Oli Bell expects Wes Ward to open his 2018 Royal Ascot account today - check out the ITV Racing presenter's recommended day three Yankee.
2.30 Royal Ascot - Shang Shang Shang
Possibly not the strongest field ever assembled for the Norfolk Stakes and Wes Ward's filly stands out a mile in receipt of weight from the colts. She bolted up on debut at Keeneland in April and the trainer knows how well the Keeneland turf form can translate to Ascot. It's not been a brilliant week yet for Ward but he's fired more bullets than normal and this one can get him rolling.
3.40 Royal Ascot - Wild Illusion
Sometimes we over-complicate things in the Ribblesdale, looking for those fillies who perhaps missed the Oaks and could take a giant leap forward now stepped up in distance. However, Wild Illusion didn't just run really well in the Oaks but her overall body of work is that of a top-class filly and despite small fears over the good to firm ground, she's surely going to take the world of beating.
4.20 Royal Ascot - Order Of St George
What a race this promises to be... No Big Orange for Order Of St George to contend with but a couple of fascinating, high-class rivals in Stradivarius and Vazirabad. Preference is for the O'Brien runner, who looks as good as he's ever been so far this season and might just be given a slightly more positive ride than 12 months ago.
5.00 Royal Ascot - Il Primo Sole
A fantastic handicap to get stuck into and I simply can't resist the prices around for this Gosden/Dettori runner. The trainer targets this race every year and his comeback win at Kempton promised plenty. I can excuse him a lesser effort in the French Guineas last time and if Gosden felt he was good enough to event contest that race, he's good enough for me here on his handicap debut from a mark of 102.
