Royal Ascot ante-post tips: take on these three favourites

Charlie Appleby has a strong hand in the opening race of the meeting with Notable Speech and Opera Ballo heading the market, but it is the latter, currently priced at 4-1, who can land the spoils.

The son of Ghaiyyath has been brought along steadily and arrives at Ascot fresh from a devastating performance at Sandown in the bet365 Mile where he ran out a hugely impressive three-length winner over Field Of Gold, all whilst carrying a 5lb penalty for his win in the Group One Jebel Hatta.

Rated 125, he is the top-rated runner in the race and if he starts as well as last time (just 2.21 seconds to reach 20mph), he could just be hard to get past. The stiff finish should at Ascot should also suit.

Bow Echo was a devastating winner of the Betfred 2000 Guineas, but Group One-winning juvenile Gstaad is capable of reversing form at Ascot.

Aidan O'Brien's colts that have ran in the season's opening Classic have invariably improved for their run in recent years and that was evident again this season when Gstaad ran a fine race at Newmarket to finish second, but then bolted up to win the Irish equivalent by three lengths.

He is already a winner at the track, albeit on the straight course over six furlongs, and may well take another step forward. Drawn away from Bow Echo last time, he may have finished closer had he had him alongside, and he edged right-handed in the closing stages which also did little to help his cause.

I'm pretty certain he wasn't as fit and ready as the winner on the Rowley Mile and with last month's impressive win in Ireland now under his belt, he is worth siding with at 9-4.

Roger Varian’s son of Frankel can be backed at 4-1 for the Thursday showpiece and looks a shade of value at those odds.

The progressive stayer was a model of consistency last year, only winning once, but finishing in the frame in five of his six other starts, finishing second on four occasions. His best bit of form came when running Scandinavia to a neck in the Betfred St Leger in September. In comparison, Aidan O’Brien’s charge is as short as 5-4 for the Gold Cup.

That Classic assignment came just six months after his debut and was his first foray into Group One company on ground softer than ideal - there is every chance he can improve again this season and bridge that gap to the Ballydoyle favourite.

His reappearance effort at York again suggested he should relish this marathon trip and with last year’s winner Trawlerman still yet to race this season, Rahiebb looks a solid choice.