Royal Ascot day five tips: Top tipster Hugh Taylor has four best bets for Saturday’s action

June 21, 2025

2.30pm – Chesham Stakes

This year’s Chesham Stakes (2.30) is a really interesting renewal, if lacking any runners who have achieved anything close to the standard required. But I do think it is fascinating how the race has been priced up and it perhaps leaves some each-way opportunities.

It is absolutely no surprise that Aidan O’Brien’s Moments Of Joy has been installed as a short-priced favourite given the domination of the stable’s two-year-olds so far at the meeting. Each of his previous winners this week had clear-cut form chances but there are bigger questions about Moments Of Joy, both in terms of what she achieved on her sole start and, more importantly, how she arrived at her place in the field.

She was the stable second string, judged on the betting and jockey bookings, when winning a six-runner race on her debut earlier this month.

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Indeed, judged on Timeform ratings, the stable has a number of two-year-olds who have achieved much more than her but have not appeared at Royal Ascot – as well as the injured Albert Einstein, the likes of Amadeus Mozart, Daytona, Flushing Meadows, Brussels, Kansas, Dorset, Italy and Simply Astounding have all run to a better level than Moments Of Joy.

The problem is all the above mentioned are by Wootton Bassett, and thus ineligible for this race as their sire never won over 1m2f or beyond.

I am definitely not saying Moments Of Joy cannot win. She is still a well-bred filly representing the dominant two-year-old stable and could improve plenty from that debut.

Whether she quite merits her very short odds is the question – the Ballydoyle two-year-olds that have run this week (with the exception of Albert Einstein) look the cream of their crop at the moment, whereas it is quite possible this filly would not have been in their top 10 for this race without the sire eligibility rule, which will be sobering to digest for other trainers if she wins.

Her main market rival is the once-raced Treanmor, who also won a six-runner race on debut. He recorded a slow time but off a steady pace, and was very impressive in the style of his win.

I would have him as the outright market leader and he fits firmly into the ‘could be anything’ bracket, but he looks priced about right to me. For some value I’d rather have an each-way stab at Thesecretadversary, who finished an excellent second behind the 4-9 Ballydoyle favourite Italy on debut at Leopardstown, despite racing keenly in the early stages.

Both the overall time figure and the closing sectionals were very good, and make no mistake, if Italy were eligible to run in this race he would be odds on and would almost certainly be very hard to beat – indeed, O’Brien was already identifying future Group 1 and Group 2 targets in post-race interviews after the Leopardstown race.

There is a case to be made that Thesecretadversary is the form selection and whilst the market leaders from powerful yards could clearly improve plenty, he looks good each-way value, especially following the good run of stable mate Cardiff By The Sea (also by St Mark’s Basilica) in the Queen Mary Stakes earlier this week.

4.20pm – Jersey Stakes

Marvelman was a frustrating big-priced loser for this column at Newmarket last time, but he took another step forward that day and should go close in the Jersey Stakes (4.20).

He showed much-improved from when blitzing his rivals in a fast time on his seasonal debut at Kempton, and the well-beaten runner-up Shameful has twice shaped well in handicaps subsequently, including when a good ninth from a poor draw in the Britannia Stakes here on Thursday.

Marvelman was again ridden aggressively in the Listed King Charles II Stakes at Newmarket last time and proved too good for all bar the exciting Cosmic Year, who himself only found the outstanding Field Of Gold too good in the Irish 2000 Guineas next time. The time figure was again very good and there was a big gap to the third, who won a Listed race next time.

The other one that interests me here is Remmooz, who I thought was extremely impressive when winning at Doncaster last time. I think he is a high-class colt in the making, but Owen Burrows had stated prior to that run that he wanted a bit of rain (the ground was officially good at Doncaster) so he might not want it too fast, and he is potentially not as well drawn as Marvelman.

5.00pm – Wokingham Stakes

Holkham Bay might have been underestimated by the market after sneaking into the Wokingham (5.00) as a reserve, and as a fairly-handicapped horse whose form figures at Ascot read 211 he looks worth an each-way bet in a race that should be run to suit.

He progressed tremendously well as a three-year-old, winning twice here and also at York, and proving himself effective on most types of ground.

He was too keen and shaped as if in need of the run on his return at Southwell in April, and then did not get much luck in running when fifth at Goodwood dropped to 5f.

He left the impression he might be running back into form at York last time, racing away from where the finish unfolded and also having to wait for a run, never able to land a blow.

Frost At Dawn, another smart four-year-old sprinter from the William Knight stable, produced a clear career best in the King Charles III Stakes earlier this week and it should not be surprising if Holkham Bay also leaves his previous efforts this season behind on his return to this track.

5.35pm – Golden Gates Stakes

Seraph Gabriel is favourite in the Golden Gates Stakes (5.35), but deservedly so as he looks very much the type to make up into a Group horse, and he might be able to make light of what looks a potentially favourable mark.

He caught the eye when recording a good time figure on his final two-year-old start at Redcar, shaping like a stayer over the 7f.

He made his reappearance in the Esher Cup at Sandown in April and looked an unlucky loser, caught in a pocket and left with too much to do after the winner – who was the first home in the far-side group in the Britannia Stakes on Thursday – had got first run.

He has presumably been kept back for this race subsequently to protect his mark, and the fact that connections gave him an entry in the Group 1 Coral Eclipse two weeks ago does not exactly detract from confidence in his chance here. He is yet to try 1m2f and promises to improve again at the trip, so he looks to have plenty in his favour.