Horse Racing Betting Tips: Dettori can strike in the Duke of Cambridge with Rawdaa
WITHOUT sounding like a broken record, the amount of rain that falls overnight will have a huge impact on all of this afternoon’s races, but arguably none more so than the Duke of Cambridge Stakes (4.20pm).
The mile contest for fillies and mares is packed full of decent ground performers with only a handful who can boast winning form on a softer surface.
Pretty Baby will be on plenty of shortlists as she handles cut in the ground, but her stamina over this sort of trip has never been tested before.
If she stays, she will take plenty of beating, but that’s a big risk if conditions get bad.
Sir Michael Stoute has often targeted this contest, having won four of the race’s 15 renewals, and holds a very strong hand with both Veracious and RAWDAA.
Both fillies bring strong form to the table, with Veracious’ third in last season’s Group One Coronation Stakes some of the strongest form on offer.
She has been a little bit disappointing in two starts to date this term, but a return to that level of form would make her hard to beat here.
At 8/1 in places, she holds a strong each-way chance, but preference is for her stablemate Rawdaa who will be ridden by Frankie Dettori.
She caught the eye on her reappearance at Kempton when running on late to grab third and then raised her form to a new level when giving Lah Ti Dar a fright in a real battle for the Middleton Stakes at York.
That was over two furlongs further than today’s contest, but any significant softening of the ground will put greater emphasis on stamina.
Dettori is a master on the big occasion and will hopefully deliver the daughter of Teofilo late on and land the money at 9/2 with Coral.
POINTERS
Rawdaa e/w 4.20pm Royal Ascot