Charlie McCann’s Horse Racing Tips For Tuesday, 16 June - Royal Ascot
Charlie heads to Royal Ascot on Tuesday for his best bet
It's a busy day of racing action in the UK and Ireland, and Charlie McCann is here with his exclusive free horse racing tips - only at FreeBets.com.
Day one of Royal Ascot will be run on ground described as a mix of good to firm and good ground. A dry week is forecast with temperatures rising in the second half of the week.
2:30pm Royal Ascot - Opera Ballo
The opening Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes over the straight mile is one of the races of the meeting. Notable Speech has been beaten at this meeting for the last couple of seasons – losing his unbeaten record in the St James's Palace Stakes in 2024 on the round mile – pulled too hard - before failing to get home in a slowly run race behind Docklands last year.
He was an unlucky loser at Keeneland – flew home when in the clear on his penultimate start – before looking better than ever when landing the Lockinge by 2l at Newbury last month. There is just a nagging doubt, however, that this stiff uphill finish taxes his stamina. He will be travelling best two out, and his class might see him home, but he is reluctantly overlooked. He is drawn out on the far wing in stall one.
More Thunder pulled hard and ran an eye-catching race when second to Notable Speech in the Lockinge on his first start at a mile. A winner over ten furlongs when trained by Sir Michael Stoute – raced exclusively at nine and ten furlongs in his five starts for the yard – he was dropped back in distance, winning four races at six and seven furlongs last term for William Haggas, including at Group 2 level.
He has two lengths to find with Notable Speech on Lockinge form, but that was his seasonal debut, and he is posted out on the other wing to the market leader in stall nine. The draw is a concern, and the vote goes to another Charlie Appleby-trained runner.
OPERA BALLO has won seven of nine starts, and he ran a personal best when making all in the Group 2 bet365 Mile at Sandown in April. William Buick has chosen Notable Speech – it would have been hard to get off a multiple Group 1 winner – and it will be fascinating to see if Billy Loughnane goes forward on his mount, who has won over further.
He is drawn in seven, and he beat Zeus Olympios further at Sandown than Notable Speech beat him at Newbury. The runner-up - Field Of Gold - was reported to have bled at Sandown, which some suggest devalues the form, but I was hugely impressed with the four-year-old at the Esher track, and he gets a narrow vote in a tremendous start to the meeting.
Recommendation: Opera Ballo - 7/2 with bet365
I was originally kicking myself for not backing Bow Echo for the St James's Palace Stakes antepost as he is now a shade of odds on.
He is drawn on the inside in stall one with Gstaad on his outside in two, and tactics look sure to play a part with the possibility that Billy Loughnane will be crying out for room if he keeps to the inside in the home straight.
The alternative is that he loses ground coming wide.
A fascinating race, but one best watched for me.
5:00pm Royal Ascot - Putyurhandstogether & Bunting
Reaching High is owned by His Majesty the King and has not seen the track since a beaten market leader (11/4) in the corresponding 2m4f Ascot Stakes twelve months ago, when he met traffic problems in a slowly run race but finished full of running.
He was drawn in stall one last year and again has a favourable draw in eight this afternoon. He had had a prep run in 2025, but connections – likely to protect what they perceive as a favourable mark – have decided against a run this year. Ryan Moore will want redemption, but you need a bit of luck in running, and at 9/4 he is short enough in a 20-runner handicap.
My two against the field are another couple of Irish challengers, PUTYURHANDSTOGETHER and BUNTING, a stablemate of the market leader.
Putyurhandstogether won the 2m1f Irish Cesarewitch last year and was surprisingly backed into 9/2 favourite in the Chester Cup last time, despite being drawn out in the Silver Ring in stall seventeen. Billy Loughnane was in the plate – stable jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle rode the winner stablemate A Piece Of Heaven – and had to take his medicine by taking the JP McManus-owned gelding to the back of the field, where he sat for the best part of two miles.
