With Royal Ascot 2019 now at an end, from an antepost point of view it is well worth picking through the results with a fine toothcomb and finding out what the future plans are for many of the runners...

Naturally it pays to focus on the Royal winners going forward, but there are also lots of horses that filled the places that have to be noted too.

The winner of the opening race of Royal Ascot 2019, Lord Glitters will be heading to Goodwood’s Sussex Stakes next.

His trainer, David O’Meara said "We will follow a pretty similar path with him to last year and the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood is probably next up.”

Beat The Bank’s trainer Andrew Balding said "We are keen to try him at a mile and a quarter, so we might look at the Eclipse if he's all right” while Willie Haggas, the trainer of One Master,  suggested they may run in the Foret (Longchamp) again this year.

The Coventry winner Arizona will have a range of options for the rest of the season but the most likely options for him, Threat and Guildsman are the July Stakes and the Richmond Stakes.

King’s Stand and Diamond Jubilee double hero Blue Point will be retiring at the end of this season, but further targets this season are fairly fluid.

Charlie Appleby said: "We will let the dust settle, this was always going to be his last year, win, lose or draw. We'll enjoy this moment and let the horse have a rest - he probably needs it for a couple of weeks."

King’s Stand fourth, Mabs Cross will have a few avenues to go down for the remainder of this season.

Her trainer Michael Dods wrote on his Facebook page: “We were expecting a breakneck pace but we didn’t get it and it’s really a case of the quicker they go, the better it is for her. That’s not the way it panned out so she was going a bit too well during the race and didn’t finish.

"That said, these were the world’s best sprinters and she ran up to her form. We’ve got the Nunthorpe at York to look forward to in August, plus another crack at the Prix de l’Abbaye in France. We also want to try her over six furlongs at some stage and there are races we can look at.”

St James’ Palace scorer Circus Maximus will either go to the Sussex Stakes or the Eclipse according to Aidan O’Brien.

John Gosden said of King Of Comedy and Too Darn Hot: "It's interesting. King Of Comedy will go a mile and a quarter, whereas Too Darn Hot needs an easy mile or seven furlongs. The Sussex Stakes will be his target."

Ian Williams, the trainer of the Ascot Stakes winner The Grand Visir, said of this dual-purpose runner:  “His hurdling career is still open to interpretation.” Given his antics at Aintree, I dare say Williams will be keeping this son of Frankel on the flat.

Wolferton winner Addeybb will be staying at the same trip, with Haggas saying: He'll be going up to Group class but does need this ground and I think he now needs this mile-and-a-quarter trip. “

The Mark Johnston-trained Raffle Prize showed her liking for soft ground by lifting the Queen Mary: “The good thing is she likes the soft, but she will be fine on quick ground as well” said Johnston afterwards.

Queen’s Vase winner Dashing Willoughby could well be heading to the St Leger now. His trainer Andrew Balding said after the victory: "I am delighted he has come good.

"I'm delighted for Mick and Janice (Mariscotti) as they have been loyal supporters for a while. I was pretty hopeful coming into the race. We will work back from the St Leger and sit down and discuss it with them where we go next."

The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is the obvious target for Crystal Ocean, as it is for Magical and Waldgeist, after they finished 1-2-3 in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes.

Willie Haggas was disappointed at himself for letting his Sea Of Class run in the poor conditions but she will remain on target for the Arc in October.

The three horses that followed Move Swiftly home in the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes look like they will all contest the Falmouth Stakes next.

Rawdaa, I Can Fly and Veracious are all quoted in the horse racing betting for the Falmouth while Haggas said of his runner: I think she'll come on for the run, she might get further and there's a few options. She might have to have a go at a Group One now she's won a Group Two. She may go a mile and a quarter, we'll see."

I really wish I’d read Charlie Hill’s website before Royal Ascot, where he posted about Afaak (20/1): “He has two options at Ascot, The Hunt Cup or the Wolferton Handicap, and a decision will be made nearer the time.

"Hopefully in due course he can step up into Listed or Group races.”  Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

Southern Hills, a son of Gleneagles, stormed home under Ryan Moore to land the Windsor Castle Stakes from the Godolphin-owned Platinum Star. Aidan O’Brien said after the race: “I should have thought that five or six furlongs would be his trip, because he’s got so much speed.”

