1815 Another cracking day's racing and more reasons to remember Royal Ascot 2009 for a long time. Tomorrow promises to be even better as Yeats bids to turn it on again in front of the packed stands on Ladies Day. You'd be mad to miss it. Cluck, cluck. If anyone's in the area of Swindon services tonight and fancies a celebratory drink, I shall be toasting my translantic cousins. Who'd have thought it, eh?

1807 You should see the fashion people in here (the press room) around the free champagne. Likes flies round the proverbial. And to think that people think racing journalists are shallow...

1805 Goodness. Nice Placepot dividend too.

1800 Sky Bet offer 16-1 about Tartan Bearer for the Arc. It seems a fair price, given that things possibly didn't go quite his way today. It will look even better if Sea The Stars bypasses the race for the Breeders' Cup. Stoute said afterwards: "He ran another good race, but he's never run a bad one. We would have liked a quicker early pace, but they all would - we've got no excuses," he said. "The horse is widely entered and we've got all the options." The winner, who will be trained for the Arc according to his trainer, is a general 10-1 chance but there's 12-1 in a couple of places.

1750 I fancy a change of scenery tomorrow, so I've decided to head off to Ffos Las. New racecourses don't come along every day, you know (isn't it three in 70 years or something like that?). I wasn't sure about it, but now that I can afford a hotel for the night, I've made my mind up. But don't worry, I'll still be offering my opinions on Ascot - just not from the same press room as everyone else.

1743 Apparently, pink is the colour this year. Just thought you ought to know. I've certainly seen plenty of pink.

1736 Stall four beats stall three with stall seven third. Bias? What bias? Oh yeah, that bias.

1725 Running for the Placepot in the last race are Damaniyat Girl, Good Again, Golden Stream and Photographic - I tried to get a fair spread with the draw in case the track was no longer favouring horses drawn low. Personally, I think Good Again must have a pretty solid chance from stall two.

1720 With the stable doing so well, it won't take long for the whispering campaigns to begin, but it's worth noting that Ward said in an interview before Ascot that he had deliberately selected horses from his stable whom he felt would be able to show their best form without the aid of medication and that he was awful sensible enough to bring them across to Britain and give them enough time to acclimatise. He seems to have done a good job. Maybe they just ask their two-year-olds to become racehorses at an earlier stage of their careers than we do - although the hypothesis doesn't explain why European two-year-olds have done relatively well against their American counterparts at the Breeders' Cup in recent years.

1710 Stablemate Yogaroo is immediately all the rage for tomorrow's opener - the Norfolk Stakes - with all of those bookmakers who had already priced the race up. What a remarkable story.

1705 A nice Placepot result too - shame about the winning distance, but I'll live with it for a nice winner like that. I've always liked trap one at the greyhounds.

1703 What price Aegean in the Albany Stakes now? Ward said: "Aegean is a very talented filly and she's very experienced and very well travelled. I would think she's going to be the best chance of the week."

1658 I hate to say I told you so but it was all there in black and white last night.

1647 Eight minutes to the off of the Queen Mary Stakes. Jealous Again is being led around the parade ring by a cowboy. Twenty-four hours after being responsible for the first American-trained winner in history of Royal Ascot, trainer Wesley Ward and jockey John Velazquez are back with another shot in this race. Ward, interviewed this morning, said: "I'm really expecting her to run a fantastic race although I know it will be stiffer competition (than yesterday)." I expect her to blast out from stall one and try and make all, with Velazquez saying: "I think she's pretty fast and if she handles the grass she has a good chance. She's a very, very good filly. They're going to have to really come to get her." I backed her at 14s immediately after the victory yesterday of Strike The Tiger. Meanwhile, stablemate Cannonball - a respectable sixth in the King's Stand - will bid to do even better in the Golden Jubilee on Saturday, according to Ward.

1645 John Hunt has just told me that he's 10 races into Royal Ascot without having backed a winner yet. There was a slightly haunted look in his eyes. I feel grateful for Scenic Blast yesterday, although another day of small, nibbling losers like this and I'll have given most of it back.

1634 Lovelace did best of those drawn on the far side, finishing seventh. Alfathaa was fifth for Sky Bet each-way punters. Mia's Boy caught the eye on the replay, coming from a long way back to finish third. It's not been Ryan Moore's week so far. Cadre looked like he didn't really want to know and ended up in the middle of the course, miles away from anything else. Lucky Dance couldn't get to the front and wasn't knocked about close home (again got nowhere near the favoured stands' rail).

1632 Roaring Forte, rather conveniently for the bookmakers, appeared to go into 11-2 just as he was withdrawn. I'm saying no more.

