The Royal Ascot meeting continues on Thursday with a couple of Graded races for three-year-olds. Fillies will meet up in the mile and a half-long G2 Ribblesdale Stakes, where the field is rather competitive. Colts then line up for the G3 Hampton Court Stakes, and Reach For The Moon should deliver The Queen a fine victory here.
Ribblesdale Stakes
The G2 turf race open to three-year-old fillies offers a purse of £200,000 and is held at a distance of a mile and a half. Its 2022 edition welcomes several interesting fillies, including Sea Silk Road trained by William Haggas.
The filly by Sea The Stars has three starts under her belt. As a junior, she was only sixth in her debut; however, with the beginning of the new season, the bay recorded a smooth success in a maiden, followed by a narrow win in a Listed at Goodwood. Such results, indeed, don’t signal she’s an absolute G2 winner in the making, but Sea Silk Road looks like a talented filly and a solid run is expected of her.
Charlie Appleby relies here on Life of Dreams, who scored her debut easily, upon which she bumped into Emily Upjohn in the Musidora Stakes, where the daughter of Dubawi delivered a good effort, yet never threatened the favorite. Without a doubt, Life of Dreams could’ve improved since that run and be in a better shape on Thursday. Together with Sea Silk Road, she is the leading victory candidate.
The British have really strong claims in the Ribblesdale Stakes, while Magical Lagoon seems to be the leading Irish chance. The Jessica Harrington bound bay scored a G3 win as a two-year-old, and even though she failed to impress when faced with the elite, her seasonal debut was a good one.
She showed up in Navan to compete in a Listed over a mile and a quarter, and was defeated by a short head as only Concert Hall, subsequently third in the Irish 1000 Guineas and fourth in the Epsom Oaks, bettered her. The distance won’t be an issue. Aidan O’Brien relies on History, who concluded the last year’s campaign as a maiden winner but entered the new season with a game victory in a G3 company.
She failed to make an impression in the Irish 1000 Guineas but she needs to be considered because she faces a weaker field here. Still, her pedigree doesn’t look like one of a stayer. Mukaddamah finished third in a Listed Oaks trial, while Mystic Wells ran in second at the same stage. Back then, she set the pace and was headed in the final strides of a race just half a furlong shorter than the Ribblesdale Stakes.
Ribblesdale Stakes Betting Prediction is:
Magical Lagoon which should handle the distance easily; moreover, her seasonal debut looked quite promising.
| Horse | Jockey | Horse Racing Odds by JazzSports |
| Sea Silk Road | Tom Marquand | +150 |
| Magical Lagoon | Shane Foley | +300 |
| Life Of Dreams | William Buick | +350 |
| History | Ryan Moore | +700 |
| Mukaddamah | Jim Crowley | +1000 |
| Mystic Wells | Ben Curtis | +2200 |
Hampton Court Stakes
This G3 turf race is open to three-year-olds who will clash at the distance of a mile and a quarter. With the purse of £100,000 being up for grabs, the event lured in some talented colts but Reach For The Moon is the absolute favourite here.
The John and Thady Gosden trained bay was a very decent two-year-old as even before breaking his maiden, he ran in second in a Listed company over seven furlongs. Later, the son of Sea The Stars scored his premiere victory in a small race, to which he added success in the G3 Solario Stakes in August.
He concluded his junior campaign with second place in the G2 Champagne Stakes. In 2022, Reach For The Moon wasn’t aimed at any Classic races due to some health issues and entered the season in May when facing interesting rivals in a Listed event over a mile. Back then, The Queen owned bay set the pace and galloped beautifully; however, when My Propero came to him, Reach For The Moon couldn’t resist his finish, so he had to settle for a second place by one and ¼ of a length. His performance was a bit disappointing; still, it was his first start of the 2022 season, and on Thursday, he could be in better shape.
To be honest, his rivals would need to make considerable progress to threaten Reach For The Moon. The most well-known of the favorite’s opponents is Claymore, trained by Jane Chapple-Hyam. After winning his debut in 2021, he ran a good race in the G3 Craven Stakes.
The son of New Bay was no match for victorious Native Trail in his seasonal reappearance but a second place was a decent result, which he didn’t draw on in the French 2000 Guineas. Literally, nothing went into his stride back then, and Claymore finished last of all. He should be the best of the rest in the Hampton Court Stakes together with Cresta, a Freddie and Martyn Meade bound chestnut.
He placed at the G3 scene as a two-year-old, while in May, he finished second in an Epsom Derby trial behind Star of India, who made no impact on the Classic race. Still, Cresta looks like a solid colt for the G3 stage, and the distance shouldn’t bother him much.
Kingmax isn’t really considered to fight for the win or a place, which leaves us with unexposed Maksud and the last contestant to mention – Howth, trained by Aidan O’Brien. The son of Churchill is a half-brother to Cayenne Pepper, a G2 winner, but he hasn’t shown a similar talent yet.
From six runs in 2021, Howth was a close fourth in the G2 Champion Juvenile Stakes, but when he commenced a new season in a Listed company in April, he managed only sixth place among eight participants of a Listed race. Back then, he covered seven furlongs; therefore, there’s still some hope he might improve with Thursday’s distance.
Hampton Court Stakes Betting Pick
Must be Reach For The Moon, as none of his rivals has shown enough class to even challenge him.
| Horse | Jockey | Horse Racing Odds by JazzSports |
| Reach For The Moon | Frankie Dettori | -170 |
| Claymore | Adam Kirby | +550 |
| Cresta | Jamie Spencer | +800 |
| Maksud | Tom Marquand | +900 |
| Howth | Ryan Moore | +1800 |
| Kingmax | Rossa Ryan | +1800 |
Stay tuned for the latest Breeders’ Cup Odds. Check out the World’s major Racetrack entries and don’t forget to Sign-up and get up to a 10% horse rebate. We offer the best promotions
Raise your winning opportunities with our Horse Betting Guide. We have a guide for all levels! Beginners, Intermediate Handicappers!
Follow us on Social Media for Ribblesdale Stakes & Hampton Court Stakes updates!