Day Four Races Betting Odds - Royal Ascot 2023 Racecards - 17/06/2023

We’ve enjoyed watching the Commonwealth Cup at the 2023 Royal Ascot meeting since 2015 when Muhaarar won the first ever race and it’s great to enjoy a Group 1 race at the course which is exclusively for three-year-olds with the added benefit of geldings being able to compete.

The brilliant Advertise won last year’s renewal in a record time and it will be interesting to see which of the 2023 runners comes out on top this time around, with this six-furlong encounter proving to be the showpiece race when it comes to Day Four of the meeting.

Pierre Lapin Could Take All the Beating

The 2023 Commonwealth Cup looks to have a wide open betting market for the race, with some highly-rated three-year-olds being put up to follow in the footsteps of Quiet Reflection and Caravaggio.

PIERRE LAPIN is one of them, with the Roger Varian-trained charge lining up as the market leader at the time of writing and it’s easy to understand why the bookies want to keep on the right side of this horse.

Just over a year ago, the horse claimed a victory on his debut when triumphing in a Novice Stakes at Haydock, while there was then another win in the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes, a Group 2 encounter that took place in the autumn of last year.

Naturally, odds of 5/1 reflect the wide open nature of the field and also that every horse is relatively unproven, with EARTHLIGHT trading at single figures with the vast majority of bookies and we should expect a competitive run from a horse that was also visually impressive last year.

Indeed, the Andre Fabre-trained horse has an unblemished record in his career to date, landing four straight wins in France before making the journey over to England and winning at Newmarket on 28 September.

The horse impressed when winning the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes which was a Group 1 encounter, although there had previously been a win in the Darley Prix Morny - Finale des Darley Series and perhaps the horse should be backed here at such a big price.

Royal Ascot wouldn’t be the same without some American raiders joining the party and Wesley Ward is the man to bring over some of his horses in a bid to land some of the Royal Ascot spoils.

It would appear that the pandemic hasn’t disrupted Ward’s plans too much and KIMARI represents a reasonable chance in this encounter, although it’s always difficult to work out whether a horse that has run well in the USA stands any chance here.

Nevertheless, the filly ran a blinder to finish second in the Queen Mary Stakes at the 2019 Royal Ascot meeting and that at least proves that the horse can act at the British race track, with some fine performances in the US to boot.

There is no let-up in the top-class racing action as we head into the penultimate day at Royal Ascot, with a further five Group level contests for our betting pleasure. Here we provide our three best betting tips for another thrilling day of action including our picks for the big Group 1 races.

King Edward VII Stakes: Japan to win at 7/4 with Coral

We seem likely to have a couple of the Derby runners taking a drop in class to contest this prize. We suspect they may have their work cut out to get the better of the Sir Michael Stoute runner Crystal Ocean here.

Touted as a Derby possible ahead of his third to Permian in the Dante at York, he instead gets his first crack at 1m4f here. As a son of Sea The Stars he can be expected to get the trip well and the manner in which he finished at York certainly suggested that it will suit. The price of 3/1 in our odds comparison table looks decent value.

Commonwealth Cup: Ten Sovereigns to win at 18/11 with Unibet

Godolphin boast a strong hand here in the form of Blue Point and Harry Angel, either of whom would likely be favourite for this in another year. Clive Cox’s Harry Angel looks particularly dangerous following his track record breaking effort at Haydock last time out.

Unfortunately for the Godolphin pair, they may well be up against a genuine superstar in the form of Aidan O’Brien’s, Caravaggio. Scintillating at two when winning each of his four starts, including here in the Coventry Stakes, any doubts as to how well he would train on were put to bed when he slammed the talented Psychedelic Funk on his seasonal debut at Naas.

Coronation Stakes: Hermosa to win at 11/10 with Coral

From one Aidan O’Brien-trained star to another. His three year old dual 1000 Guineas winner, Winter, lines up next in one of the week’s major races for fillies. With Newmarket 1000 Guineas third Daban looking likely to take a drop in trip for the Jersey Stakes rather than take on her foe again, it may fall to the French 1000 Guineas heroine, Precieuse to give the favourite most to do.

A mile on quick ground here is however a vastly different challenge to a slog through the mud at Deuaville, and on the overall level of form, Winter looks one of the most solid betting propositions of the week. Brilliant at Newmarket, she was if anything even better at the Curragh, and the possibility that she is still improving is a frightening prospect for her rivals here.