1628 Another winner for Johnny Murtagh, who is putting up a serious challenge for the London Clubs Trophy, despite the fact that he misses the last two days of this meeting. Murtagh absolutely made the most of his stall one draw - and what's more there's now no doubt that low-drawn horses have the advantage on the straight course. The miracle is that he only won by two and a quarter lengths, given how much the superior of his rivals he was. Roaring Forte, Docofthebay and Bencoolen were all withdrawn at the start - a combined deduction of 20p in the pound on Rule 4 for winning punters - OUCH!

1623 Horrible viewing as Docofthebay rears up and gets his front legs over the front of his stall. Thankfully all seems well in a matter of seconds. At the risk of echoing Clare Balding, those stalls handlers were on hand very quickly. They really do a great job.

1621 If Lucky Dance gets to the front on the stands' rail, I'd be slightly worried about him setting up the race for the favourite, but he might just hang on for a place. I've been persuaded. Not too far, though!

1613 Don't forget that Sky Bet are paying five places for each-way punters in this race.

1608 If you haven't backed a winner after three races, what you don't need on the 'still to come' list is a 30-runner handicap, followed by 13 unknown quantity two-year-old fillies and another 20-runner handicap. The Placepot's looking good though, and the distances too. And, unless I'm mistaken, Richard Hannon is still the leading trainer at the meeting as things stand. So nothing to cry about. Maybe just enough to gnash your teeth.

1605 Did you know that it was 'gentleman's day' today. No I didn't, either. Do you care? Didn't think so.

1600 'Racer Boy' is the contributor to follow today, having tipped Spacious and Vision d'Etat already today. He fancies Kings Point each-way (at a huge price) in the next. Meanwhile, another outsider - Lucky Dance - gets a good word from Danny, who writes: "I've had this horse down as a classy handicapper ever since it ran a really good field into submission at Newmarket at 33-1. That was it's very first win and for a horse to do that for its first win takes a good sort of animal. Drawn perfectly in stall 10 and can easily get to the front and the way the track favors horses drawn low in this race will suit its running style (frontrunner). The handicapper has dangerously left the horse on the same mark as its good 3rd in a big class handicap last time out and may have hit form at just the right time for this. He was also 5th in the Spring Mile but the ground was too soft at Newbury the run after, so you can see that the horse has been trained for this sort of race. Another plus point is William Buick has been booked to ride and we both know that he is making a name for himself as a big race jockey." His trainer, George Foster, has done me a few favours in the past and I can remember plenty of frontrunning outsiders bowling along and making the frame in this race in the past. I'm going to give it a whirl, Danny.

1549 Mais non, monsieur. A bit like Manchester United fans who sit in your end and only make themselves known when they take the lead, suddenly a load of French journalists who haven't said boo to a goose all day start jumping up and shouting 'allez, allez' at the furlong-pole. Tartan Bearer's connections can have no complaints about the pace in the race - and in fact it was Vision d'Etat (another stout stayer) who looked the most in trouble around the home turn, only to find most in the last 100 yards to deny the favourite by half a length. Tongue-strap? Quelle tongue-strap?

1546 They're going in. Tartan Bearer to win - albeit having had to get his hands dirty.

1544 So much for the big-race parade. By the time Twice Over has turned to come back in front of the stands, numbers one to five are already at the starting stalls waiting. It's now Vision d'Etat's turn to get excited as he gets right up on his toes and thinks about chucking off Olivier Peslier during the parade.

1535 Never On A Sunday is very much on his toes in the parade ring - but as I've never seen him before, I wouldn't know whether this is his usual behaviour. Looking through the statistics, it's hard to believe that Sir Michael Stoute hasn't won this race for 18 years, given his record of regular success at the Royal meeting.

1528 Oh good. More fashion on the BBC. The horses are in the paddock for the next race. Twice Over looks particularly well - good luck to Falbrav who thinks he will hold off Tartan Bearer "by a fast-diminishing neck". There's a little bit of light rain in the air now.

1515 Jockeys' quotes on the first race have just come through. Richard Hills - "good to firm"; Christophe Lemaire - "good"; Robert Winston "on the quick side of good"; Martin Dwyer - "a bit quicker than yesterday; Liam Keniry - "good, fast ground"; Ted Durcan - "lovely ground".

1512 Lush Lashes was just never going, even though she looked in splendid shape before the race. My brother was right - and believe me I don't like writing that.

1510 I saw a friend of mine in the pub at Newmarket last week, who has a connection with James Fanshawe's yard. He said that although they'd been a bit disappointed with Spacious' run at Epsom, "maybe she just isn't as good as we thought". What's the point of inside information when it's rubbish?

