Royal Ascot Day 4 predictions: Inisherin to be the new sprint king
- Royal Ascot Day 4: Best bet, each-way selection and treble
- Recommended bets include:
- Inisherin to win the Commonwealth Cup
- Sommelier each-way in the Palace Of Holyrood House Stakes
The fourth day of Royal Ascot 2024 takes place on Friday. It is a day for the three-year-olds, with both Group 1 races on the day being restricted to horses of that age.
The feature slot on the card belongs to the Coronation Stakes (15:45), which is a Group 1 for fillies over a mile. The Commonwealth Cup (15:05) is the second Group 1, while there are two further Group races and three big-field handicaps.
Here is everything you need to know for day four, including the day's best bets.
Day 4 - Key info
First race: 14:30 Albany Stakes
Feature race: 15:45 Coronation Stakes
The Coronation Stakes is the fillies' equivalent to Tuesday's St James's Palace Stakes, which was won by Rosallion. It tries to bring together the form from the spring Classics like the 1,000 Guineas and settle the question of who is the leading three-year-old filly at a mile.
The market for the race this year is headed by Irish 1,000 Guineas third Opera Singer, who was a convincing winner of a Group 1 in France in the autumn. French 1,000 Guineas winner Rouhiya also runs, while the first three from the Newmarket 1,000 Guineas - Elmalka, Porta Fortuna and Ramatuelle - are also in a classy line-up.
The Commonwealth Cup (15:05) has a knack for producing top-class sprinters of the future, while the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes (16:25) and Sandringham Stakes (17:05) are handicaps which also have a knack for producing Group horses.
Best bet of the day
Inisherin to win the Commonwealth Cup (15:05) @ 2/1
The Commonwealth Cup might lose its Group 1 status after this season, which tells you that it is a race that has struggled for depth in recent years. It was hard not to be impressed by Inisherin's first try at sprinting and he could be the class act this year.
Inisherin is not bred to be a sprinter, but after he finished sixth in the 2,000 Guineas connections dropped him in trip for the Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock. That has tended to be one of the main trials for this race and Inisherin blew it apart.
He had ample speed to lay up with the pace, took over soon after halfway and extended to win by nearly four-lengths. He remains unexposed as a sprinter and is an exciting prospect.
Best each-way bet of the day
Sommelier in the Palace of Holyrood House Stakes (18:15) @ 12/1
Ryan Moore is getting the leg up on this horse, who made a really good impression when dropped in trip to five-furlongs at York last time.
That day he was up against Big Evs, who ran a cracking race to finish third in a Group 1 here on Tuesday. Sommelier was getting 5lb, but even so it was impressive that he lasted just as long on the bridle as the winner, given his class.
Sommelier still has a handicap mark of 99, a stone less than Big Evs, so it is easy to imagine him being better than his rating. On limited evidence, his draw in 27 is favourable enough too.
Day 4 acca
Everybody loves a Royal Ascot accumulator and we will be pointing towards one on each of the five days this week. On day four, our treble pays 90/1 with LiveScore Bet.
As already mentioned, this three-year-old could be the champion the sprint division has been waiting for and he deserves a place in our treble.
Many observers thought that this filly shaped best in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket, after she was asked to make her move soon enough considering her suspect stamina. Her change of gear can have a greater tactical advantage on the round course at Ascot.
His second to Hidden Law at Chester is the best form on offer in this field and his dam won at Royal Ascot as a two-year-old. Ground will be fine, too, as it was fast at Chester.
