Friday Royal Ascot tips: Dave Nevison's four best bets

As I mentioned at the start of the meeting, I backed Venetian Sun for the Commonwealth Cup after her latest stroll to victory, and she has shortened up even further during the week. 

Hopefully, she will run a lot better than my other ante-post bet that was virtually pulled up! I am also hopeful of another Karl Burke-trained filly going close at much bigger odds on Friday. Best of luck 

One of my favourite handicaps of the season but I was going dizzy sorting between the Wathnan and Royal runners at the head of the market, so I am looking further down the betting for a couple that have claims at decent prices. 

Insanity goes well at Ascot and I expect another good run here at chunky odds. His trainer, Alan King, landed a Royal Ascot handicap earlier in the week with Daiquiri Bay, and won this race a few years ago with a 33-1 chance, so his runners can’t be discounted. 

The selection looks primed for a good run after a promising second over ten furlongs at Pontefract last time out. He is drawn in stall three here, which may not be idea,l but Rossa Ryan is likely to drop him out, and with a fast pace guaranteed, I am hoping he won’t have to go too wide to get into a challenging position late on. 

Plage De Havre seems to have been forgotten in the market, and is now trading at double-figure odds, which looks too big. 

Andrew Balding’s charge improved throughout the first half of last year, culminating in a very impressive win in the bet365 Old Newton Cup at Haydock. He returned this Spring and improved plenty for his comeback effort when third at York when last seen. 

He showed more than enough there to suggest he can win races off a mark above 100, and he is another that can figure in this. 

There are lots of lightly-raced and progressive fillies in this, but it is difficult to see past the John and Thady Gosden- trained favourite, Seet. 

She is bred to be top-class, being a half-sister to Kalpana who has a big chance in Saturday's Hardwicke Stakes. 

She has improved greatly in each of her three runs, and showed she acts well on fast ground at Doncaster last time out with an impressive win. 

The straight mile suited Seet well there, and with a favourable high draw, and Ryan Moore booked, it is tough to find a negative. Off a rating of 96, I expect her to win here. 

Karl Burke runs three in this ultra-competitive, sprint handicap, and this filly may be the most progressive of them. 

Burke obviously thought quite a bit of this filly and ran her in Group company last season, but she wasn’t up to it. 

However, she may prove up to recording black type this season, and definitely looks to have progressed from two to three, based on her recent York effort, which has proved to be strong form. 

A 3lb rise has been more than compensated by the useful claim of Jack Nicholls, and a draw in stall 16 is manageable.