1454 DaveMorrissey is interested in Chantilly Creme in the Queen Mary. I like the trainer, I like the sire, I like the fact that she's a massive price, but I haven't a clue what the form of her win in the Prix de Bois Preau is worth.

1454 Carl Kelly - this is no time for grassing up your workmates. I'm sure he'd cover for you if there was a major sporting/betting event which you wanted to watch. That's what friends are for. God I miss working in an office. The camaraderie; fiddling the holiday rota; flirting with the secretary; finding betting websites which haven't been blocked by the firewall. Happy, happy days.

1446 As was the case for yesterday, the time of the first race (1.27.65 - just outside standard) does not suggest that the track is riding rattlingly quick, despite the official going report. But it's a decent time and I will be taking the fifth and sixth out of the race. Donativum did by far the best of those that raced in the middle of the course and Patrician's Glory just got going too late having travelled well in rear. He'll win a Group race at a mile.

1442 Great ride from Bob Winston on the runner-up, who quickly tacked him across to get him right on to the stands' rail. Stall one's looking good for the favourite in the Hunt Cup now.

1436 Someone fancied that Ouqba on an email earlier today. Well done if it was you. Meanwhile, Godolphin show that there's still a flicker on the heart-rate monitor as they come third and fifth. Maybe this 16-1 chance is worth a second look in the next... The Placepot got through though. And it's a good result on the distance front. Plenty to be cheerful about. Just look at Sheikh Hamdan's face. He's loving the game. I wonder if he's thinking about how he might be able to avoid a tap on his shoulder from his brother later...

1429 Ocean's Minstrel could just make them all work here if he gets to the stands' rail and can set his own fractions. But I don't fancy him enough to want to back him.

1425 The discussions about Tartan Bearer is continuing in my inbox. Can I thank you all for your contributions. Falbrav reckons Tartan Bearer will be a fast-finishing second or third as he reaches top gear all too late. I agree to the extent that Ryan Moore will have to get busy on him if he is to get there. David Anderson says: "Its form over 10 furlongs is seriously suspect - Pipedreamer's proximity at Sandown tells you that - but tactically how is he going to make his winning move as a stout and high-quality galloper (bit one paced) in the short Ascot straight over 10f (unless they all stop in front). As the raging debate indicates, the event is trappy with lots of chances but it is priced up as a two or three horse race. Each-way Trincot - wearing first time cheek pieces according to the SL website - is an sensible alternative strategy as you hit upon in your earlier comment. Where did Godolphin manage to find the cheek pieces? May be they had to borrow some of one of the all weather trainers?" The fact that everyone has a view on the Prince of Wales's Stakes tells you plenty about how impossible the Jersey is.

1417 "It's lovely to see Lady Helen Taylor looking so young and fresh", according to the lady doing the commentary on the royal procession for Ascot TV. How lovely. How absolutely lovely.

1417 Thanks to a kind contributor, you can all now see what you have been missing on Ascot TV today. Poor Rupert. Rupert Bell picture

1417 "It's lovely to see Lady Helen Taylor looking so young and fresh", according to the lady doing the commentary on the royal procession for Ascot TV. How lovely. How absolutely lovely.

1414Sam Barnard says he is "very sweet on Misheer today". Who wouldn't want to see Clive Brittain have another Royal Ascot winner?

1411 If you haven't already heard, it's been announced that Vision d'Etat will be running without a tongue strap today. His connections apparently didn't know that they had to declare it in order to run with one fitted in Britain. Could prove significant.

1405 Placepot on; cash down. Just in time for the royal anthem.

1350 I think I might have OCD. I've gone low on the distances again. I just feel uncomfortable unless I've done it.

1340 Right, it's Placepot time. I never learn.

1336 Undeterred by the effort of yesterday's selection, Fire And Rain, and the debate on here over Tartan Bearer, France-based Joe Williams is sticking with Never On A Sunday as "an each-way bet to nothing" at 4-1 in the Prince of Wales's Stakes. He is right to say that Jean-Claude Rouget has been in cracking recent form and the trainer insists that his horse is still improving. Could he be the one today?

1332 David Howells, who cheered Scenic Blast home with me yesterday, is another fan of Cadre's claims. I'm going to have a serious think about this Cadre now.

1330 A lady dressed for a funeral with a black hat/veil over her face has just won a £1,000 in the 'Best Royal Ascot Hat' competiton organised through queens-hat.com. I can already categorically state that there will be no bigger shock at Royal Ascot this week.

