Royal Ascot Saturday Tips: Three Selections On Final Day

Royal Ascot reaches its climax on Saturday with another stacked card of action to enjoy in the heat down in Berkshire, and once again we have enlisted Billy Grimshaw to bring us his three best bets! Read on to see who our editor is siding with to hopefully go out from the Royal Meeting this year with a bang...

15:05 Royal Ascot - Hardwicke Stakes

Rebel's Romance sets the standard here but is not a favourite I am willing to blindly follow in at around 2/1 in a race where I think a few in behind could have their best days behind them. When a race sets up like that, I am itching to find one at a big price to back each-way and with 25/1, four places, being dangled right now about BELLUM JUSTUM he will do for me.

It has been a bit of a theme of the week for me when tipping to put a line through Epsom for some horses who underperformed there as it is a track that can make horses sulk and the ground was also completely different to the surface being raced on at this year's Royal Meeting. If we are to discount Andrew Balding's charge's last run at Epsom then, there is no way in the world he is a 25/1 poke against this field.

He won the Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket on his penultimate start and while that was hardly a ferociously competitive affair, the style in which he cruised through the race and put it to bed when Oisin Murphy told him to marked him out as high class to me. The jockey is switched here and PJ MacDonald takes over but that's no negative given he's already won this week and is a top rider, and with good back in the going description I can see Bellum Justum at the very least being best of the rest behind Rebel's Romance, if not toppling him.

The two Als - Riffa and Aasy - make little appeal to me as both seem to have their best days behind them and have become quite tricky customers, so I will be backing the King Power runner each-way, without the favourite and will probably even have the reverse forecast between the pair too.

16:20 Royal Ascot - Jersey Stakes

I may be barking up the wrong tree but again in the Jersey Stakes I am not enamoured with the head of the market, for all that the booking of Ryan Moore will obviously make plenty side with Commanche Brave and tonnes of punters will side with the sexy, profile of Owen Burrows' Remmooz, with two wins from two. I couldn't call which one will go off favourite - it'll probably depend on how well Moore is doing on the day - but I don't want to be with either at sub 4/1 in a race like this as the former looks more suited to a mile and Remmooz, despite winning when green, looks a bit overrated to me off his Doncaster win.

Royal Ascot 2025 has not been a happy hunting ground so far for front runners but I did like SPY CHIEF's all the way success at Yarmouth last time out for the Gosden team and Godolphin so with both in good form, I am going to chance him each-way once again in the hope that Rab Havlin gets a lead and the rest of the field give him a bit too much leeway. This is definitely not a slow horse and  being by Kingman I think there could be another burst of speed we are yet to see should he be leading and get challenged a furlong or so out here.

It's not a bullish shout but at 16/1 or bigger he warrants my each-way support and although some won't like his low draw in three, I am hopeful that by Saturday evening the track will be riding fairer than it had been doing on Thursday, when the high numbers were clearly benefitting. He's interesting enough to back small stakes and I'll have him in a double with my Hardwicke pick for good measure.

17:00 Royal Ascot - Wokingham Stakes

I will be paying closer attention to the draw in this race as I am almost certain the winner will come from those drawn high, and it'd be no surprise were that winner to be More Thunder, who has already won a couple of decent races over six at Newmarket this season for William Haggas. He is the right favourite and judging by how well he's finished off his races at HQ, this stiffer six that Ascot provides will be right up his street, 

In a race like the Wokingham, however, I cannot get excited about a 4/1 runner no matter how appealing their profile may be and although second favourite Aramram made some appeal as he was only beaten a short head by More Thunder last time they met yet is double his price, I am going to side with one at triple the price of the favourite in the shape of ORAZIO with Saffie Osborne in the saddle.

The negatives are there for all to see in that he has been off since last October and finished 19th, 24h and dead last of 18 on his last three runs last season, but on his third in this race last season when getting going a fraction too late and rattling home, he has a massive chance off a one pound lower mark. Obviously we are taking a risk but Charlie Hills would not just chuck the horse back in a race this hot were he not confident he was in top condition, so I am not letting the break or poor form when ending last season bother me. Simply on last year's effort there's no way he should be double figures so he'll be the final leg of my ambitious Royal Ascot each-way treble to hopefully go out in style!