2010 ROYAL ASCOT QUEEN ANNE, KING'S STAND AND ST JAMES PALACE BETTING TIPS

There is so much first-class action kicking off tomorrow at Ascot that it's almost hard to know where to begin. We'll be seeing some top horses facing off against each other and some old scores will be settled and new rivalries produced. Such is the flair and drama of opening day at the 2010 Royal Ascot. 
We start the day with three Group 1 contests and the opener is the widely-anticipated Queen Anne Stakes which has 4 year-olds and up going one mile. Unsurprisingly, Goldikova (Anabaa) is the favourite here, but the five year-old mare will be forced to deal with old rival Rip Van Winkle (Galileo) and the talented Paco Boy (Deser Style). 

Goldikova is the favourite with a price of around 6/4 with William Hill while Paco Boy trades at 11/4, just behind Rip Van Winkle at 5/2. These three are the major contenders as the odds take a pretty big jump up to Zacinto (Dansili) and Ouqba (Red Ransom) at 12/1. 
It's hard to bet against Goldikova here and I'll be playing here on top of Ouqba and Rip Van Winkle in this one. 
The second race of the day is the King's Stand Stakes which looks, at this point, like a two-horse showdown between Nicconi (Bianconi) and Kingsgate Native (Mujadil). I'll be backing Sir Michael Stoute's selection here as he comes in with much more form than his counterpart. He just captured the Group 2 Temple Stacks at Haydock and I've also got my eye on 8 year-old Borderlescott (Compton Place). He has beaten some quality contenders over the past few years and finished a solid third to Kingsgate Native in the Temple Stakes. He's a there-or-thereabouts type and is a solid selection at 16/1 with William Hill. He is an excellent shout for the bottom end of your forecast. 
The third Group 1 contest of the day is the St James Palace Stakes and I think Canford Cliffs (Tagula) looks a first-rate contender here. I expect this one to have a thrilling conclusion, with plenty of late closers in the contest here. Canford Cliffs has never finished outside of the top 3 in any race and the biggest contender seems to be the undefeated Makfi (Dubawi) who trades at a 9/4 price. 
Dick Turpin (Arakan) looks like the other interesting selection and the 5/1 price looks a lot better than the slim odds on the other selections. He's got a 122 in three races this year and has been in with a shout virtually every time. I think he's a tempting shot to beat the top two.