A’Ali may be heading to the Breeders’ Cup after picking up the Norfolk Stakes, with his trainer Simon Crisford not ruling anything out: "I hadn't thought about it being a Breeders' Cup win and you're in - I think the doors are open for everything.

"He will be campaigned as a two-year-old. He's small, he's neat, he's quick and he's tidy."

Sir Michael Stoute has not committed to a future target for the Khalid Abdullah-owned Sangarius after he landed the Hampton Court. Racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe thought it unlikely Sangarius will be stepped up in class for his next start and will be brought along slowly.

John Gosden said of his Ribblesdale scorer, Star Catcher: "On soft ground a mile and a half is far enough, she doesn't want to go any further. We will see how she is and how she comes out of it."

Part two of our Royal Ascot review will conclude next Sunday but in the meantime remember to check out our blog for all the latest horse racing news and tips.

 

*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*

Royal Ascot 2013: Estimate

When Estimate won Royal Ascot's Gold Cup for the Queen, it was the first time a reigning monarch had won the race in its entire history.

In 2012, the Sir Michael Stoute trained Estimate carried her majesty’s silks into the Royal Ascot winners’ enclosure, when scoring in the Queen’s Vase.

A year later, the four-year-old filly stepped into Grade One company for the first time in the Ascot Gold Cup and the rest is history.

Who can forget the Queen’s beaming smile that day? Had she been secretly following horse racing tips at 888sport? It’s an abiding Royal Ascot memory that will always be cherished...

 

Royal Ascot 2012: Frankel

The late Sir Henry Cecil's wonder horse flew to Group One glory in the 2012 Queen Anne Stakes.

Registering his 11th victory from 11 starts, Frankel gave his rivals a sound 11-length beating, and returned home at odds of 1/10. Cecil admitted there had been a lot of pressure.

“It’s a relief (that he has won). Things have to go right and no horse is a certainty. He is a great, great horse and you needn’t ask me about him.

"You have seen him for yourselves, so everyone can form their own opinion. I prepared him as well as I could, and he couldn’t have done any more,” he said.

 

Royal Ascot 1981 & 82: Ardross

In 1981 many thought that Lester Piggott’s best riding days had gone.

27 years on from his first Derby winner, 10 since winning the last of his nine jockey’s championships and now replaced by Pat Eddery at Vincent O’Brien’s, Piggott teamed up with Henry Cecil and all the doubters were silenced as they enjoyed another championship season.

Nothing capped that season off better than Piggott’s sublime skill in the saddle aboard Ardross in the Ascot Gold Cup - Ardross being one of the most gifted stayers ever to grace a racetrack.

Cecil one said of Ardross: “Such a consistent, genuine and hard trying horse with a huge range of trips and very versatile. He almost won the Arc”.

 

Royal Ascot 1929: Brown Jack

Brown Jack, ridden by Steve Donoghue, was the winner of the Ascot Stakes in 1928. The following year at Royal Ascot Brown Jack recorded the first of his six consecutive Queen Alexandra Stakes, the longest race in the Flat racing calendar.

His sequence of victories made him one of the most popular racehorses in the history of horseracing on these shores and he is arguably Royal Ascot’s “greatest equine legend”.

A bronze statue of Brown Jack, sculpted by Sir Alfred Munnings, can be found within the Ascot grounds.

What makes the Brown Jack story even more remarkable is that he started his career as a hurdler and even won the Champion Hurdle as a four-year-old before switching to the flat code.

 

Royal Ascot 2012: Black Caviar

The fact that the Australian wonder mare had travelled thousands of miles across the globe to line up at the Royal Ascot meeting made the Diamond Jubilee Stakes the most eagerly anticipated race of the week.

All was going swimmingly for the 1/6 favourite as she coasted into a two-length lead a furlong out, before her jockey Luke Nolen inexplicably eased up near the winning post and she was almost nabbed on the line.

Black Caviar retired as one of the most famous horses in the world, clocking up an impressive run of 25 consecutive wins.

Sadly Australian entries at Royal Ascot have been on the decline with the King's Stand Stakes outsider Houtzen being the only runner set to represent the country, which won the King's Stand four times between 2003-09.

 

Royal Ascot 1953: Choir Boy

The Queen enjoyed her first ever win as the reigning monarch in 1953 when her horse Choir Boy won the Royal Hunt Cup.