In the circumstances, he ran an excellent race to finish seventh, and Loughane was not hard on the five-year-old when it was apparent he had no chance of reaching the leaders. The outstanding Joseph O'Brien fits the selection with cheekpieces for the first time, McMonagle returns to the plate, and he has an excellent draw in stall five.
He was not exactly flying home at Chester, and this is a much stiffer test of stamina, but if last year's Fred Winter Hurdle winner stays this marathon trip, he will be tough to beat.
Bunting – stablemate of Reaching High - has never quite fulfilled his potential but has run well in defeat on numerous occasions, and his shrewd connections have booked talented 7lbs claimer Harry Vigors. The six-year-old was beaten more than 3l when third to Beylerbeyi in the 2m2f Cesarewitch back in the autumn, but he is 13lbs better off – if you include his jockey's claim – with the winner, who would have been my third pick and is considered the best of the home challenge.
Recommendations: Putyurhandstogether 15/2 with William Hill & Bunting - 12/1 with bet365
5:35pm Royal Ascot - Ghostwriter (Each-Way) (Nap)
Last year's 1-2-3-4 in the Wolferton are back for more, and the winner Haatem has a plum draw in stall two, although I would have been keen on the chance of Galen, who had a 5lbs penalty twelve months ago, were it not for his draw in stall fifteen (came out of ten last season). This is a slightly stronger renewal than twelve months ago, and I have looked elsewhere.
In the last decade, winners have come out of stalls 12, 11 and 12, but also 5, 5, 6, 5, 5, 8 & 5, and I prefer a low stall (but not too low?) over ten furlongs at Ascot. Haatem (9) is much respected, but I am sweet on the chances of the five-year-old entire GHOSTWRITER (Each-Way) (Nap), and he gets the vote having his first start since finishing third in the Hardwicke Stakes at this meeting twelve months ago.
The selection was bought by Amo Racing for £2m on the eve of Royal Ascot – trained by Clive Cox at the time – and is having his first start for Kevin Philippart De Foy, who could certainly do with a winner, given he has gone twenty-two runners and thirty days since last striking gold. His boss would not be the most patient or tolerant man in the world.
Ghostwriter has gone well fresh in the past, but will want a decent gallop to chase. He looked like he would fall out the back in the 12f Hardwicke last year, but rallied to finish third behind two genuine Group 1 rivals.
This represents a drop in class, but I am worried about a lack of pace in the race. I would like to think David Egan might be contemplating making all if there is not a strong gallop. If not, I can see him pulling his chance away.
That said, I believe that he is the best horse in the race, and I thought 9/1 was too big each-way, down in listed company.
Recommendation: Ghostwriter (Each-Way) (Nap) - 9/1 with William Hill (4 places)
6:10pm Royal Ascot - Sing Us A Song (Each-Way)
Valiancy has been all the rage in the market since his fluent Hamilton success on his reappearance from an 8lbs lower mark. He only won by a length-and-a-quarter, but he was well on top at the line, having met trouble in running, on the fastest ground he has encountered. He is the choice of James Doyle from the three Wathnan-owned runners in the field.
I have no doubt he is a Pattern race performer, but he is 2/1 in a 16-runner handicap and is drawn wide in stall fourteen. Note the first right-hand bend comes very quickly over 1m6f, and I just favour SING US A SONG (Each-Way), who steps up to 14f having been no match for the impressive Klassleader at York over two furlongs shorter on his reappearance last month.
He has been nudged up 2lbs for the run, but he had the third Plage De Havre two-and-a-half lengths behind in third, and he has a better draw than the favourite in what will be stall six if the first reserve Too Soon does not get into the race.
This will be the fastest ground the selection has encountered since last year's King George V Stakes, when he was slowly away and pulled too hard. In an ideal world, conditions would be slower, but he has been more amenable to restraint since gelding after Goodwood last year, and he gets the ew vote with James McDonald taking the ride.
Recommendation: Sing Us A Song (Each-Way) - 17/2 with bet365 (5 places)
*Betting odds correct at the time of publication. All odds are subject to changes.
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