Guineas when down the field behind Chaldean. I have always thought that this intermediate trip would be his optimum and on ground he hated at Doncaster it is worth remembering that he was only five lengths off the subsequent Epsom Derby winner Auguste Rodin in the Futurity last year when he lost many lengths hanging across the track. This quicker surface will suit him so much better and a double figure price will do for me.

Saturday 5.00 – Wokingham Handicap – Lethal Levi

Course and distance winner Mums Tipple remains fairly weighted off a mark of 100, while Irish raider Hurricane Ivor was running in esteemed company last year without making any waves, but gradually he has found his level in handicap company winning at the Curragh off 96 and then a close up third over the same C&D on quicker ground off 101. 2lbs higher here requires more, but he is still pitching in with a serious chance at a big price. Of the higher weighted entries, King’s Lynn, has a tremendous record here, being beaten a mere three lengths in the King Stand Stakes of 2021 and then six lengths off the mighty Nature Strip in the same race last year.

He could well be worth a back up bet behind my tip Lethal Levi with my other original selection, Spangled Mac, set to run in Thursday’s Buckingham Palace Stakes. Aimed at this race all season I don’t yet think that we have got to the bottom of this four-year-old despite this being his 21st career start. I think he was unlucky not to beat Bielsa at York recently and a 4lbs penalty for that second obviously makes things harder. This stiffer six furlongs though looks more his cup of tea and although he will need a career best to land this famous prize I believe he could be up to the job and stall 10 gives him a chance to run down the centre of the track with every chance this huge field will split into three groups.

Paul Jacobs’ Royal Ascot Racing Tips

Friday 3.40 – Duke of Edinburgh Handicap – Jack Darcy
Saturday 3.05 – Jersey Stakes – Holloway Boy
Saturday 5.00 – Wokingham Handicap – Lethal Levi

*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.

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