Horse Racing Tips: Our ultimate Royal Ascot Cheat Sheet for Day 5 on Saturday

I was at Leopardstown when Bedtime Story won earlier this month on good ground as Aidan O’Brien’s second string. She’s a beautiful looking filly and she really impressed me.

Bedtime Story is a daughter of Frankel and was an impressive winner at Leopardstown when beating a better-fancied stablemate Giselle.

Bedtime Story wasn’t the more fancied of the Aidan O’Brien stable runners on her racecourse debut at Leopardstown but is potentially very smart.

Godolphin have to start getting jiggy soon so I will side with AGE OF GOLD for William Buick and Charlie Appleby. The Frankel colt who cost 625,000 euros looked good but still ran green on debut at Yarmouth when winning well and will have learnt a lot.

BEDTIME STORY looked a fine prospect when running out an easy winner first time up at Leopardstown and is bred to go to the top. She can give Aidan O’Brien another victory in this Listed contest.

Middle Earth was behind Continuous in the St Leger last year. I’m  mainly with him because he’s had a run this year, whereas Continuous hasn’t run since last October.

Last season’s St Leger winner Continuous – who went on to finish fifth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe – makes his seasonal debut. The trip may be a little short of his best but his back form is top class.

I was taken with the way Middle Earth finished the final quarter-mile at Newbury and the sectionals were explosive. It was a clear personal best by him.

St Leger hero Continuous had Desert Hero and Middle Earth well beaten when landing the Classic at Doncaster. He then finished fifth in the Arc which suggests he is a terrific middle- distance prospect this term.

CONTINUOUS lacks a recent run but he was much improved in the second half of last year and will prove hard to beat if returning anywhere near that sort of level.

Mitbaahy likes to be held up and make his move late. I was impressed with his Curragh win last time and his running style will suit the race.

Believing (each-way) will love the ground as proven when she won at Haydock a couple of weeks ago. She ran fourth to Asfoora here on Tuesday over 5f and can back that up.

Mitbaahy put up a personal best performance last time at the Curragh and this quicker ground is right up his street. Jamie Spencer rides.

It’s very easy to argue that ART POWER (each-way) is better over 5f but this is the first time he has had fast ground in this contest and he might just bounce off it.

Archie Watson has done a fantastic job since SHARTASH came into his care and, while back in much stronger company, he’s preferred to Duke of York winner Mill Stream.

It’s Haatem v River Tiber, which is second v third in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. I’m siding with the latter as he should have improved enough to turn that form around.

The consistent Haatem  deserves a break. He may get it now dropping back to 7f and has plenty of boot to get into the lead and stay there. He can get the job done.

I’m not totally convinced the Irish Guineas pair of Haatem and River Tiber will love the fast ground.  However, Task Force looks tailor-made for a really quick surface and added to that, he looks the natural 7f performer in this line up.

EBEN SHADDAD (each-way) has long been my nap of the week. He’ll be at fine odds here as he drops back in distance to 7f since finishing runner-up and seventh in the Craven Stakes & French 2,000 Guineas.

RIVER TIBER is taken to turn around Irish 2,000 Guineas form with Haatem on 3lb better terms. Task Force, Never So Brave and Kikkuli can fight it out for minor money.

The jockey booking of Ryan Moore caught my eye on Harry Three. He had almost two years off the track before returning at Salisbury in May when finishing fourth.

Archie Watson’s Albasheer (each-way)  is rated higher on all weather than he is on turf and won his first two starts this season at Newcastle. A good draw in stall 31 is a bonus.

Harry Three made an excellent return to action from a whopping 630 days away from the racecourse and will come on a bundle. Ryan Moore is booked by connections so we know it is ‘go’ time.

MUMS TIPPLE (each-way) was fourth in this contest last year off a mark of 100 and runs off 96 now. Looks to have a cracking chance.

ALBASHEER remains on an attractive mark despite scoring twice this term on the All Weather at Newcastle. He should find this stiff 6f right up his street.

I was with Portsmouth until he got drawn in stall three. It’s a tentative pick but I’ll go with Hand Of God for William Buick and Harry Charlton in stall 17.

Black Run (each-way) was a good winner of a Newmarket handicap having run in a Group 3 Classic trial in France on seasonal debut. He can be competitive if bouncing back to that Newmarket form.

Everybody has latched onto Hand Of God in the market as he appears to have been let off lightly by the handicapper after his Sandown win last time.

PORTSMOUTH ran too free when beaten at Epsom last time but from a low draw can get tucked in and has every chance. Getting him settled will be key.

There was a lot to like about the way PRIMO LARA came clear at York last time and he’s selected to defy another rise in the weights.

I’m keen on Queenstown for Aidan O’Brien, who has finished second behind Kyprios twice this season already. We all know how good Kyprios is so this looks a little more manageable.

Joseph O’Brien saddles three runners including last year’s winner Dawn Rising. He’s finished behind Queenstown twice this season already – when Aidan O’Brien’s charge was twice runner-up to Thursday’s Gold Cup winner Kyprios. This looks like it has been Dawn Rising’s target all season though.

Grand Providence never really threatened to win the Chester Cup last time but back up over this 2m 5f extreme distance she can get competitive as she has stamina in abundance.

Dawn Rising had RUN FOR OSCAR back in third when landing this last year and there is every chance he can go in again. But the latter was a little unlucky and he might just reverse the form with a clear run from off the pace in the final race of the meeting.

The traditional Royal Ascot finale is run over the longest distance in the Flat calendar and it’s TASHKHAN who gets the nod to come out on top. The main threat may emerge from Queenstown.