Friday's Ascot racing tips: Secret State and Thunder Legend can turn on the style
Royal Ascot
There’s a big day of action at Ascot and the Planet Sport tipsters have some juicy selections on September 30.
Here's a quick run through of our selections from Ascot, with a bit more detail on our highlighted horses below that.
You can follow all the racecards, results and live odds by using the Planet Sport live centre.
Ascot Selections
14:00 Stone Soldier
14:35 Whitehaven
15:10 Sweet William
15:45 SECRET STATE (NAP)
16:20 Thunder Legend
16:55 Raising Sand
14:00 Ascot - Stone Soldier
Stone Soldier can get proceedings in Berkshire off to a flying start by taking the Peroni Nastro Azzurro Amateur Jockeys' Handicap.
Third over course and distance behind an in-form winner when last sighted, he is 1lb lower here and is some 13lb lower than when striking on the all-weather back in March.
15:10 Ascot - Sweet William
In the Peroni Nastro Azzurro Novice Stakes, Sweet William can build on an encouraging debut at Kempton to open his account.
John and Thady Gosden's Sea The Stars colt was somewhat unruly at the start on his first day at school and was then slowly away. But the penny dropped in the second half of his 12-furlong assignment and he ran on strongly to be only beaten a neck.
He will have learnt plenty from that initial experience and this half-brother to Hurricane Lane is surely capable of much better.
15:45 Ascot - Secret State
Charlie Appleby looks to have spied a nice opening for Secret State, who has the chance to regain the winning thread in the Listed Peroni Nastro Azzurro Noel Murless Stakes at Ascot.
The Godolphin-owned colt has been ultra-progressive so far this term, following up a second on debut behind the highly-regarded Francesco Clemente in the Wood Ditton with four straight victories.
That run of results included a Royal Ascot triumph in the King George V Stakes and plundering a competitive handicap at Glorious Goodwood. Amongst the beaten horses on the Sussex Downs were Maksud (second), Inverness (third) and Melrose scorer Soulcombe in fourth.
Secret State's winning streak came to an end in the Great Voltigeur at York when Deauville Legend reversed the King George V Stakes form and Secret State had to settle for second. But James Ferguson's gelding has improved rapidly since they first clashed, as shown by his position at the head of the Melbourne Cup betting, so that silver medal on the Knavesmire was no disgrace.
It was the first time the son of Dubawi had stepped into Group-race company and there should be much more to come in Pattern class races now stepping up in trip following wind surgery at a course he has already tasted big-race success at.
16:20 Ascot - Thunder Legend
Thunder Legend is a strong pick to follow up his recent Newmarket success in the Peroni Nastro Azzurro Handicap.
He relished the drop back to six furlongs when making all for an impressive five-and-a-half-length victory that day and he could have more to offer despite an 8lb hike from the assessor.
He has bumped into some smart operators over further this season and his Haydock conqueror from his penultimate showing - Whitebeam - is now rated 103 and only beaten a head in a Listed race recently.