The victory took place just a few weeks after the Queen’s coronation, which undoubtedly was a great start to the monarch’s Royal Ascot patronage.

The Doug Smith ridden horse won in fine style, pulling away from the field and sending the assembled crowd into rapturous applause.

 

Royal Ascot 2003: Choisir

Choisir was the first Australian-trained horse to win in Britain and achieved the remarkable feat of winning both the King’s Stand Stakes and the Golden Jubilee Stakes in the same Royal Ascot week – that’s one for the betting calculator if you did the double?

A Group One-winning sprinter in Australia, the Paul Perry-trained Choisir was sent off an unfancied 25/1 shot in the King’s Stand Stakes, but his connections quietly rated their chances.

Shannon Perry, assistant to his father Paul, said: “He’s a monster of a horse – like a brahma bull – and Johnny Murtagh will feel the power. I expect him to be hard to catch”.

The son of Danehill Dancer led wire-to-wire and was described by Murtagh as a “monster” following their success.

 

Royal Ascot 1990: Fox Chapel

Fox Chapel goes down in the history books as being the biggest priced outsider to win at the Royal meeting.

On rain softened ground, jockey Gary Hind bounced his mount out of stall seven, stole a march on the rest of the field, and ploughed a lone straight furrow to the line, never eyeballing a rival and coming home at odds of 100/1.

Prior to his Royal Ascot exploits, Fox Chapel, who was trained by Richard Hannon, had won a three-runner maiden at Salisbury over 6f at the age of two, but did diddly squat in three subsequent outings, going on to prove that nothing is impossible at Royal Ascot.

 

Royal Ascot 2019: Winners?

We cannot guarantee you any 100/1 winners, but we did offer you seven horses to watch out for at Royal Ascot the other day.

One of them is now sadly a non-runner, but the remaining six are a real mixture of prices and they may interest you over the course of the Royal Ascot meeting.

 

*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*

It may be the final day of the five-day Royal Ascot meeting but for many people Saturday will be the first chance that some punters have had to watch the action live on their TV screens.

With six fantastic races taking place throughout the course of the afternoon it makes perfect sense for us to mark your card and hopefully bring you a few winners. Here are all the latest tips and horse racing news for the final day of Royal Ascot 2019...

 

2:30pm - Chesham Stakes (7f)

Trainer Charlie Appleby can get the day off to the flyer with Pinatubo (nap). He is currently two from two and it was his class that got him home at Epsom on a track he clearly did not enjoy.

He is bred out of a daughter of Dalakhani and should enjoy the step up in trip. He looks like a value pick against the favourite Lope Y Fernandez.

Lope Y Fernandez looked good when winning his maiden at the Curragh and stayed out the seven-furlong trip well. He is sure to be on the premises in this.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Harpocrates will not have to worry about running into Siskin again here and looks a live contender at a double-figure price.

 

3:05pm - Jersey Stakes (7f)

I Am Superman (e/w nap) looks a little overpriced in the Royal Ascot 2019 betting for this race considering his decent showing in the Irish 2,000 Guineas last time.

The son of Footstepsinthesand finished upsides Magna Grecia in that contest and should be suited by a fast seven furlongs.

The Godolphin-owned Space Blues was a winner of a soft-ground maiden at Nottingham on his sole two-year-old outing, but has come to the boil nicely in this his three-year-old season. He notably won a listed race with plenty in hand at Epsom last time.

The Richard Hannon-trained Urban Icon is also a very good horse. He was very unlucky last time in the Surrey Stakes on Oaks day and he should remain competitive.

 

3:40pm - Hardwicke Stakes (1m 3f)

Masar has not been seen in competitive action since landing the Derby last June, but has had this fixture marked out as his comeback target for some time. He acts on any going ranging from good to firm to good to soft, so could easily give a good account of himself.

Defoe bids to follow up his victory in the Coronation Cup at Epsom with a tilt at this and now that he has earned his place at the top table he might just get the taste for it.

Mirage Dancer (nap) is stepping up in class for Sir Michael Stoute after comfortably winning a listed race last time out but there is every reason to believe that the Frankel-colt will come on bundles for that victory. Given Stoute’s form this week you wouldn’t bet against it.

Southern France will understandably be a very popular pick given his proximity to Stradivarius in the Yorkshire Cup at York and we all know what that one achieved the other day.