1325 The debate rages on as to whether Tartan Bearer can be as effective back over 10 furlongs today, as he has shown himself to be in the past over 12f. Falbrav writes to say: "I'm not at all convinced. He won the Dante last year but beat Frozen Fire in a small field by a tiny margin. Frozen Fire is largely disappointing horse, but he showed in winning the Irish Derby that he needs 12 furlongs and an out-and-out gallop. Consequently, that Dante form is not worth a fig. Neither is the form of the Gordon Richards Stakes where Pipedreamer stopped as if shot and the whole field closed in noticeably in the final furlong - Pipedreamer also disappointed in the Brigadier Gerard subsequently. Add to that Golan, Tartan Bearer's full brother appeared to need every yard of 12F as a 4-y-o. Put all this together and you have a horse twice placed in Derbys taking on a potential 10-furlong specialist. Twice Over is not the best horse in the field on ratings but he has optimal conditions today - and is bred to be a true 10-furlong horse... by Observatory (second to Grand Lodge in the St. James's Palace stakes) out of a Caerleon mare (who won the Lingfield Oaks trial but was disqualified)." All good points but the ground's a worry for me about Twice Over, Falbrav. I thought he wasn't letting himself down on it first time out at Newmarket and it was on a soft surface (and back at a mile) where he returned to some form last time in the Lockinge. How good a race was the Lockinge though? Maybe Tartan Bearer is better at 12f than 10f but even not his best might be good enough to beat Twice over. You draw the analogy with his brother, Golan, but Golan was a close second to Nayef in the International over 10f and that sort of form would see Tartan Bearer take this, wouldn't it?

1311 Newbury racecourse have just sent me an email message entitled "Press Release: Newbury Racecourse presents 'Christmas Disco Inferno'". Words fail me.

1306 My brother has emailed me to say that I'm wrong about Lush Lashes. "Why are they running a Group One filly in a Group Two? Because, like Soviet Song, they know that she's gone." Correct me if I'm wrong, old fruit, but didn't Soviet Song win this race (in 2006) and win quite well? (Admittedly, by then she was probably on the downgrade). Yes, Lush Lashes is giving 5lb to some nice fillies, but I'm pretty confident she'll get back on track today. Tony Wild agrees. "6-4 will look massive in three hours' time," he says.

1303 Jason Evanson is another Cadre fan and he thinks racing back on a straight course will help after he lost ground racing wide on the bend at Sandown last time. He also fancies Good Again (another Pricewise fancy), who I agree with him ran particularly well in unsuitably testing ground at Haydock last time.

1300 According to Wikipedia, the Countess of Southesk died in 1945. I think someone ought to tell the security services. There's an imposter on the loose.

1255 The runners and riders in the royal carriages have been published. No princesses today, apart from Princess Alexandra, who is down in the third carriage so she can't be that important. The Countess of Southesk has also turned up today, which is nice. Imagine the bragging points if you turned up to the pub with a countess. Interestingly, Lord Vestey's in the third carraige with the princess but Lady Vestey is right back in 'detached motor car number two'. I bet she's got the right hump.

1252 Duncan wants you to know that "it will take a wall to stop Wigwam Willie at Ripon tonight. Rosbay is the only danger." So that's Rosbay or a wall, then? Maybe Rosbay ought to build a wall then he'll have the race in the bag.

1245 Yes, I would prefer to back Tartan Bearer over a mile and a half than today's mile and a quarter, but I still think he'll be good enough to win today, particularly with Ryan Moore to get him stoked up and running off the bend. The interesting horse from a form perspective is Trincot, who has the beating of both of the French horses on his Prix d'Harcourt win but is available at four times their odds at 16-1 having since joined Godolphin - this seems a fairly accurate barometer as to where punters are standing with team Godolphin at present. Yesterday, the world's highest-rated horse was beaten at halfway in the Queen Anne. Tomorrow, the winner of the world's richest turf race over a mile and a half gets stepped up in trip by no less than a mile to run in the Gold Cup. These are difficult times for the boys in blue, but they'll bounce back at some stage. Might it be today at 16-1?

1235 More from Mr Hobbs. "If yesterday looked difficult, today looks downright impossible, you can make a case for just about everything running today, while equally being able to find plenty of reasons it might not win. My shortlist of 10 for the Jersey and 6 for the Windsor Forest hardly make any bet likely, and with no well-stocked bar to aid or build confidence I will keep to a watching brief. I am a fan of Vision D'etat in the Prince of Wales, but had hoped that all the French hype for Never on Sunday may have made it third best in the market and a best-priced 7-2 this morning doesn't strike me as anything more than fair. The favourite has an obvious chance, though I have a niggling doubt as to whether he is as good over 10 furlongs, and while the reappearance was encouraging (what price would Pipedreamer be in this field?), the fact the horse had a serious infection last year is another worry."

