2023 Royal Ascot tips: Harry Allwood's five best bets

Race:Wolferton Stakes - (5.35pm, Tuesday).

Best odds: 7-1 (general).

This son of Fastnet Rock has always been held in high regard by his powerful connections and produced some strong form prior to disappointing - when sent off at 3-1 - in the 2022 Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas.

The promise he showed during his first couple of seasons in training hinted he was a potential Group One performer in the making - he did finish fourth at the highest level as a two-year-old - but he was sidelined for the best part of a year after his below-par run at the Curragh due to being "quite sick".

However, he quickly put that setback behind him when defeating the classy Homeless Songs on his return to action this year and arguably produced a career-best effort when beaten a neck in the Prix d'Ispahan last time out.

His demeanour as a youngster also suggested he was only going to get better with age, and based upon his two outings this year, that looks to be the case.

A rating of 112 means Buckaroo is the joint highest-rated contender among those left in the Wolferton and I'm quite surprised he is still available at a general 7-1 after Joseph O'Brien confirmed him as an intended runner.

The leading Irish handler, who has been operating at a 19 per cent strike-rate in the past fortnight, has also pinpointed the selection as one of his best chances of the week and he holds strong claims with Oisin Murphy booked to ride.

Race:Duke Of Cambridge Stakes - (3.40pm, Wednesday).

Best odds: 16-1 (general).

A career best will be needed, but at 16-1, Rogue Millennium looks worth chancing each-way here.

With plenty of stamina in her pedigree, it has been no surprise to see Tom Clover's charge campaigned as a middle-distance performer, and she was also victorious in an Oaks Trial on her second start before finishing down the field in last year's Oaks.

She has raced over ten furlongs on each outing since, and put a couple of disappointing efforts behind her when running respectably in defeat on her first two starts this season. However, it is her performance behind Free Wind in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Middleton Fillies' Stakes when last seen that stands out here.

That race was run at a crawl early on (a Finishing Speed Percentage of 114.32% confirms this) and Rogue Millennium was at a disadvantage by racing in last place. According to the Course Track sectionals, she came home the fastest in the final three furlongs plus also clocked the quickest sectionals in F7, F8 and F9 before being outstayed by the winner, who looks a Group One performer, close home.

Those figures suggest stepping down to a mile is at least worth a try as she clearly has plenty of pace, and although the race fell apart last time out, it was still a career-best effort from the daughter of Dubawi who is only rated 3lb inferior to the highest-rated contenders among the Duke Of Cambridge entries.

Fast ground suits and Danny Tudhope, who rode four winners at Royal Ascot last year, is a positive jockey booking.

Race:Royal Hunt Cup - (5.00pm, Wednesday).

Best odds: 16-1 (general).

A Group One winner when trained in France, Intellogent produced some strong handicap form after joining Jane Chapple-Hyam's yard in 2022, including when a narrow second in this race off a rating of 105 behind the well-handicapped Dark Shift.

He proved that effort was no fluke when a close third in the John Smith's Cup on his next start before running below-par at Group level on his final three outings last year.

He's returned in much better form this year, though, as he travelled strongly before fading when looking in need of the run on his seasonal debut plus was a major eyecatcher in a mile handicap at Newbury when last seen.

He produced the highest Finishing Speed Percentage there, despite only hitting top gear inside the final furlong due to multiple traffic problems, and now finds himself on a rating of 104.

The stats are against him as an eight-year-old has never won the Royal Hunt Cup, but I expect this race has been the plan for a while and if he repeats his performance from 12 months ago, then he looks certain to go close off a 1lb lower mark.

Race: Albany Stakes - (2.30pm, Friday).

Best odds: 8-1 (with William Hill).

This youngster must have shown plenty at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale to be purchased for 240,000gns, and she shaped with bundles of promise when an unlucky second on debut in the Group Three Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint Stakes at Naas.

The daughter of Territories broke nicely but was green throughout and steadily lost her place mid-way through the race, with her rider having to urge her along for most of the way. However, once angled out for a challenge, the penny eventually began to drop, and she stormed home inside the final furlong.

She will undoubtedly improve for this effort, and is clearly held in high regard to be pitched into a race of this nature on her first outing.

It looked a useful contest on paper, too, with all of her rivals having the benefit of experience, and the winning time was only half a second slower than what 112-rated The Antarctic clocked in the Group Three for three-year-olds later on the card.

Navassa Island is also a half-sister to Cheveley Park winner (and hopefully this year's Commonwealth Cup winner!) Lezoo, so is certainly bred to be smart, and a natural step forward from this outing should see her be competitive in the Albany Stakes.

Five of Michael O'Callaghan's past 11 runners have finished first or second, and the Irish handler provided a bullish update on his charge on Racing TV this week.

He said: "Navassa Island in the Albany is one we have been looking forward to for a while. We pitched her in at the deep end in a Group Three at Naas and she ran a little bit green through the early and middle parts of the race, and took a while to figure things out, but she flew home and was unlucky not to win first time out. She's very good. She worked at Leopardstown this morning and we were delighted with her. Colin [Keane] will ride her and he rode her this morning. It was his first time sitting on her, and he was delighted. It's a hard place to win, and we have smaller numbers this year, but I said to myself last year we'd only go back when we have a real one, so we're looking forward to running her."

Race: Commonwealth Cup - (3.05pm, Friday).

Best odds: 10-1 (general).

None of Lezoo's closest relations won over a mile, and her dam struggled when upped to a mile, while her sire finished second over a mile but never won over further than seven furlongs, so it was always highly unlikely Ralph Beckett's filly would stay eight furlongs this season.

It is therefore worth ignoring her effort in the QIPCO 1000 Guineas on soft ground at Newmarket and on the form she produced last season, she looks overpriced at the general 10-1 on offer here.

Ralph Beckett's high-class filly was a shade unfortunate not to remain unbeaten last season having suffered interference when second behind Mawj in the Duchess Of Cambridge, and reversed form with that rival in the Cheveley Park on her final outing in 2022.

That form looks strong, with Mawj winning this year's QIPCO 1000 Guineas, and the runner-up, Meditate, finishing second in the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas. Lezoo was also an impressive winner of a Group Three over this course and distance last year.

Whether she has trained on is one question mark she still needs to answer, but she travelled nicely into the race last time out before fading, and was not given a hard time by Frankie Dettori once beaten.

It is wise to expect a much-improved performance from this daughter of Zoustar on her return to sprinting, and her handler has been in fine form this season.