The pick of the prices on Day 2 at Royal Ascot....

Tuesday, 16th June 2026

The pick of the prices on Day 2 at Royal Ascot….

>>>>> Get selections for Day 1 here….

In ATC today….

…. I bring you my best picks in the handicaps on Day 2 at Royal Ascot….

I’m on BLUE RC in the 5.00 – up at 50s & 40s….

…. and I’m on RUMBA NUMBA at 16s & 14s in the 5.35….

That’s the summary….

…. you’ll find all my reasoning below – as per usual….

Oh…. and if you’re looking for the standout place terms on offer – you’ll find them in the Bet Box below….

Read on….

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…. the Royal Hunt Cup – Ascot – 5.00....

Good luck to anybody setting out to find the winner of this cavalry charge….

…. I reckon you could spend all day whittling the field down and still have a shortlist with a dozen (at least) horses on it….

For me it’s about getting a bit of value – I want to back something that ticks boxes and is up at a ‘wrong’ price….

…. and the one I’ve hit on is James Tate’s BLUE RC at 50s & 40s – a price that seems to me to be an overreaction to a single disappointing run last time out at Newbury….

It wasn’t as if he was a no-show that afternoon – he simply didn’t get the rub of the green and was blocked when making his run a furlong from home….

Prior to that he’d looked progressive in good performances on the AW over the winter – and at Newcastle and Thirsk in the spring….

…. giving the impression he’s a horse well-capable of landing one of these big mile handicap pots….

…. and there’s every reason to take an optimistic view and believe he can bounce back and prove much better than his big price tomorrow….

It’s a fool’s errand to try and figure out what part of the track the jockeys will favour….

…. we’ve seen at this meeting before what looks like a stands side bias one afternoon be flipped on its head the next….

Right now, the middle part of the track is the fastest according to going stick readings….

…. but you don’t often see them come up the middle and my feeling is that the stands rail will be the rallying point – as it often is….

Blue RC is situated somewhere close to where you want to be in stall 23….

…. and if he’s coming – expect him to close late under Hector Crouch….

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…. the Kensington Palace – Ascot – 5.35....

All five renewals of this race run to date have been won by an improving 4yo….

…. and I fancy Roger Varian’s RUMBA NUMBA to follow in their footsteps and run a big race tomorrow at a nice price – she’s 16s & 14s generally this morning….

She hadn’t been seen on the track for 300+ days when making a winning return at Doncaster a fortnight back….

…. the victory was a little laboured on the optics….

…. but she was always doing enough under Jack Mitchell – producing a clear career-best on the RPR scale….

…. and I formed the impression she finished the race within herself….

That outing will have teed her up nicely for tomorrow’s assignment….

…. I can’t imagine we’ve seen anything approaching the best of her yet after just five runs….

…. and she’s a strong candidate to step forward from her current mark of just 88….

By Too Darn Hot out of a Galileo mare….

…. she’s going to get a bit further than the mile….

…. and that will play to her advantage up the stiff finish tomorrow….

Her yard’s in seriously good form coming into the Royal meeting….

…. and while there are plenty of rivals you could make a good case for, I think she’s an interesting runner at the prices….

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Now, just to recap….

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That’s all for today….

I’ll be back tomorrow with picks for Day 3 (Thursday).…

Meantime – contact me at – nick.pullen@spapublishinggroup.co.uk

And remember – win, lose or draw – enjoy the racing….

Stay tuned….

Against the Crowd