2024 Royal Ascot Handicaps: How to bet Saturday’s Wokingham Stakes

Royal Ascot’s handicap roster finishes Saturday with one of the highlights of the week, the Wokingham Stakes. The six-furlong dash has drawn 27 runners, several of which have raced well in black type races, and it doesn’t look easy to tip.

Royal Ascot Race 5, 12:05 p.m. ET: Wokingham Stakes, 6 furlongs, handicap, 3-year-olds and up

Selections

• #9 Unequal Love
• #10 Dark Trooper
• #16 Albasheer
• #8 Apollo One

Wagers

• $10 win/$20 show: #9 Unequal Love
• $1 trifecta: 9, 10 with 8, 9, 10, 16 with 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 16, 20

Trainer Archie Watson enters the race with two live chances. Last year’s winner #7 Saint Lawrence returns to defend his title; his form isn’t brilliant, but it wasn’t last year either and he’s probably had this race in mind.

However, his winning rider from last year, Hollie Doyle, has ditched him. She will ride stable companion #16 Albasheer, who raced well on all-weather tracks over winter and though beaten on his return to turf June 2, that was at Group 2 level in France and on heavy ground. He’s a solid chance.

Likely to contest favoritism with Albasheer is #10 Dark Trooper. He didn’t shine in three Qatar starts over winter but won on his return to Europe at Saint-Cloud May 24. He captured a pair of decent handicaps on this track last year and should run well.

The horse Saint Lawrence beat last year is back: #8 Apollo One. He hasn’t won since 2022 but has been very consistent, finishing in the top three seven of his last eight starts. Apollo One was third in a sprint at Epsom earlier this month and you can’t leave him out of exotics.

Last year #6 Rumstar was taking on Group 1 company, finishing fifth in the Commonwealth Cup. He spent the rest of the season contesting top races, finding them a bit tough, but he showed when second in a Newbury handicap May 18 that he’s still got ability. This race may well suit him. 

The horse that beat Rumstar at Newbury, #21 Lethal Levi, reopposes but has a significant lift in the weights to deal with. A better chance may be the third horse in that race, #20 Ferrous.

The one I’m going for, however, is another horse potentially on the way up, #9 Unequal Love. A four-time winner last season, he won a listed stakes on his return at Newmarket May 4, and was not disgraced when fifth in the Greenlands Stakes (G2) in Ireland May 25. Tom Marquand gets back aboard here and with 133 pounds he doesn’t have an unreasonable weight.