ITV Racing Tips: Three Sandown selections inspired by Royal Ascot form

Saturday’s seven-race ITV Racing salvo includes two contests from Haydock and five from Sandown’s Eclipse day card, culminating in the Grade 1 climax that represents the season’s first top-flight clash between the cream of the Classic generation and older horses over 1m2f at 3.35.

Royal Ascot form is on show across the card at the Esher circuit and our best bets each have excellent chances of stepping up on the strong showings they put up in defeat at last month’s meeting.

Lady could step up from King Charles III form to take Charge

The form of the Grade 1 King Charles III Stakes is well represented in the Coral Charge (1.50) with Kerdos (5th), BALMORAL LADY (9th), Rumstar (14th) and Manaccan (20th) all lining up.

Connections of Kerdos have every right to think he could have finished even closer to winner American Affair had he not unseated his jockey and got loose beforehand at Ascot. However, preference is for the second named, who finished a length and half behind him.

The five-year-old tackled Listed level for the first time on her previous run, when winning Haydock’s Achilles Stakes with plenty in hand and was thrown in at the deep end in the Grade 1 speed test.

She ought to come on for the experience and confidence she will go close is enhanced by trainer Ed Walker’s excellent record in this race. Walker has saddled two winners and one second from three runners across the last four runnings.

Order can make up for Royal Ascot near miss off 2lbs higher

The Coral Challenge (2.25) doesn’t look like a contest oversubscribed with runners likely to have something hidden up their sleeve from the handicapper in terms of improvement.

As a result, siding with the strongest recent form on offer looks the way to play and that belongs to GREEK ORDER, who finished fourth in the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot, just one-and-half lengths behind upwardly mobile winner My Cloud in what could well prove to be a good quality running.

That was the selection’s first run for Michael Bell after a stint with William Mott in America and he ought to be up to winning this if running to a similar level over the course and distance where he shed his maiden tag in 2023. Ryan Moore’s presence in the saddle further enhances his chances.

Godolphin have more than one win angle in Grade 1 Eclipse

Godolphin’s impressive Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner Ombudsman is an imposing favourite for the Group 1 Eclipse Stakes (3.35) having earned an lofty official rating of 128 for his Royal Ascot success.

However, as a four-year-old he, along with likely second favourite Sosie, must give their three-year-old rivals a chunky 10lbs in weight – a disadvantage that could prove his undoing.

Classic generation representatives have taken seven of the last 10 runnings, including each of the last four and backing those of them rated 120 or higher has been a particularly effective strategy in the race.

Since 2000 there have been 17 three-year-old runners in the Eclipse rated 120-plus. They’ve yielded eight winners, five seconds and one third. Their sole representative this time is 2,000 Guineas winner RULING COURT, whose BHA mark of 121 makes him the best horse in the race at the weights.

He must be forgiven a so-so third behind Field Of Gold at Royal Ascot, but trainer Charlie Appleby – who has a 29% strike rate at Sandown in the last five years that’s unparalleled at high volume (21 winners from 73 runners) – evidently thinks this step in trip will see him make up for that sub-par showing in style.

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