Five horses to follow across York and Ascot on Saturday

Best odds: 4-1.

Tipster: Page Fuller and Alex Scott (watch Alex's reasoning below).

Page Fuller says: Ascot’s King George will attract plenty of the headlines today, but I prefer the look of a couple of contests on the supporting card when it comes to finding pointers from the RaceiQ data.

The Group Three Princess Margaret Stakes (1.40) looks an interesting affair and I expect the George Scott-trained Staya to relish this step up to six furlongs.

She is not short of speed, and the Top Speed of 43.74 mph that she recorded when winning at Yarmouth on debut is faster than any of her rivals have recorded so far. Considering how green she has looked in her two starts since, it is to her credit that she registered such a good time that day. Our Time Index rated it a 9.4 out of 10, which is most impressive on debut.

Her potential Achilles heel seems so far to be her speed from the stalls. She was the 19th fastest from the stalls when only beaten less than a couple of lengths in the Queen Mary at Ascot, and her slow start of 2.67 seconds to 20mph at Sandown last time nearly cost her success.

Less emphasis will be placed on early speed over a stiff six furlongs at Ascot, so her slowness from the stalls should prove less of a hindrance and the way that she hit the line at Sandown over a stiff five furlongs suggests that this step up in trip will suit her perfectly, - she can make better use of her tactical speed, without so much pressure on her in the opening strides to keep up with her rivals.

Best odds: 7-1 (advised at 14-1 ante-post).

Tipster: Harry Allwood.

This four-year-old has undergone two wind ops during his ten-race career and improved rapidly after the first one last year when scoring twice, including in a 0-95 handicap over five furlongs at this track off a rating of 90. 

That form has been franked multiple times since, with the third winning his next two starts, including at Royal Ascot, and Jubilee Walk was well on top at the finish. 

Things didn’t go to plan for the selection in the Palace Of Holyrood House Stakes at Royal Ascot next time out (when sent off favourite), and he wasn’t seen to best effect there, but finished second in his group, won by July Cup winner No Half Measures, that raced on the far side and away from where the race unfolded. 

I’m also not convinced he relishes good to firm ground (he was declared a non-runner at Newmarket in June due to a quick surface) and appears best suited with some give underfoot.

Conditions were described as good to soft on Friday, so the ground looks set to be ideal for James Ferguson's charge who disappointed during a campaign in Bahrain over the winter. Connections opted to give him another wind op ahead of his return this season (he was also gelded), and he caught the eye when a never-nearer third at Chester in June over this trip where he was drawn wide plus raced keenly before faring best of those held up.

He was not given the hardest time under pressure, and the RaceiQ data shows he finished the race off faster than the front pair inside the final two furlongs. That outing looked needed, and his market support beforehand hinted he was showing the right signs at home.

He remains on a rating of 92, and on the form of his York win last year, he should be capable of going close here now he's had a pipe-opener.

Best odds: 14-1.

Tipster: Dave Nevison. 

This is one of the most competitive handicaps of the year, and I am happy to have a couple of stabs at it, especially with bookies paying six places. 

Ed Bethell’s Yorkshire is my main fancy, and to my mind, has looked one for a big handicap for a while. He performed well at Royal Ascot to finish sixth in the Buckingham Palace Stakes, and could have got even closer had he not suffered traffic problems.

The handicapper has relented slightly dropping him a pound for that run, which could well be significant in an extremely tight heat. Bethell's string are in form, and if that last run can be regarded as a sighter for this, I will be disappointed if Yorkshire doesn’t figure here. 

Best odds: 16-1.

Tipster: Martin Dixon.

Low to middle draws have been an advantage over sprint trips at York this year, and with much of the pace in this contest among the lower numbers, I expect that to be where the race develops. That looks a big plus point for Bayraat, who was a close-up third in this contest last year, looking unfortunate to not win having endured a troubled run through. 

He’s a pound out of the weights here but is well treated on that form from last season (runs off a lower mark here) and his two runs this season, most notably his reappearance at Redcar when having to loop the field on the unflavoured part of the track, suggest he retains all of his ability. He's my nap of the day on Saturday.

Best odds: 7-1.

Tipster: Alex Scott.