ITV Racing Tips: Three selections for Ascot and York today

The ITV Racing team are at Ascot and York on Saturday afternoon for an eight-race offering that is headlined by the Group 1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (16:10).

Old sparring partners Jan Brueghel and Calandagan will battle there once more, while at York the features include the Group 2 Sky Bet York Stakes (14:40).

ITV Racing show five races from Ascot alongside three from York and our racing expert has picked out a trio of runners worth looking out for on Saturday's terrestrial offering.

Tip 1: Royal Dress - Longines Valiant Stakes (Ascot 14:20)

Group 3 fare for the fillies and mares over a mile here and ROYAL DRESS could impress for James Tate and James Doyle in a competitive affair.

She faces some lightly-raced rivals of note in Chantilly Lace and Pinta Sonata, both with scope for better, but this Night Of Thunder mare really comes to life at this time of year, with three of her five career successes coming in the month of July.

The best of those came 12 months when landing the Group 3 Meadow Court Stakes at the Curragh over 1m1f in strong-finishing fashion.

She ran well for a long way on her comeback here in May over further before a disappointing effort at Epsom in June.

She dropped to the bare mile at Pontefract most recently and took out a Listed race in clear cut fashion. Her confidence should be high after that success 18 days ago and, at her best, she's good enough to topple these rivals and land another July prize.

Tip 2: Stanhope Gardens - York Stakes (York 14:40)

Almaqam heads the market for this Group 2 contest over a mile-and-a-quarter and deservedly so having taken the scalp of subsequent Group 1 scorer Ombudsman in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown in May.

That was a good effort from Ed Walker's four-year-old, though he did possess a fitness-edge on the runner-up. He's got sound claims, but has to give 9lb to a trio of interesting younger rivals now.

Jessica Harrington's Green Impact isn't bypassed in haste, but preference is for STANHOPE GARDENS in the same silks for Ralph Beckett and Rossa Ryan.

They were both well held behind Lambourn on their most recent outings as that Ballydoyle inmate completed a Derby double at Epsom and the Curragh.

Stanhope Gardens made some good progress from the rear at Epsom but became uneasy on the pronounced camber and weakened late on.

This is his first try at the intermediate trip and the Ghaiyyath colt could have plenty to offer yet on this more conventional galloping track.

Tip 3: Billyjoh - Moet & Chandon International Handicap (Ascot 15:00)

Mick Appleby's BILLYJOH is a solid player in big-field handicaps and he caught the eye recently at Newmarket when defying a troubled passage to finish third in the Bunbury Cup, splitting well-handicapped rivals in More Thunder (first) and Ten Pounds (fourth).

He might have got a good bit closer with a clear run that day and he competes here from an unchanged mark of 94.

He's 0-4 at Ascot previously, but was second in the Buckingham Palace Stakes over C&D last summer and not disgraced in that race. He was on the wrong side of the track last month on his latest crack at the Royal meeting and can go well back here now.

Tom Marquand takes over in the saddle and boasts a tasty 33 per cent strike-rate when riding for this stable in 2025, with four wins and four placed efforts from just a dozen starts.