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Enjoy the perfect companion to the opening day of Royal Ascot with a free sample of The Edge, written today by Harry Wilson and usually available exclusively for Racing Post+ subscribers.

The Edge is an essential daily form study guide available as part of the Racing Post+ Ultimate package, designed to speed up the process of punters by delivering choice insights to their inbox, and the Racing Post website, every morning at 8am.

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Good morning everyone and welcome to The Edge on Tuesday, June 16 with Harry Wilson.

For the dedicated bettor, The Edge typically marks the start of the day's analysis. While you may have scanned the cards the previous evening, the most valuable insights have largely yet to surface at 8am on the day of racing.

That is slightly different on the opening day of Royal Ascot. Yes, the juvenile division may still be working itself out and the big-field three-year-old only handicaps may contain a lot of unknowns, but we'll see a lot of familiar faces today and the four days that follow in the other divisions, many of whom we have already made up our minds about way in advance.

The purpose of The Edge is to streamline your form study process, while keeping in place the most important part: your own judgement. There is always the chance of some cross-contamination with our opinions, but we are not a tipping service and will never claim to be – we are simply like-minded individuals sharing knowledge on the day's racing.

Hardcore readers need not worry, as we all know that a winner is a winner no matter the venue, so we will still provide the angles that matter – objective going analysis, trainer and jockey form with statistical heft, and the last-time-out runs the market has not factored in – for the meetings from Stratford, Thirsk, Beverley and Wolverhampton.

Without further ado, let's crack on with the angles.

First time here? Check out this companion piece to get the very best from our expert-curated angles.

Royal Ascot going assessment

Official going description: Good to firm, good in places
GoingStick readings: Stands' side: 8.6; centre: 8.6; far side: 8.3; round: 7.6
Forecast: Dry

Projected going description: Firm, good to firm in places (14.6)

We often monitor the ground in the days leading up to a big festival using our expert going tool, and Sunday's figure (8.7) on the straight course was right at the higher end of what officials report at Ascot, with our model projecting that the ground was 'firm, good to firm in places'.

It was therefore no surprise to see officials at Ascot water the track on Sunday, with 10mm of irrigation applied to the straight course and 4mm on the round course, which has led to a slight decrease in the GoingStick readings on both tracks but a pretty similar projection according to our model.

It's worth noting that last year's meeting started with an identical description of 'good to firm, good in places' and a similar GoingStick reading (8.3), and two of the races were won in times faster than Racing Post standard, with another two less than 0.4 seconds slower, so the ground was obviously quick.

The going was 'good to firm' all over before racing on day three at the royal meeting 12 months ago and we could be in for more of the same this week, with a largely dry forecast and warm temperatures.

The GoingStick reading suggests the ground is quicker down the centre and towards the stands' side, but only marginally, so it will be interesting to see if the high-numbered stalls are favoured.

Royal Ascot market analysis

Here are the big movers at Royal Ascot today. Note that all market movers allow for any rule 4 deductions.

The markets are much stronger at Royal Ascot than we normally observe on a day-to-day basis and for that reason the moves tend to be more measured in terms of percentage change. However, there have been a few small swings in the market and the biggest has been for Sing Us A Song, who lines up in the Copper Horse Stakes (6.10). The Ralph Beckett-trained gelding bumped into the rapidly improving Klassleader over 1m4f at York last time and is open to further improvement now going back up to 1m6f, a trip over which he had beaten that rival at Haydock last year.

Today's must-watch replay

You'd be forgiven for thinking it was the Cheltenham Festival when having a quick look at the field for the Ascot Stakes (5.00), with runners from the likes of Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead in the line-up.

I was all over Reaching High for this last year and it still pains me watching that replay back, with Ryan Moore having nowhere to go for much of the final three furlongs while looking as though he had plenty of horse under him.

Reaching High had caught the eye when second on his stable debut for Mullins in a 1m4f handicap the start before and always looked like he would be suited by stepping up in trip, which was backed up by his pedigree, given his dam is Gold Cup winner Estimate.

It would usually worry me that he’s arriving off such an absence, but Mullins will no doubt have him spot on for this and it looks quite obvious that he has been kept back for redemption in this contest 12 months on.

• Watch Reaching High finish on the bridle in the Ascot Stakes last year.

Going assessment from other tracks

Stratford

Official going description: Good, good to firm in places
GoingStick reading: 6.2
Forecast: Cloudy and breezy

Projected going description: Good, good to soft in places (9.0)

Our model suggests conditions might be slower than advertised at Stratford but, given it's been dry and breezy, there is every chance that the ground could dry out.

Thirsk

Official going description: Good, good to firm in places
GoingStick reading: 7.2 on Saturday
Forecast: Light showers

Projected going description: Good to soft, good in places (8.1)

There has been a real drop in the range of GoingStick readings at Thirsk this year, with ground described as 'good' now coming with a figure of around 7.0-7.3 rather than the 8.1 we'd expect when taking into account historical data.

That goes some way to explaining why our model suggests that the ground at Thirsk could be slower than advertised, but the last three meetings have all had similar readings to today and times indicated that the ground was 'good', so the track's assessment is unlikely to be far off.

