Royal Ascot: rest of day three

The remaining 5 races at Royal Ascot today are also high class, competitive events and the card opens with the Group Two Norfolk Stakes for 2yo´s over 5 furlongs at 15.30 CET. Hot favourite here should be Richard Hannon´s Monsieur Chevalier (Richard Hughes), who has won all his 4 starts in the style of a really smart and speedy performer, but there could well a big danger in the shape of the U.S. challenger Yogaroo (Wesley Ward/ John Velazquez) after the sensational wins of his stable companions on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tawaabb (Mick Channon/ Frankie Dettori) and Nosedive (William Haggas/ Ryan Moore), both easy winners of their only start, look next best. The Group Two Ribblesdale Stakes for 3yo fillies over 1 1/2 miles at 16.05 looks quit open.

Sir Michael Stoute´s unbeaten Leocorno (Ryan Moore) could start favourite here, but there are plenty of dangers, including stable companion July Jasmine (Mick Kinane), while John Gosden´s pair Mouakada (Richard Hills) and especially Take the Hint (Jimmy Fortune) must also be respected, and we also fancy Flame of Gibraltar (Henry Cecil/ Tom Queally), Flying Cloud (Saeed bin Suroor/ Frankie Dettori) won nicely in France last time, but that was for Andre´ Fabre and she has since been transferred to Godolphin. There are also two French runners in the listed Hampton Court Stakes for 3yo´s over 10 furlongs at 17.55, with preference for Cashelgar (Alain de Royer-Dupre´/ Gerald Mossé), but this should go to Freemantle (Aidan O´Brien/ Johnny Murtagh), who ran such a strong race in the Dante. Monitor Closely and Glass Harmonium finished behind him then, but a bigger threat could be the Queen´s Four Winds (Michael Bell/ Jamie Spencer).

The Queen also has a runner in the final race, a 1 1/2 miles handicap for 3yo´s - Highland Glen (Stoute/ Moore) and he is on our short list, together with Zarinski (John Oxx/ Niall McCullough) and Chiberta King (Andrew Balding/ William Buick), while Aidan O´Brien has booked his teenage son Joseph to partner Johann Zoffany - the boy can ride, so ignore him at your peril!

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Monsieur Chevalier - Tawaabb - Radiohead
2. Race: Leocorno - Take The Hint - July Jasmine
3. Race: Yeats - Patkai - Geordieland
4. Race: Desert Creek - Mirrored - Secret Society
5. Race: Freemantle - Glass Harmonium - Monitor Closely
6. Race: Opinion Poll - Johann Zoffany - Quai D`Orsay