King Edward VII Stakes Tips: Fleet to storm to Royal Ascot success

A field of six will go to the 1m 3f 211y start for the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot on Friday afternoon, and our man Steve Chambers previews the race here and picks out his best bet for the day four event...

Aidan O'Brien trained Japan to victory in this race in 2019, and the master of Ballydoyle will attempt to recapture the prize with Changingoftheguard, who will make a quick reappearance after he finished fifth in the Derby at Epsom Downs a couple of weeks, and the Irish raider is the 15/8 favourite to land this prize.

An impressive winner of the Chester Vase back in May, he was then sent to the Epsom Classic as a leading contender, but he was no match for Desert Crown, and had to settle for the minor honours. He set the pace that day as he looked to make it into a real stamina test, but he failed to quicken turning for home and he gradually dropped back the field. That was a smart run and is arguably the strongest piece of form on show here, but he did have a tough race that day, and with little time to recuperate he could face an uphill task to get back to winning ways and at short odds he is worth letting go.

Charlie Appleby's OTTOMAN FLEET is hugely inexperienced heading into this event with only two runs under his belt, but he's shaped like he could be a star of the future and at 9/4 looks the one to be with. Unraced as a juvenile, he made an eye-catching debut when just being touched off by Natural World at Newbury, but he built on that impressively next time out when a half length winner of the Listed Fairway Stakes at Newmarket. Asserting close home in that 1m 2f event, he should relish the step up in trip and while he has form to find with the market leader he has shaped like he could be a class act.

William Haggas won this race 12 months ago with Alenquer and he will attempt to taste victory in the Group 2 event again on Friday with Lysander, who is third in the betting at 7/2, at the time of writing. An impressive eight-and-a-half length winner of a novice event at Newcastle on only his second career start, the once raced juvenile was then a creditable third behind the classy Lionel in the Listed Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood. Entitled to come on for that run, he is very much in the same mould as Ottoman Fleet in terms of he is likely to get better as the season progresses, but he may just lack the scope of Ottoman Fleet, who can outclass him on the day.

Grand Alliance was a decent runner-up in the Blue Riband Trial at Epsom two starts ago, which booked his place in the Derby at Epsom, but the 16/1 chance her failed to sparkle at the highest level and had to settle for 11th. The Charlie Fellowes-trained son of Churchill will relish the slight drop back in class here, but he has form to find with Changingoftheguard from Epsom and it's hard to see him turning it around.

Fourth in a red-hot Dante Stakes at York last time out, which was run by impressive Derby hero Desert Crown, Dark Moon Rising will be looking to use that run on the Knavesmire as a springboard to Group glory here, but he has to improve significantly on that run and is one to avoid at 25/1, while Savvy Victory completes the sextet and the New Bay colt was last seen finishing nearly two lengths behind Ottoman Fleet at Newmarket last time out, and it's hard to see the 20/1 shot reversing that form here.