STANDING at over 17 hands with four white socks, THE WIZARD OF EYE has a favourite’s chance of being the Best Turned Out in the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (3:45pm) if nothing else.
But not only is he a knockout in the paddock, things have started to fall into place again on the track.
Trained by Stan Moore for his first three seasons, where he achieved a peak rating of 109 and was largely campaigned over seven furlongs and a mile, he’s now in the care of Charlie Fellowes and has started his five-year-old campaign with a bang.
He was a heavily-backed 7/1 winner of the seven-furlong Victoria Cup at Ascot last month, where he showed a sharp turn of foot to come from off the pace to win by a head with a bit up his sleeve.
That run has convinced Fellowes that, despite his imposing size and scope, sprinting is his game, and that he can do it at the highest level.
He’s always showed plenty of toe, and maybe the reasoning behind being tried over longer trips is down to his physical make-up, but Fellowes seems confident that this lad can mix it with the speedsters.
At around 11/1, and with red-hot Ryan Moore booked to ride, he looks a brilliant Win & Place World Pool bet.
Another recent yard-switcher is SHARTASH, who makes plenty of appeal at 7/1.
He’s two from two for Archie Watson, who’s developing into a top trainer of sprinters, but like ‘The Wizard’, that success has come over seven furlongs.
The step back down in trip to six furlongs should be no issue though, particularly over what is always a fiercely run race.
He was a winner of the Group Two Railway Stakes over this trip as a two-year-old and looks to have the zip to be effective.
Finally, MITBAAHY is hard to leave out of any Quinella or Swinger World Pool bets.
Charlie Hills’ five-year-old looks to be coming of age, having won the Group Two Greenlands Stakes last time out, and was even being considered for the King Charles III/Queen Elizabeth II double.
He is clearly regarded as a classy animal with plenty of speed and has to be one for the shortlist.
World Pool has proved to be a fertile ground for punters this week, with several big overpays versus the fixed odds bookmakers, so fingers crossed we can find another.
POINTERS SATURDAY
Shartash (Win and Place) 3:45pm Royal Ascot
The Wizard Of Eye (Win and Place) 3:45pm Royal Ascot
Shartash, The Wizard Of Eye, Mitbaahy
(Quinella, Swinger) 3:45pm Royal Ascot