Saturday tips: Royal Ascot and Newmarket picks from Katie Midwinter

The juvenile contests have provided plenty of shock winners so far during the Royal meeting and it may be worth sticking with an unexposed type that is overlooked in the market. 

Brian fits that profile and he was an eyecatcher when fourth on debut, flashing home late, before finishing a neck second to Coventry fourth Cool Hoof Luke in a maiden at Chelmsford City. 

That form has been franked, and there should be plenty more to come from the Shaman colt, who appears to be improving with each run and learning with experiencefor trainer Sylvester Kirk.

Aidan O’Brien’s reliable colt enjoyed a fruitful campaign last term that included a Classic win in the St Leger plus a Great Voltigeur Stakes victory on the Knavesmire. He finished an excellent fifth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe when last seen, despite failing to get the clearest of runs in the straight. 

Having gone well fresh in the past plus his excellent second to over course-and-distance at the meeting last year, he holds leading claims down in class and should take all the beating.

Many A Star has been performing consistently well since making the switch to the yard. 

He remains on a mark of 88, having finished second in his previous two runs, but his hefty burden of 10st is eased by the 3lb claim of jockey William Carver. 

The trip and quick conditions should suit here and the seven-year-old should return to the winners’ enclosure soon.

Desperately unlucky in the closing stages of last year’s renewal, Run For Oscar could be due Ascot redemption and he has the ability to go two places better than his third twelve months ago. 

He struggled to find space when closed in on the rail turning in and could only manage to find a gap once the eventual winner, the returning Dawn Rising, had kicked for home. It was too late for the Charles Byrnes-trained gelding to really make his mark on the race, but he appeared still full of running and coped with the faster conditions, suggesting another bold bid is in the offing.