1230 Just been looking more closely at the race. There are at least half a dozen complete unknown quantities. It looks a minefield.

1220 Some of my most trusted correspondents, including Andy Hobbs, are against me and keen on Don't Tell Mary today. I find this concerning. I like Tom Dascombe and I love what she did at Beverley last time, but I don't feel it justifies her being as short as she is in the betting today, particularly with my naggingdoubts over fast ground.

1213 The Meister is on Cadre and Don't Tell Mary today. Cadre must have a cracking chance in the Hunt Cup. He looks a typical John Gosden group-horse-in-a-handicap and even has a Group-race entry for later in the season to hammer home the point.

1208 One bookmakers' spokesman claimed yesterday that "they are going out of the trading room on stretchers". I'm thinking of offering a prize for the most ridiculously-OTT quote from a bookies' rep this week. Also, if six outsiders win today, I want to read a quote that says "We're sitting on huge piles of punters' money, drinking champagne and lighting cigars with 50-pound notes". They never email those out, do they?

1158 Sky Bet have priced up a match bet on every race today and I could be tempted by backing Rose Blossom to beat Don't Tell Mary at 5-6 in the Queen Mary at 4.55. I remember Tom Dascombe saying that Don't Tell Mary wouldn't want the ground to be too quick before she won at Beverley last time (where a shower before racing had taken the sting out of the ground). Meanwhile, Betfred have emailed me to say that they will be offering 13-2 on the Tartan Bearer/Lush Lashes double between 1pm and 2pm. This is a decent price, in my opinion.

1150 Tony Chapple, this blog's dedicated correspondent on 22nd Street, has dialled in from NYC to bring his long-odds selection for the Hunt Cup - Final Verse, currently available at 40-1 in several places, although Tony's evidently had enough on this morning to mop up the 50s that was on offer earlier this morning. Several firms, including Sky Bet, are paying out on five places for each-way punters, so it's worth shopping around. Final Verse was a very smart performer in his prime (sixth behind George Washington in the 2000 Guineas for Sir Michael Stoute) but he has finished in the frame on all three starts for Taffy Salaman and ran well when second on his reappearance at Newmarket last month. I've certainly seen worse bets.

1145 Today's first email comes from my mum who wants to know what the food is like in the press room. The answer is that I'm far too busy working to find out. Yesterday, my entire diet from 4am to 8pm consisted of three ham, cheese and pickle sandwiches. Stick to what you know best, I say. There's no hurry with that sewing I left for you, either, mum.

1140 Logic dictates that with the favourites having done so well on the first day of the meeting, that today could be the turn of the outsiders - but I'm finding it hard to oppose Tartan Bearer today and even harder to take on Lush Lashes, who looks a good thing in the Windsor Forest Stakes. Maybe you disagree? Drop me a line and let me know.

1135 Rupert Bell, who is presenting Ascot TV again today, had an accident with the weighing room floor after the last race yesterday and looks like Herman Munster. He's doing his best to keep the left side of his face away from the camera as much as possible, bless him. He's currently interviewing Angus Loughran, but the sound is off so I can't tell you what's he's saying.

1130 Can someone explain to me what the protocol is for these garden party-things that happen in the car parks after racing? There was one yesterday, about 12 feet from where I'd parked my car which featured booze and food and about 150 people, Ed Dunlop (I actually had a dream about Ed Dunlop last night, probably because I was thinking about the garden party as I was lying in bed) and about 150-200 posh people and there didn't seem to be any sort of entrance procedure whatsoever. Nobody checked a ticket or ticked you off - you just walked up, grabbed some booze and a plateful of sandwiches and necked them. Presumably someone stays back atthe 4x4 to prepare the food all day while everyone else goes to the races. It's a different world.

1122 The going remains good to firm, with no rain overnight and just 2mm added artificially. The sky is overcast, however, and there is a possibility of light rain later this afternoon and this evening. Four non-runners in so far: 4.20 1 Smokey Oakey (going), 6 Bushman (going), Miliary Power (lame). 5.30 2 Baileys Cacao (colic).

1115 What is the point in all of these posh people having big, swanky cars if none of them know how to drive them properly? Good morning from Ascot where, finally, I can start looking forward to the second day of the Royal meeting. Apologies for my slightly tardy start, caused by confused and harrassed-looking women in Audi A4 2.5 Tdi Convertibles and shiny new Range Rover Turbos, but we're off and running.