Horses to follow: our experts pick out seven Royal Ascot runners to keep on side

Stradivarius and Blue Point hit the headlines at Royal Ascot with showstopping performances, but which horses went under the radar and are worth following next time? Our experts give their picks

Roseman

The Hampton Court Stakes was the most exciting race of the meeting for me, with plenty of runners emerging with credit. One of those was fifth-placed Roseman, who was bumped leaving the stalls and stuck on the outside in the early stages, forfeiting valuable ground. He responded eyecatchingly to Andrea Atzeni's urgings in the straight but, in a race where it paid to be prominent, he couldn't claw back the leaders.

His Heron Stakes second behind King Of Comedy also reads well, and he should be plying his trade in Group 1s before too long.
Maddy Playle

Threat

After winning on his debut the Richard Hannon-trained Threat took an almighty step up to finish a close second to Arizona in the Coventry Stakes.

He was only beaten half a length by a highly regarded sort and that effort was full of promise, especially given the speed he showed in the final stages.

Threat looks an exceptional long-term prospect for the Cheveley Park team and he will probably head back to Newmarket next time. His sire, Footstepsinthesand, won the 2,000 Guineas and early quotes of 20-1 for Threat to follow suit could be worth looking at.
James Stevens

Summer Sands

Eight of the first nine in the Windsor Castle were drawn in double figures, including the first three from the highest draws in stalls 22, 23 and 24, and Summer Sands fared best of the rest from stall nine when finishing a running-on sixth.

The Richard Fahey-trained colt, third at York on debut prior to landing the Brian Yeardley Two Year Old Trophy at Beverley this month, raced furthest away from the stands' side rail of the principals but did his best work late under Barry McHugh and there should be more to come over six furlongs.
Jack Haynes

Summer Sands: finished sixth behind Southern Hills in the Windsor CastleCredit: Edward Whitaker

Fox Chairman

There was a buzz about Fox Chairman going into the Hampton Court Stakes and a degree of deflation after it, not because he performed disappointingly but because he did not get the chance to produce his best.

Silvestre de Sousa endured a pretty miserable time on the King Power Racing contender, only really finding proper daylight once Sangarius had surged clear.

The way in which Andrew Balding then spoke about the colt suggests he holds him in high regard, and he is entitled to, for Fox Chairman will likely prove better than the Group 3 level he was competing at on Thursday.
Lee Mottershead

Almania

Sir Michael Stoute has won more races than anyone else at Royal Ascot and it does not take much imagination to predict Almania adding to his record in the future.

On just his fourth career start, he was making his handicap debut in Thursday's King George V Stakes and ran a race full of promise in fifth, staying on from mid-division to finish on the heels of the leaders.

A son of Australia with a pedigree that suggests he will improve with age, Almania looks a perfect candidate to benefit from Stoute's patient planning over middle distances.
Lewis Porteous

Nagano Gold: Hardwicke second should not be underestimated with the Arc in mindCredit: Mark Cranham

The Hardwicke runner-up was unconsidered before the race, and is still being disrespected after what was a mighty run.

Yes, he doesn't hail from a powerhouse racing nation, and yes, this is most people's first exposure to his owner/trainer Vaclav Luka jnr, but 50-1 quotes for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe about a horse beaten just half a length by Defoe (whose price ranges from 14-1 to 20-1) are wide of the mark, especially when you consider his jockey, no better judge than Christophe Soumillon, believes he would have won but for a horror start.

He suffered a second bit of interference in the straight and it would be no surprise to see him threaten to land the each-way part of any ante-post Arc bets at the very least. It was a very taking performance.
Stuart Riley

Vale Of Kent

A real dark horse for the upcoming festivals, Vale Of Kent reappeared from a 256-day absence in the Royal Hunt Cup and ran a screamer to finish seventh, beaten only three lengths, behind Afaak.

He showed his customary early speed and stayed on strongly and the Golden Mile at Glorious Goodwood, a meeting he won at last year, looks the ideal next step. He is still only a four-year-old and improvement can be expected, with the downhill track clearly playing to his strengths.

To run so well after a big absence against the best mile handicappers around suggests he is sure to pick up a valuable handicap sometime soon.
Maddy Playle

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