Best Bets For Railway Stakes at Ascot

It is Railway Stakes Day at Ascot on Saturday, with the Group One Railway Stakes taking centre stage across the afternoon. The $1.5 million contest is run over 1600 metres and is open to horses aged three years and above.

Here is a look at the best bets for Railway Stakes Day and some of the supporting races at Ascot.

BEST BET: WATCH ME ROCK

Railway Stakes (Race 9)

Leading rider William Pike had the fortunate position of picking between the top two horses in the betting for the Railway Stakes, and he has opted for Watch Me Rock over Western Empire. The weight difference between those two runners was the deciding factor, with Watch Me Rock having 4kg less on his back.

13 of the last 15 renewals of the Railway Stakes have been won by horses carrying 53.5kg or less. As one of the younger horses in the field, Watch Me Rock is further down the weights than many of his rivals here, and that will help.

Pike, a six-time winner of the Railway Stakes, is in excellent form heading into this meeting, with a treble going his way on the opening day of the Pinnacles. He believes Watch Me Rock is good enough to score in this prestigious Group One contest. The son of Awesome Rock was victorious in the Group Three Asian Beau Stakes at this course on his latest appearance, and he did that with plenty in hand.

Watch Me Rock has been handed a good draw in barrier four for this year’s Ascot feature. This looks like a great opportunity for him to record the biggest success of his career so far and prove that Pike made the right call partnering the gelding.

SECOND BEST BET: KING OF LIGHT

WA Guineas (Race 8)

King Of Light goes into the WA Guineas with a 100% record on the track, and he can maintain his unbeaten start to his career in the Group Two race for three-year-olds. Although the margin of victory in his four wins has all been narrow, he has prevailed cosily in each of them, suggesting there is much more to come.

The son of Earthlight has scored at Listed level on his last two appearances on the track. He took the first prize in the Belgravia Stakes and Fairetha Stakes, respectively. The latter of those two wins was particularly impressive, as he showed a change in gears in the final 200 metres of the race to reel in the leader Heza Phoenix.

King Of Light has had two weeks off since his last run. He is now stepping up in distance to 1600 metres, but this trip looks perfect for him, so he is the one they all must beat in the WA Guineas.

BEST VALUE: FILTHY HABITS

AJ Scahill Cup (Race 7)

Captain Pluto is the hot favourite for the AJ Scahill Cup, but his chances have not been helped by the barrier draw, as he will come out of barrier 12. William Pike will have work to do to get the favourite into a good position in the early stages of the race.

In contrast, connections of Filthy Habits will be delighted with barrier three for their horse. The six-year-old gelding has been performing consistently well over this distance over the last couple of years. He finished fourth on his first start of the season at this course, and he should build on that, which will make him a big player in this race.