Beverley

Official going description: Good, good to soft in places
GoingStick reading: 5.3
Forecast: Overcast and a gentle breeze

Projected going description: Heavy, soft in places (2.3)

You don't often get GoingStick readings as low as 5.3 at Beverley, but similar readings in our data set have come with descriptions of 'heavy' (5.4), 'soft, heavy in places' (5.0) and 'soft' (5.3) and our model predicts that the ground could well be a lot slower than what is being advertised by the track.

Wolverhampton

Official going description: Standard
Forecast: Cloudy with risk of light showers in the evening

Wolverhampton tends to report 'standard' going for most meetings and times of recent fixtures suggests there is no need to doubt it.

Trainer and jockey form

Hot trainers

Here are all the trainers with a runner today whose return over the last two weeks has produced a percentile score above 95. Per our companion piece, that means that their recent form is statistically significant.

Royal Ascot is always a huge target for Wathnan Racing and their premier trainer Hamad Al Jehani could hardly be in better form, as he is operating at a 50 per cent strike-rate in the last fortnight and, impressively, 30 per cent overall in Britain this year.

The trainer has three runners at the royal meeting, with Final Objective and Royal Heritage set for the Coventry (3.05), and Ernst Blofeld lining up in the closing Copper Horse Stakes (6.10).

Cold trainers

Ian Williams finds himself on our cold list, having saddled 45 runners in a row without success. He has four runners at Ascot.

Hot jockeys

Here are all the jockeys with at least one ride today whose return over the last two weeks has produced a percentile score above 95.

Hector Crouch has ridden at least one winner every day since Thursday. He heads to Ascot for three rides: Siouxperb (3.05), Shagraan (3.40) and Too Soon (6.10).

Cold jockeys

These are the jockeys with rides today whose record in the last four weeks qualifies them for the cold list. 

Alistair Rawlinson's winless run actually stands at 46, with his last success coming on May 2. He has two rides at Thirsk.

Today's eyecatchers

Treasurer
3.05 Ascot

Comment last time (Nottingham, May 31): Towards rear, headway when not clear run 2f out, some headway over 1f out, ran on inside final furlong, eyecatcher

Weak in the betting on his debut, Treasurer was beginning to make progress from the back when running into trouble but rallied, finishing well. A half-brother to seven winners, he appeals as the type to win races and is evidently held in some regard as he's been pitched into the deep end on just his second start.

Treasurer15:05 Ascot

View Racecard

Jky: Rowan Scott Tnr: Charlie Fellowes

Zarvali
4.02 Thirsk

Comment last time (York, May 23): Bumped start, in rear, not clear run over 2f out, steady headway when not clear run over 1f out, switched right and ran on inside final furlong, did well in the circumstances

Not much went right for Zarvali last time, as he found himself at the back after a bump at the start and was repeatedly denied a clear run behind a wall of horses. He was a comfortable winner the start before and remains in form.

Zarvali16:02 Thirsk

View Racecard

Jky: Oisin McSweeney Tnr: Roger Fell

Sorted
7.45 Wolverhampton

Comment last time (Wolverhampton, March 24): In touch with leaders early, midfield after 1f, not clear run and towards rear when switched right 3f out, headway from over 2f out, switched left over 1f out, kept on inside final furlong

Sent off favourite having been beaten a neck over course and distance the start before, Sorted found himself in a pocket as a weakening rival fell into his lap, conceding plenty of ground on the winner as a result. He drops into classified company today.

Sorted19:45 Wolverhampton (A.W)

View Racecard

Jky: Jack Mitchell Tnr: Mark Loughnane

Horses from our tracker

Talk Of New York
4.20 Ascot

I felt he could be something special after his impressive debut success at Kempton last year, and he went some way to living up to that when bolting up in a good time in the Heron Stakes last month. Could well prove to be the best three-year-old colt in training.
Harry Wilson

Talk Of New York16:20 Ascot

View Racecard

Jky: William Buick Tnr: Charlie Appleby

Reaching High
5.00 Ascot

Looked unlucky when well supported in this race last year and has been kept back for redemption in this contest 12 months on. Willie Mullins will no doubt have him spot on.
Harry Wilson

Reaching High17:00 Ascot

View Racecard

Jky: Ryan Moore Tnr: W P Mullins

Get involved

The opening day of Royal Ascot is here and there are seven races to get stuck into, headlined by the mouthwatering clash between 2,000 Guineas one-two Bow Echo and Gstaad, and the unknown quantity that is Talk Of New York, in the St James's Palace Stakes.

I backed Talk Of New York to best both Bow Echo and Gstaad for the 2,000 Guineas after his impressive debut success and, although I didn't get to see him line up at Newmarket, I got all the validation I needed that he was potentially something special when he bolted up at Sandown last month.

The decision to skip the 2,000 Guineas in favour of a tilt at Royal Ascot could pay dividends, and there is every chance Talk Of New York could prove to be the best three-year-old colt in training.

I could have egg on my face shortly after 4.20pm, but do let me know your thoughts on the Classic division before or after the St James's Palace Stakes, and, as always, let us know who you are backing this week.

Email us at theedge@racingpost.com and we'll hopefully get it right at Ascot between us.

Read more . . .

'His massive odds seriously underestimate him' - Harry Wilson with his best bets for every race on day one of Royal Ascot 

'She could take her form to a totally new level' - Tom Segal with five fancies on day one of Royal Ascot  

Paul Kealy's play of the day at Royal Ascot 

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