Classy middle-distance performer Salouen really deserves a race of this nature and is nearly always forecast and tricast material.

 

4:20pm - Diamond Jubilee Stakes (6f)

The Charlie Appleby-trained Blue Point is bidding to become the first horse since Choisir in 2003 to win both the King’s Stand and the Diamond Jubilee in the same week.

The popular Godolphin-owned speedster defended his King’s Stand crown with a top notch performance, fending off Battaash on the opening day of the Royal meeting. Blue Point has won 10 of his 19 career starts and is undefeated in his last four.

Invincible Army (nap), a winner at Doncaster and York already this season looks like being one of the chief dangers to Blue Point’s sprint double bid.

The James Tate-trained four-year-old has taken the listed Cammidge Stakes and the Group 2 Duke Of York Clipper Logistics Stakes with consummate ease already this term and is certainly a horse that is riding the crest of a wave.

James Fanshawe’s The Tin Man took this sprint back in 2017, before a finishing fourth in it last summer. The Tin Man’s whole season revolves around this race and the later Champion’s Day Sprint and Fanshawe will surely have him firing on all cylinders this Saturday.

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained Dream Of Dreams got the better of The Tin Man at Windsor last time and should not be underestimated.

 

5:00pm - Wokingham Handicap (6f)

It’s a 28-runner conundrum for Royal Ascot’s penultimate race of the week but there are plenty of juicy each-way prices to be had on the betting sites.

Cenotaph (e/w nap) will be Jeremy Noseda’s final runner as a trainer and what a way it would be to sign off should he win. Noseda would gain a second Wokingham success, nine years on from the victory of the heavily-backed favourite Laddies Poker Two.

Cape Byron travelled well when landing the Victoria Cup and is one of those most likely to be in the mix at the end. He would be a welcome winner for Roger Varian and Andrea Atzeni given their rather indifferent week.

Gunmetal is a horse that I saw win the Great St Wilfrid Handicap at Ripon last August and he appears to be just bubbling under this season. His last run at the Dante meeting was eye-catching and I would not be surprised to see him run a big race here.

 

5:35pm - Queen Alexandra Stakes (2m 5f)

The final race of the meeting is a veritable who’s who of jumps horses in the main, and I’m pretty sure that the prize will go to one of the National Hunt trainers here.

Max Dynamite (nap) can be the pick-me-up tonic that Willie Mullins needs this week and he will be primed and ready to do battle after a bit of a break away from racing.

Black Corton, who was last seen winning Sandown's Grade Two Oaksey Chase on the final day of the National Hunt season at the end of April, lines up for Paul Nicholls and is ridden by his daughter Megan.  This race is being used as a prep race for a trip over to Galway.

Gordon Elliott, who has twice sent out the winner of the Queen Alexandra Stakes with Commissioned in 2016 and Pallasator a year ago, sends out the latter once again to defend his title.

 

*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*

Baseball is a sport with a rich and long history. The first ever Major League Baseball game was played in 1871, and since then there have been controversies, dynasties and some truly exceptional ballplayers.

888sport is the home of baseball news, betting tips and MLB odds. This article takes a look at the greatest players ever, including Hall of Famers, should-be Hall of Famers and someone who is still active, but on the right trajectory to be perhaps the greatest ever...

 

Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth is an icon of sport. The Great Bambino started as a pitcher for the Red Sox before joining the arch-rival New York Yankees in 1920.

Ruth changed the game as a hitter, lifting baseball from the dead ball era as he led the American League in homers in 12 straight seasons and won seven World Series titles along the way.

Finishing with 714 home runs, and a legacy like few other in the history of sport, Ruth was always a lock for this list. A few have made a claim since, but there always has been, and always will be, a compelling argument for Ruth as the greatest to ever play the game.

Barry Bonds

Bonds is yet to be elected to the Hall of Fame. There’s no arguing with what he achieved, however, holding the all-time home run record, most career walks and the most intentional walks at a frankly hilarious 688.

Winning seven MVPs, Bonds was as dominant as any ballplayer has ever been. The controversy of the PED era has harmed his legacy, but Bonds’ career should not be whitewashed from baseball history.

Whatever offensive metric you pick, Bonds is up there with Ruth and Mays – you can put qualifiers on his achievements and his numbers, but he belongs in that group and the discussion with the iconic names in baseball history.

