Royal Ascot rings the handicap changes in search of 'a more balanced programme'

Royal Ascot has promoted two handicaps up the running order on days three and four of this year’s meeting to drive increased betting turnover and provide “a more balanced programme”.

The King George V Stakes, a 1m4f handicap for three-year-olds, on the Thursday of the meeting and the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, an equivalent race for older horses run a day later, will feature earlier in the afternoon after an assessment of betting data from the Levy Board.

The King George V Stakes swaps places with the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes, which will be run as race six of seven, while the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes is being moved back to race six with the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup and the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes bumped up to races two and three respectively on day four.

Nick Smith, director of racing and public affairs at Ascot, said: “These changes provide a more balanced programme with the conclusion of Thursday and Friday more varied, where there were three handicaps in place last year.

“Placing a likely large, competitive race second on the card every day in the 3.05pm slot is expected to increase betting turnover based on Levy Board data.”

Entries for the Cazoo Derby were published on Wednesday, with 91 horses engaged in the contest which held a three-year-old initial entry stage for the first time since 1992 this year.

The yearling entry stage had been scrapped for this year’s Derby due to the uncertainty around the coronavirus pandemic in late 2020, when entries would have normally been made.

Luxembourg: all roads now lead to the Arc for the Irish Champion Stakes heroCredit: Edward Whitaker

Ante-post favourite Luxembourg, winner of the Vertem Futurity Stakes on his final start last season, heads 24 entries for trainer Aidan O’Brien as he seeks a ninth success in the race.

Leading fancies Point Lonsdale, Native Trail, Coroebus and Reach For The Moon, owned by the Queen, also feature in the entry, as does the US-trained Tiz The Bomb.

Owned by Phoenix Thoroughbreds, who are banned from having runners in Britain, Tiz The Bomb was second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar last year. Trainer Kenny McPeek plans to lease the three-year-old under the banner of his own Magdalena Racing if he runs at Epsom.

The trainer said: “He’s proving to be a top-class grass horse, and the importance of the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby means we have to think about going for them and being excited about giving it a go. We shall lease him ourselves if he runs in Britain.”

Cazoo Derby (June 3)

bet365: 4 Luxembourg, 8 Native Trail, 10 Point Lonsdale, 12 Coroebus, Reach For The Moon, 20 El Bodegon, 25 bar

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