Royal Ascot: Day one preview

Anticipation is a general requirement for those with a love of racing, but surely it must have been difficult to curb enthusiasm for the opening day of Ascot this afternoon, which features three Group 1s in a row?

Click here for a free £25 to bet on Royal Ascot with Betfair

The curtain-raiser to the five-day Royal meeting is the Queen Anne Stakes (2.30pm) run over a mile. Godolphin and Sir Michael Stoute have farmed this race in recent times, but the Dubai-based operation will be without a representative due to the injury of Creachadoir on Wednesday.

It is an open event, the bookmakers go 5/1 the field, but one that might interest punters is Cesare. The Cheveley Park-owned runner is as big as 7/1, but what is of most interest is his record at the Berkshire track. He has run there six times and placings of 115141 speak for themselves.

Before we get down to the nitty-gritty though, punters must be made aware of the Tote's new bet, The Swinger. It is the first new Tote bet since 1999, when the Scoop 6 was unveiled. The bet is available in races of six or more runners, and players must pick two horses to finish first, second or third in any order. The bet then pays out a dividend for first and second, first and third, and second and third. It's an attractive wager, and one which looks tailor-made for the likes of Cesare.

But who to perm James Fanshawe's seven-year-old with? Since the turf was relaid in the redevelopment of the course in 2005, it has been folly to ignore course form gained since then. The track has become idiosyncratic, with many horses not acting on it, which is strange considering that the uphill finish that used to prevail has now all but gone. Tariq, trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam, has a similar profile to Cesare, but also has proved his credentials at the Royal meeting before.

He won the Jersey Stakes last year, and was third in the Coventry as a juvenile in 2006. Both times, he raced on good to firm. He ran a solid third on seasonal debut last month in the Lockinge Styakes behind Creachadoir and all is in place for a solid performance. 

Neither of them may win, but the pair are a decent bet to get the meeting off with a swing.

The bet of the day however, is in the King's Stand Stakes (3.05pm). Dandy Man is another horse who has scrubbed up well at the Royal meeting, and it is incredible that he is trading at a double-figure price.

Godolphin's new acquisition was runner-up to the record-breaking Miss Andretti last year, when drawn on completely the wrong side of the course to the rest of the placed horses. He ploughed a lone furrow on the near side, and it was an incredible performance in the circumstances. He beat both Australian horses Takeover Target and Magnus, and he dead-heated in fourth with the former when drawn similarly badly the year before.

Many may look at his latest run and think, 'no chance' but he lost a shoe when leaving the stalls and the performance can be scratched. It must be mentioned that Dandy Man has been drawn on the far side this time, and although we have no idea if that is a good thing or not, he still looks too big a price.

Verdict: 1pt Swinger bet: Cesare and Tariq; 2pts each-way Dandy Man @ 12/1

Click here for a free £25 to bet on Royal Ascot with Betfair