Confident punter lumps £200,000 on Coronation Stakes favourite Tahiyra

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Star Sports lay £200,000 on Tahiyra

One punter has staked £200,000 on Friday’s hot Coronation Stakes (4.20) favourite Tahiyra at odds of 4-6 with Star Sports and the firm are eager to take on the shortest-priced runner at Royal Ascot.

Although stung on Friday when they paid out £177,500 to a lucky customer who backed Britannia Stakes winner Docklands at 11-2 with a £20,000 each-way bet, Star Sports are up a “decent amount” thanks to a number of upsets during the first three days of the meeting.

Interest in Friday’s card has exceeded the previous days and the firm will have to wait until 4.20 to find out whether Tahiyra can oblige in the day’s feature. The customer will be paid out £333,333.33 if the Dermot Weld-trained filly can back up last month’s brilliant Irish 1,000 Guineas victory.

Yet support elsewhere has come for her main market rival Meditate across the board. The Aidan O’Brien-trained filly – who was second to her at the Curragh last time – is now 7-2 (from 4).

Tahiyra won the Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh last monthCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

Dave Jolly, head of trading at Star Sports, said: “The £200,000 bet has come from a regular customer and has come early, although there’s been a little bit of a drift since. It’s a nice bet to start the day with. 

“We all respect her, she’s a fantastic horse, but this is Royal Ascot she’s a filly, the season’s well under way, the price is right so let’s give it a go. It’s the sort of bet we want to lay to be perfectly honest, we’ll take on the short one.

Coronation Stakes preview: can Tahiyra end Dermot Weld's eight-year Royal Ascot drought and land a third Group 1 win? 

“We’ve seen lots of interest in the race and bits and pieces across a few runners. Meditate is the obvious alternative and I presume if people want to back against the odds-on shot that’s the one they’re going to go for. We’ve just started to lay Queen For You but we’re top price which is probably driving that. Tahiyra is still the most popular horse of the day though.”

Star Sports report a good spread of interest across Friday’s seven-race card, although, like other firms, they have reported significant interest in Meditate’s stablemate Little Big Bear. The Commonwealth Cup favourite has shortened to 10-11 (from evens) while Sakheer is 6-1 (from 4).

“Little Big Bear is our second most popular horse of the day,” Jolly added. “It’s definitely the busiest day so far, we’re well ahead of the other three at this point and it’s been an incredible Ascot. We’re on course today so I’m sure we’ll see plenty of other interest.

“We laid a bet of £20,000 each-way at 11-2 on Docklands on Thursday so that was probably the biggest payout of the week.

“On Tuesday we thought we got away with it but we then lost at Brighton that evening – it was a decent day at Royal Ascot but we really done it in at our local track. Since then we’ve had back-to-back good days and it’s been busy. We haven’t seen the amount of big bets of previous years but it’s been busier than ever. We’re quite a decent amount in front.”

3.05
Little Big Bear 10-11 (Evens)

3.40
HMS President 8-1 (from 14)

4.20
Meditate 7-2 (from 4)

5.00
Chelsea Green 7-1 (from 10)

Updated at 12pm

Non-runners: Coronation Stakes down to six as Comhra taken out

The Jim Bolger-trained Comhra is a non-runner in the Coronation Stakes after she was taken out due to urticaria – a type of rash.

The mount of champion jockey William Buick was 20-1 having finished finished third behind Tahiyra in the Irish 1,000 Guineas. Her omission decreases the field to six.

2.30
17 Snafiya (not eaten up)

3.05
1 Cold Case (declared in error)

4.20
1 Comhra (urticaria)

5.00
24 Sparks Fly (going)
30 Orchid Bloom (going)

6.10
27 Tawalla (going)

Updated at 12pm

The big story: a day fit for a queen

Thursday at Royal Ascot was a day for the kings. Ascot legend Frankie Dettori rode a famous Gold Cup winner on his final ride in the meeting's biggest race, while Desert Hero became the first royal winner at Flat racing's biggest festival since King Charles took the throne. Yet Friday all leads to the potential crowning of a queen in the fittingly named Coronation Stakes (4.20).

Hugely exciting prospect Tahiyra is set to line up in the day's highlight and establish herself as the best of her generation. The Dermot Weld-trained filly is odds-on and sets the standard on her second and first in the British and Irish 1,000 Guineas. Her Newmarket conqueror Mawj misses the chance to take her on after a setback last week, but for Tahiyra it is her opportunity to step forward once again.

Elsewhere, Little Big Bear looks the rising star of the sprinting ranks and is a short-priced favourite for the Commonwealth Cup (3.05), but the brilliant Haydock winner takes on a hot field including Noble Style, Sakheer and Lezoo.

The Derby form also goes under the microscope at 5.35 when King Of Steel, the 66-1 runner-up to Auguste Rodin, makes his first appearance since Epsom. Arrest was sent off favourite that day and takes him on under Dettori.

Yet with 150-1 and 50-1 winners on Thursday, a big story could break from any of the seven competitive races on the day.

Posted at 9am

Going update: Ascot narrowly avoids overnight thunderstorms

The going at Ascot remains good to firm after the track missed out on any rainfall despite thunderstorms being in the region on Thursday night.

Heavy showers were recorded as close as Bracknell, the neighbouring town four miles away, but it was a dry and warm night at the racecourse. The track was watered after racing on Thursday.

The good to firm going description is the same on the straight and round course but the GoingStick indicates the round course will be slightly slower, with a reading of 7.1. While only fractional, the best ground on the straight track will be on the stands' side (7.9), with the centre measured at 7.8 and far side at 7.7. The readings were taken on Friday morning.

Ascot's clerk of the course Chris Stickles said: "It's going to be another warm, lovely day. We didn't get any thunderstorms last night even though there were some around – as close as the other side of Bracknell, I think – but we missed those.

"We put 5mm on the straight course last night at 4mm on the round and we're good to firm."

Temperatures could reach up to 27C on Friday with a sunny day forecast.

Posted at 9am

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