Tips and cards for first day of Royal Ascot

TIPS: Hills’ hope can claim crown after finding one better on last two visits

BATTAASH

can finally pick up the King’s Stand Stakes at the third time of asking on the opening day of Royal Ascot.

The Charlie Hills-trained speedster has had the misfortune to bump into

Blue Point on his last two visits to the showpiece meeting, but with his nemesis safely retired to the breeding sheds, the stage is set for what would be a hugely popular success.

When the Sheikh Hamdan-owned gelding is at his best, very few can match strides with him and the fact the meeting is behind closed doors this year is arguably in his favour as he can be his own worst enemy in getting worked up from time to time.

Abbaye winner Glass Slippers is an obvious danger and his own stablemate Equilateral is no slouch, but if the real Battaash turns up, it should be a onehorse affair.

The way Marcus Tregoning has started the season suggests he will have

MOHAATHER cherry-ripe for the Queen Anne Stakes.

Mohaather has been the apple of his eye for a couple of years now and, since finishing second on his debut, his only other defeat came on Champions Day last year in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, when he had been off the track for six months.

He came to prominence in his juvenile season when winning the Horris Hill Stakes at 33-1 and proved there was no fluke about that in the Greenham back at Newbury on his return to action at three.

Unfortunately he was ruled out of the Guineas with a setback and did not run again until October, so that effort when fifth to King Of Change at Ascot was a great run.

This better surface should help and he looks a cracking each-way price in a wide-open renewal.

John Gosden has had some excellent fillies through his hands in recent seasons and he runs three in the Ribblesdale Stakes.

There is no question FRANKLY

DARLING looks the pick, though, given her demolition job on her return to action on the first day racing resumed at Newcastle.