Royal Ascot Duke Of Cambridge Stakes tips (1545): Laurel can thwart Rogue Millennium defence

15:45 Royal Ascot: Duke Of Cambridge Stakes 

• Race details: 1 mile (old), Group 2, Fillies & Mares, 4-year-olds+
• 2023 winner: Rogue Millennium (10/1) - Danny Tudhope (J), Tom Clover (T)
• Recent Trends: 19/20 winners has won over a mile or more, only 5 placed horses from stall 1 in 20 runnings (2 winners)

Planet Sport Bet Royal Ascot Special: Bet £20+ cash on any runner in the race and if Doom finishes in the first 3 places, get a £5 Free Bet!

This high-class renewal sees last year’s winner Rogue Millennium bidding to become the first horse to win the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes more than once, and he will line up as the clear favourite to do so.

That said, since kicking off her career with back-to-back victories in early 2022, last year’s Royal Ascot win is her only success in 13 subsequent outings, and any chink in the armour is likely to be exploited by her closest market challenger, Laurel.

It might be something of a reach to expect this mare to win such a prestigious race straight from a 13-month lay-off, but the fact that she has been kept racing as a five-year-old gives an indication of her connections’ high expectations of a successful return

With just five runs to her name, there should be plenty in the tank to add to her three career wins to date, while arguably her best performance came in her last race as a three-year-old, when she came second in Group 1 company at Newbury.

Her low mileage and the long break could be seen as a negative, but the Gosdens would be unlikely to produce her unless she was tuned up to perform well, and she should arrive fresh and primed to strike with Ryan Moore at the helm. 

Suggested bet: Laurel in the 15:45 at Royal Ascot

With four places available across the bookmaker board, our friends in the Tipstrr camp have leaned towards French raider Gregarina, who has been showing consistent form across La Manche before coming under the wing of Joseph Patrick O’Brien over the winter.

That move was quickly rewarded on season and stable debut at the Curragh six weeks ago, when the five-year-old showed her mettle over seven furlongs to win by the length of her head in the dying strides.

She steps up to a mile here, but the way she kept on to the line last month suggests she has lost none of her one-mile stamina, and with William Buick in the saddle, she could well be in the mix at the business end of this intriguing race.

Suggested bet: Gregarina each-way in the 15:45 at Royal Ascot

• Tip advised by Opal Horses on Tipstrr

 

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