2023 Royal Ascot: Selections for Saturday

The final day of racing at Royal Ascot brings three more group stakes, including the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee (G1). A mix of favorites and longshots might be the recipe for success when betting Saturday’s card.

Race 2 (10:05 a.m. ET) – Jersey (G3)

#5 Covey (9-5) enters this seven-furlong sprint in hot form for the high-profile team of jockey Frankie Dettori and trainers John and Thady Gosden. Runner-up in his April 4 debut, the son of Frankel has sine rattled off three consecutive victories by daylight margins, most recently crushing a one-mile handicap at Haydock by 3 1/4 lengths. The jump in class is a question mark, but Dettori and the Gosdens teamed up to win Thursday’s 2 1/2-mile Gold Cup (G1) with a similarly inexperienced handicapper, and Covey is facing an easier task. He looms among the likeliest winners on the closing-day card.

Lacken (G3) winner #2 The Antarctic (6-1) and the unbeaten #7 Enfjaar (6-1) are other logical contenders, but if you want to mix in a longshot, #10 Holloway Boy (10-1) is a compelling choice. The Karl Burke trainee ran third in the 2022 Vertem Futurity Trophy (G1) behind future Derby (G1) winner Auguste Rodin and kicked off his sophomore season with a ninth-place finish in the 2000 Guineas (G1) at Newmarket. Dropping in class and removing the visor can trigger a move forward from the son of Ulysses, who has the pedigree to improve with maturity.

Race 3 (10:40 a.m. ET) – Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee (G1)

Three-time Group 1 winner #14 Highfield Princess (6-1) ran second in the five-furlong King’s Stand (G1) at Royal Ascot five days ago. She decisively won last year’s Nunthorpe (G1) off 12 days of rest, so the quick turnaround for Saturday’s six-furlong contest shouldn’t be a concern for this talented six-year-old mare.

Still, the Jubilee has come up deep, and there are many viable win contenders. #9 Kinross (8-1) hasn’t run since finishing third in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1), but he preceded that effort with a pair of Group 1 wins and should relish every inch of Saturday’s six-furlong trip. And we can’t underestimate Australian raider #2 Artorius (3-1), a Group 1 winner who ran third by less than a length in last year’s Jubilee.

But if you’re looking for a live longshot to support, check out the American raider #4 Big Invasion (20-1). Eight years ago, Undrafted upset the Jubilee on behalf of the U.S., and Big Invasion enters with arguably better form lines. He’s won half a dozen stakes over distances from five furlongs to seven furlongs, and he exits a rallying runner-up effort in the Jaipur (G1) at Belmont Park.

In the Jaipur, Big Invasion was beaten less than one length by Caravel, who beat Highfield Princess to fourth place in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1). Comparing form lines in this manner is tricky business, but there’s enough connection here to suggest Big Invasion is an enticing win bet at his 20-1 morning line odds. Perhaps a $10 win bet courtesy of the TwinSpires Royal Ascot $10 Money Back offer is the way to go; bettors who opt in can receive a refund if Big Invasion settles for second place.

Race 4 (11:20 a.m. ET) – Hardwicke (G2)

The tricky part in handicapping this 1 1/2-mile contest for older horses is the fact that a few of the most accomplished contenders are a ways removed from their career-best performances. And the favorite, #5 Hukum (8-5), will not run if the ground is too firm.

Hukum dominated the 1 1/2-mile Coronation Cup (G1) at Epsom one year ago, but came out of the race with an injury. He recently got back on track with a narrow victory over Desert Crown in the Brigadier Gerard (G3). #6 Pyledriver (7-1) finished second in the Coronation Cup and subsequently dominated the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (G1) racing 1 1/2 miles at Ascot, but that was 11 months ago, and he hasn’t run since due to injury.

Perhaps we can catch a mild upset (if Hukum runs) in the form of #8 Free Wind (5-2), a five-year-old mare conditioned by John and Thady Gosden. She enters the Hardwicke off four consecutive victories against Group 2 and Group 3 competition, including a triumph in the Middleton Fillies (G2) at York last month. The runner-up in that contest, Rogue Millennium, came back to win the Duke of Cambridge (G2) on Wednesday at Royal Ascot, flattering Free Wind’s form. The presence of world-renowned jockey Frankie Dettori adds to the appeal.