Poniros and Ramazan - on the Ascot radar

Royal Ascot tips: Outsiders to consider

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Thu June 19, 2025 · 1M ago

Our Podcast team offered up some big-price horses on their radar for Royal Ascot next week.

David Johnson: There’s a horse I’ve been waiting for Royal Ascot with and I’m hoping RAMAZAN is going to pitch up in the Buckingham Palace. He’s down to a BHA mark of 96 now and you just have to look at some of his form from last year.

He was beaten three-quarters-of-a-length in the Great St Wilfrid off 103, beaten a neck in the Victoria Cup off 105 and a neck in the Ayr Gold Cup the year before off 101.

His mark now looks really interesting and Richard Fahey's horses look to be turning a corner - watch out for the headgear going back on too. Everything looks in place for him to run a big race from a lenient-looking rating.

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Graham Cunningham: MY CLOUD might just be a blot on the Hunt Cup. Not many horses who can run off 95 have a Timeform rating of 109p, what a difference that is. He could be thrown in with a mallet.

But at a massive price, and he has slightly snaky tendencies when he hits the front this horse, but OLIVER SHOW for George Boughey, just pipped in the Lincoln - beaten a nose - and I think he's been put on layaway since. He might be well suited by the demands of the Hunt Cup.

In the Wokingham there’s another one in the same colours, MORE THUNDER, who’s won two big handicaps at Newmarket and looks tailormade for Ascot but at a big, big price I like a horse called COMPLETLEY RANDOM for the Charlton team. He was impressive at Leicester two starts ago, the form worked out a treat, and he got stuck in a slowly-run race behind Aramram at Newbury on Lockinge day. I'm sure he’s better than that.

Ed Chamberlin: Willie Mullins having a Royal winner would be typical of the man and REACHING HIGH was a real eyecatcher under Jody Townend on his prep race. He could be Vauban all over again.

I like STRONG WARRIOR for Richard Fahey in the Palace of Holyrood House and FITZELLA in the Albany but there are so many you can fancy. It’s an amazing week.

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Billy Nash: Ed has already touched upon Willie Mullins and Reaching High will obviously garner a lot of attention but looking through his other entries in the week, if PONIROS runs in the Copper Horse Handicap I’d be very sweet on him.

He has a handicap mark of 91, he's a Triumph Hurdle winner who ran very well to chase home Lulamba at Punchestown. If he gets in off 91 in the Copper Horse, I can’t see what’s going to beat him.

The trip is a slight concern but we’ve seen Willie do it before with the likes of Vauban and he’ll do for me.