Published 9.00, 9.06 & 9.11 - all selections online
With the going at Windsor currently described as good to soft, good in places and a further 5-6mm forecast at the time of writing, I’m hoping that conditions will be soft enough for WOOLISLE to reproduce her recent Haydock soft-ground effort, in which case she’ll be hard to beat in the opener over 6f (5.04).
She’s clearly well suited by plenty of give in the ground, having improved significantly when running two big races in the mud at Nottingham towards the end of last season.
She was extremely weak in the market prior to her reappearance at Haydock, but ran a big race, pulling a long way clear with a big improver.
There’s not much between her and third-placed From The Hip in the betting at the time of writing, perhaps as a result of the subsequent win for Daizen, who like From The Hip raced on the far side of the track at Haydock. However, I thought Daizen made his move a bit too soon that day, and there was a big gap between the first two home and the remainder.
A 2lb rise looks on the lenient side for Woolisle, enabling her to remain in this 0-75 grade, and with a good 5lb claimer on board, she should go well, especially if there is further easing of the ground.
The other one to consider is Flying Squad, who had no chance from his track position at Kempton last time and appeals as the type to show significant improvement for a stable with an excellent record with handicap debutants. The concern with him is that he’s by Dark Angel and might not want the ground to be too soft, and as he’s favourite at the time of writing, I’d rather side with the proven soft-ground handicap form of Woolisle.
MARCHING MAC is 3lb out of the handicap in the 5f handicap at Windsor (7.39), but the ground is usually key to his chance and if it rides soft this evening he might not be out of things.
He has a formidable record when the ground is testing, his form figures when Timeform have adjudged the ground to be soft or heavy reading 32112112.
With rain around this morning on ground already described as good to soft, good in places, it’s hard to know at this stage whether conditions will be testing enough for him, but having run creditably on ground that wasn’t testing enough for him at Chepstow last time, he looks worth chancing at reasonable odds.
DIAMOND ALI’s best run to date came on the only time he has encountered a soft surface, and he might have conditions in his favour in the closing 1m handicap at Windsor (8.39).
He finished strongly into second in a 7f nursery at Leicester in October, leaving the impression he would be even better over 1m on a similar surface.
He was below form in two subsequent all-weather starts but ran creditably on the wrong part of the track at Leicester on his seasonal appearance in April.
It’s possible that connections have been waiting for give in the ground since then, and with the stable going well, he looks interesting off his lowly mark.
HUGH'S BEST BETS (scale 1-5 points)
5.04 WINDSOR
1pt win WOOLISLE (9-2 & 4-1 general)
7.39 WINDSOR
1pt win MARCHING MAC (11-1 bet365, Ladbrokes, 10-1 Coral, William Hill, 9-1 & 17-2 general)
8.39 WINDSOR
1pt win DIAMOND ALI (10-1 & 9-1 general)
Published 10.06 - 04/06
The first thing that has to be said about backing SENORITA BONITA for the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot is that both Simon Crisford and racing manager Chris Wall commented after her impressive win at Nottingham yesterday that the Albany Stakes was also an option, but in my view the Queen Mary is the more logical route, and as she’s available at what I consider bigger odds than she should be for the 5f race, it looks a chance worth taking backing her ante-post.
She found herself in far from an ideal position at Nottingham after a slowish start, soon pushed out onto a wing, and then had to be switched round a couple of rivals to make her challenge.
The manner in which she picked up under a hands-and-heels ride once in the clear was really impressive, showing a turn of foot which suggests she would be thoroughly effective if kept to this trip at Royal Ascot.
My initial interpretation of the times is a very positive one and to my mind the Queen Mary is the logical destination for her. The Albany Stakes is already looking a strong renewal, with Aidan O’Brien having two very likely-looking candidates for that race (acknowledging one of them could be re-routed), whereas the Queen Mary favourite is Wild Blossom, who was visually impressive when winning a four-runner race on soft ground at Carlisle by a wide margin but recorded a slower time than that of the 62-rated seven-year-old who won the following race over the same distance.
If Senorita Bonita turns up in the Queen Mary I think there’s a good chance she will start at less than half her current odds, so she looks worth chancing now in the hope that that is where connections decide to run her.
HUGH'S BEST BETS (scale 1-5 points)
QUEEN MARY STAKES, ROYAL ASCOT, WEDNESDAY 17 JUNE
1pt win SENORITA BONITA (13-2 bet365, 6-1 Betfair Sportsbook, Paddy Power, Sky Bet, William Hill, 5-1 Unibet)
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Important Note: The prices quoted in Hugh's column are those available at the time of publication (see top of article for exact times). These are checked both by Hugh and the person uploading the column. Readers should be aware that one of the main aims of this column is to demonstrate how Hugh uses his methodology to identify horses that are value at the time of publication. Hugh’s tipping record (including profit & loss and return on investment) is published for the purposes of transparency and to demonstrate how selections have performed at the prices available at the time of publication. Readers should be aware that accepting shorter odds than those quoted will result in lower returns. There is no guarantee that the prices quoted by Hugh in his column will continue to be available after publication, because the bookmakers are aware of Hugh’s record over a very long period and tend to cut the odds very quickly once the column is published.
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2026 results
2025 results ROI 1.34 +170 pts
2024 results ROI 1.05 +33.55 pts
2023 results ROI 1.27 +190 pts
2022 results ROI 1.12 +86 pts
2021 results ROI 1.40 +281 pts
2020 results ROI 1.13 +66.37pts
2019 results ROI 1.16 +101.38pts
2018 results ROI 1.55 +345pts
2017 results ROI 1.46 +282pts
2016 results ROI 1.44 +281pts
2015 results ROI 1.34 +207pts
2014 results ROI 1.32 +199.79pts
2013 results ROI 1.32 +210pts
2012 results ROI 1.31 +222.65pts
2011 results ROI 1.28 +302.64 pts
2010 results ROI 1.23 +324.79 pts
2009 results ROI 1.26 +500.36 pts
