Tropical storms to Westow win
Excused his comeback sixth in the Palace House having taken a false step, he was sent off a 4-1 chance in the Listed contest but he had ground to find with the favourite Aesterius on last year's Flying Childers form.
Archie Watson's market leader was one of the first beaten as Star Of Mehmas hit the front, but Oisin Murphy waited until the final furlong before asking for everything and his mount responded to win by a head.
Balding now needs to decide whether to stick to five furlongs for the King Charles III Stakes or stay against his own age group over six furlongs in the Commonwealth Cup.
'He's built like a real sprinter,' said Balding.
'Oisin said when he switched him out he got caught by a bit of a headwind which caught him by surprise and as a result it just took him a bit of time to pick up.
'He's a smart horse, his form last year was very strong and he had won here which was a help – he took a false step at Newmarket.
'Obviously we've now got two options at Royal Ascot and we'll just have to see whether we chance him over six in the Commonwealth or run him over five against his elders.
'It's a nice problem to have. Ascot was always going to be his next target and it will be one of those races.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
When is Royal Ascot 2025? Preview, race times and runners
The 2025 Royal Ascot festival starts on Tuesday, 17 June, and ends on Saturday, 21 place at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, the earliest roots of racing's most glamorous festival date back as far as the 18th than 250,000 spectators are set to attend across the five days that will see 35 races, including eight Group One with the Queen Anne Stakes, Tuesday's opening day also includes the King Charles III Stakes. Both are Group One Richard Hannon-trained Rosallion heads into the Queen Anne as the early favourite, with jockey Ryan Moore on Believing for trainer George Boughey tipped for the King Charles III. When does it take place? Starting from Tuesday, the first of the seven races on each day of Royal Ascot take place at 14:30 BST, with the last starting at 18:10 the festival, a total of £10m prize money will be split across the 35 races. How to follow across Royal Ascot across the BBC There will be updates on BBC Radio 5 Live with BBC Radio Berkshire hosting a dedicated programme each day, with live commentaries from 14:00 to 16:45 BST - and until 18:00 on Saturday. What will the weather and going be like? Sunshine is forecast, with temperatures expected to reach as high as 27C on Friday, 13 June, the official going was described as good, good to firm (in places). Tuesday's schedule 14:30 Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1) one mile15:05 Coventry Stakes (Group 2) six furlongs15:40 King Charles III Stakes (Group 1) five furlongs16:20 St James's Palace Stakes (Group 1) one mile17:00 Ascot Stakes (Class 2 handicap) two miles, four furlongs17:35 Wolferton Stakes (Listed) one mile, two furlongs18:10 Copper Horse Stakes (Class 2 handicap) one mile, six furlongs Other major highlights Wednesday: The Aidan O'Brien-trained Los Angeles, who recorded back-to-back wins in May at the Curragh, is the early favourite heading into the Price of Wales's Ladies' Day is headed up by the Ascot Gold Cup. Another O'Brien-trained horse is fancied in Illinois, who has recorded five top-two finishes in the last six Shadow of Light, trained by Charlie Appleby, looks to be the early frontrunner for the Group One Commonwealth Cup. The day's other Group One race, the Coronation Stakes features the in-form Zarigana, a hot favourite for trainer Francis-Henri The festival's final Group One race is the Queen Elizabeth II stakes on Saturday at 15:40 BST. In an open 25-horse field, Lazzat for Jerome Reynier and the Kevin Ryan-trained Inisherin are among those fancied, as is Aidan O'Brien's Storm Boy. Will there be a Royal winner? While there has been no confirmation of whether King Charles and Queen Camilla will definitely attend the festival, they are expected to attend throughout the five-day horse King's Falcon, a winner at Carlisle this month, could feature at the festival. The full runners and riders list has yet to be article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team. What is Ask Me Anything? Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you team will find out everything you need to know and be able to call upon a network of contacts including our experts and will be answering your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and going behind the scenes at some of the world's biggest sporting coverage will span the BBC Sport website, app, social media and YouTube accounts, plus BBC TV and radio. More questions answered... How do add-ons work in football transfers?Why can 23-year-olds play at Euro U21s?What is 24 Hours of Le Mans?Why Alexander-Arnold is not allowed to wear number 66 for Real Madrid
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Royal Ascot Odds: Latest Betting Odds for Royal Ascot 2025
Royal Ascot is just around the corner as the highlight of the British flat racing season takes place between Tuesday, 17 June and Saturday, 21 June. There are 35 races spread across five days of high-quality action at the Berkshire track, with eight Group 1 contests included in what is Britain's most lucrative meeting of the year, with over £10m in prize money up for grabs. On this page, we've pulled together the latest and best Royal Ascot odds. We use the latest Royal Ascot betting odds from the betting sites to offer readers optimum value when wagering on this famed festival. Readers will find not only the best value Royal Ascot 2025 odds but also the latest prices for each day with real-time updates in the run to and throughout the meeting. The best odds for Royal Ascot come from our recommended horse racing betting sites, all of which are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. Royal Ascot Odds Explained Bettors can find the latest Royal Ascot odds for all 35 races on this page, with the best price for each horse displayed. The odds for each race will change regularly, and those alterations made by horse racing betting sites will be reflected in our Royal Ascot odds via live updates. We take odds from all the major online bookmakers, so our up-to-the-minute Royal Ascot odds give bettors the best chance of getting maximum value from their Ascot bets. Royal Ascot Odds - Day 1 The first day of Royal Ascot gets underway with a bang with the latest renewal of the Queen Anne Stakes, with runners battling it out for the £750,000 prize fund over one mile. The Queen Anne Stakes is the first of three Group 1 races on the opening day of Royal Ascot with the feature race being the St James's Palace Stakes, where the best 3-year-old colts battle over a mile, often in a rematch from the 2,000 Guineas. When having a bet, it's vital to practice responsible gambling. When using gambling sites be aware that sports betting can be addictive. Please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget. The same applies whether you're using new betting sites, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, betting apps, or any other gambling medium. Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses. It's particularly important not to get carried away by any free bets or casino offers you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution. You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs. You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having:
Scottish Sun
15 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Horse racing tips: ‘He's rising the ranks and has a top jockey booked' – Templegate's NAP a supreme stayer at York
Scroll down for his selections TEMPLEGATE'S TIPS Horse racing tips: 'He's rising the ranks and has a top jockey booked' – Templegate's NAP a supreme stayer at York Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TEMPLEGATE takes on Saturday's racing confident of slamming in some winners and building the bank for Royal Ascot. Back a horse by clicking their odds below. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up ALSAKIB (3.00 York, nap) He rose through the staying ranks last season and put in his best effort at this track. He ran well on his comeback in the Yorkshire Cup last month and can improve from there. HOLD A DREAM (2.40 Sandown, nb) He'll enjoy dropping to five furlongs after showing lots of pace at Newbury last time but just failing to get home. That was his turf comeback and there's more to come. HEATHEN (2.25 York, treble) He runs off a much lower mark on turf compared to the all-weather and can make the most of it under experienced pilot Serena Brotherton. Templegate's tips FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
