Form in the book: six Royal Ascot contenders who have shone at the track

The Racing Post Royal Ascot 2019 Guide has everything from form to fashion, including in-depth race guides, contender profiles, punting pointers and a guide to the social scene. Here are two extracts from the 208-page book

Accidental Agent
Ascot form: 71431
Last year's 33-1 Queen Anne Stakes winner heads back there off an encouraging third on his reappearance in the Lockinge Stakes, which marked an improvement on sixth in the Newbury race 12 months earlier and certainly on his disappointing form since his Royal Ascot triumph. "It's great to have him back as we had a lot of doubters," said trainer Eve Johnson Houghton after the Lockinge. "All roads lead to the Queen Anne. We know he loves Ascot and this will bring him on in leaps and bounds."

Ripp Orf
Ascot form: 13125
The David Elsworth-trained five-year-old missed the royal meeting last year but compiled an excellent record at the track in 7f big-field handicaps. He won the 27-runner Victoria Cup, finished third in the International (27 runners), won the Cunard Handicap (20 runners) and was second in the Challenge Cup (15 runners). Fifth in the Victoria Cup this year, he still looks attractive off a mark of 94 (1lb higher than his Cunard win).

Soldier's Call
Ascot form: 1
Fast-rising Lambourn trainer Archie Watson found his flagbearer last year with Soldier's Call, who gave him a first Royal Ascot success in the Windsor Castle Stakes, a first Group 3, a first Group 2 and very nearly a first Group 1 when beaten a neck into third in the Prix de l'Abbaye. Watson has set his sights on the top level again, aiming for the King's Stand Stakes, and Soldier's Call set off well enough with a Listed third under a penalty at York on his reappearance.

The Tin Man
Ascot form: 14811547
James Fanshawe's hardy sprinter is seven now and still capable of high-class form, as he showed with victory in the Group 1 Haydock Sprint Cup last September. He can never be discounted at Ascot, his favourite track. He has won three of his eight starts there, including his other two Group 1 successes in the 2016 British Champions Sprint and 2017 Diamond Jubilee Stakes, and twice been fourth in Group 1s. His Haydock win (the best of his career on RPR) was on heavy ground but usually the faster conditions at Royal Ascot suit him well.

Lord Glitters
Ascot form: 21226
David O'Meara's six-year-old was highly progressive before his disappointing 13th in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes but don't rule out a return to form in the Queen Anne Stakes. He was runner-up at 20-1 last year behind Accidental Agent, having followed that rival up from handicaps – they had also been first and second in the Challenge Cup at Ascot in the autumn of 2017 before Lord Glitters landed the Balmoral Handicap on British Champions Day.

Baghdad
Ascot form: 1
Last year's King George V Handicap winner has come back even better this year and his 1m4f handicap win at Newmarket’s Guineas meeting had trainer Mark Johnston thinking about the Duke of Edinburgh Handicap this year, although he also has an ambitious entry, for a colt rated 104, in the Hardwicke Stakes. Johnston has won the Duke of Edinburgh three times with similar four-year-olds who were all double-figure prices.

Five lessons from last year

1 Since Ascot reopened its doors in 2006 following redevelopment there has been a perception that horses either love the track or loathe it. Of last year's 30 Royal Ascot winners, 11 boasted winning or placed form at the track (37 per cent) – and remember the two-year-olds would have had little opportunity to go there. Those with strong course form included 33-1 Queen Anne Stakes stunner Accidental Agent and Godolphin sprint king Blue Point, who had posted two victories there in 2017.

2 Another perception is that good to firm ground at Ascot suits horses who act well on an all-weather surface – excluding Southwell’s Fibresand – and the results from 2018 add weight to this theory. Twelve winners had either won or been placed on the all-weather, including two of the first-day Group 1 winners, Accidental Agent and Without Parole. Royal Hunt Cup hero Settle For Bay had been successful four times at Dundalk.

3 A standout stat from 2018 is that 13 of the 30 races (43 per cent) were won by a horse with two previous runs that year. Seven went to horses with three runs, six winners arrived on the back of just one run, and three winners had run four times. Only one horse made a winning seasonal reappearance at Royal Ascot, 33-1 Bacchus in the Wokingham Handicap.

4 When the ground is good to firm – as it was throughout the 2018 meeting – it is reasonable to assume there will be fewer upsets than if underfoot conditions are soft or heavy. Only two of last year's winners could be described as out-of-the-ordinary shocks - 33-1 Accidental Agent in the Queen Anne and 25-1 Signora Cabello in the Queen Mary. In fact, 23 of the 30 winners (77 per cent) started at odds of 10-1 or lower. The sole odds-on winner was 4-7 Crystal Ocean in the Hardwicke Stakes, testament to the ferocity of the week's competition.

5 Trainers more renowned for their exploits over jumps have dominated the Ascot Stakes in recent years, particularly Willie Mullins. Only Karen McLintock, who trained runner-up Dubawi Fifty, stood in the way of an incredible Mullins 1-2-3-4 last year – he was responsible for the winner Lagostovegas, third Stratum, fourth Chelkar and fifth Whiskey Sour. David Pipe, Nicky Henderson and Jonjo O’Neill have also trained the winner of this race since 2010.

The Racing Post Royal Ascot 2019 Guide, featuring the must-have info for the biggest five days in the Flat racing calendar, is available to buy now! The 208-page book contains profiles of the leading big-race contenders plus key trainer and jockey lowdowns, punting pointers and in-depth guides to all 30 races. Buy your copy, priced at £12.99, from the Racing Post Shop here