 

Willie Mays

The ‘Say Hey Kid’, Willie Mays shares the record for most All-Star games with 24. His 660 home runs are fifth on the all-time list, and he is considered the finest five-tool player to have played the game.

Not just a power hitter, he boasted a career average above .300, exceptional speed and was a remarkable defender in centre field. Mays only won the one World Series title, but there’s no doubting his place at the top table.

We may never see a career like Mays’ again, and like Bonds and Ruth, he’s got a very good argument as the greatest.

 

Roger Clemens

Like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens is yet to be named to the Hall of Fame and may never be. That’s not what we’re here to talk about, though. This is about the greatest to play the game, and controversy or not, Clemens ranks right up with the best to take the mound.

His numbers speak for themselves. Along with two Triple Crowns, an MVP and seven Cy Young awards, Clemens ranks eighth all-time in Baseball Reference’s version of WAR.

A career ERA of 3.12 is mightily impressive, and even more so when he pairs that with the longevity of a 24-year Major League career.

Ted Williams

Despite being interrupted by mandatory military service, Ted Williams constructed a monumental career, including 19 All-Star appearances, two MVPs and two Triple Crowns.

He batted .406 in 1941 and remains the last player to bat above .400 for the entirety of an MLB season. His career OPS+ of 190 is second only to Babe Ruth, and he would be a member of the 3000-hit club had he not missed three prime years of his career.

Williams wanted people to regard him as ‘the greatest hitter who ever lived’, and he did a pretty good job of that. 888sport is one of the leading baseball betting sites and offer Williams’ Red Sox at 16/1 to win the World Series.

 

Rickey Henderson

Rickey Henderson is regarded as the greatest baserunner and leadoff hitter in MLB history. No one comes close to his 1406 career stolen base tally, and when paired with a brilliant eye and a fair bit of pop, he slugged .419 for his career. Henderson was a truly special talent.

The unique skillset and career that spanned from 1979 to 2003 earned Henderson first ballot entry into the Hall of Fame, and rightly so.

Above his sporting talents, Henderson was admired and adored for his love of baseball and uplifting personality, making him an entertainer on and off the diamond.

 

Mike Trout

Mike Trout is the only active player on this list, which is an achievement in itself. It is all the more remarkable when you remind yourself he’s only 27 years old and continues to improve.

Trout has finished in the top two in MVP voting every full season he has played, and the general trend is of improvement across the board. There are some special five-tool players on this list, and Trout is one of them.

Underrated in a struggling Angels team, the New Jersey born centre fielder is already a lock for Cooperstown (providing he plays 10 years) and could surpass some of the other names in this article by the time he retires. Trout’s 176 career OPS+ is fifth all-time.

With only two MVP awards to his name, Trout is always a favourite to add another in 888sport’s online MLB betting odds.

Nolan Ryan

Texas native Nolan Ryan was a pitcher like no other. His stuff was special, pairing a red-hot fastball with a nasty curve, and he broke countless records as a result, striking batters out at a prolific rate and walking them almost as often.

Despite a tendency to hand out the free pass, Ryan was immensely successful, pitching in 27 Major League seasons. No other pitcher has thrown more than four no-hitters. Ryan threw seven.

He is tied with Bob Feller for the most one-hitters with 12. A 98.8% first ballot Hall of Famer, Ryan’s records may well never be beaten.

 

Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle had a career, like so many great athletes, that was plagued by injuries. He suffered, often playing through pain, caused by osteomyelitis, yet he left a legacy in Major League Baseball that earns him a spot in the Hall of Fame’s inner circle.

The Mick was a 20-time All-Star, a three-time MVP and won seven World Series, playing on several dominant New York Yankees teams alongside fellow Cooperstown inductees Yogi Berra, Enos Slaughter and Whitey Ford.

Mantle ranks seventh all-time in OPS+, and the second best ever for a centre fielder, only bettered by current superstar Mike Trout.

 

Cy Young

Only The Babe and Walter Johnson have more bWAR than Cy Young. The righty, whose career ran from 1890 to 1911, is the all-time leader in games started, complete games and innings pitched.

The award for the best pitcher in each league is named after him. It was a different time – we’re talking about well over 100 years ago – but his career is the stuff of baseball legend.

History is a major part of baseball, it is a sport that prides itself on tradition and it’s longevity, and few players are significant in the game’s story as Cy Young.

 

*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*