Rest of Royal Ascot

Best race on the undercard is clearly the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes (1 1/2 miles, 16.05 CET) in which Lucarno (John Gosden/ Jimmy Fortune), who won last year´s St. Leger but is probably better suited by today´s trip has to concede weight all round. He is a class act, but may find it tough to defeat Aidan O´Brien´s Macarthur (Johnny Murtagh), third in the Coronation Cup, and Sir Michael Stoute´s pair Maraahel (Richard Hills), who has won this race for the last 2 seasons, and Spanish Moon (Ryan Moore), a CD winer last time and considered capable of great improvement. The listed Chesham Stakes for 2yo´s over 7 furlongs which opens the programme at 15.30 lies on form between Free Agent (Richard Hannon/ Richard Hughes), easy winner of his only start, and Seaway (John Gosden/ Jimmy Fortune), runner-up in good company on both his starts so far, but Andrew Balding´s newcomer Swindle (William Buick) is also to be respected. As usual, the tweo handicaps are dreadfully difficult. The Wokungham over 6 furlon gs at 17.25 has 28 runners, and if the sraw bias seen this weel still holds good, then Intrepid Jack (Mughie Morrison/ Steve Drowne), drawn 7, Tombi (Howard Jphnson/ Robert Winston), drawn 9, Abraham Lincoln (O´Brien/ Murtagh), drawn 4, and Knot in Wood (Richard Fahey/ Paul Hanagan), drawn 6, will all have chances, but Baden-Baden runner-up Dark Islander (John Hills/ Eddie Ahern) is badly drawn in 18. Luca Cumani suffered an unexpected defeat in the Royal Hunt Cup, but supplies another hot favourite in Mad Rush (Jimmy Fortune) for the Duke of Edinburgh over 1 1/2 miles; cours specialisdt Young Mick (George Margarson/ Robert Winston) , who won this race in 2006, is a dangerous outsider. The traditional "getting out stakes", the last race of the meeting is the Queen Alexandra, Britain´s longest flat race over 2 miles 5 1/2 furlongs at 18.30. This is often a weak race, but not so this year. Honolulu (O´Brien/ Murtagh) is the class horse here, having finished 3rd in the St. Leger, but this distace is new territory. Proven over the CD are Enjoy the Moment (Jamie Osborne/ Shane Kelly) and Baddam (Ian Williams/ Richard Hughes), winners of the last 2 renewals, while Williams also saddles Bulwark (Jim Crowley), who showed great speed to win the Chester Cup last time. If the rain stays away, then Nicky Henderson´s German-bred Caracciola (Eddie Ahern) would also come into the reckoning.