Royal Ascot betting tips: Selections for Wednesday 17 June at Ascot

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Wednesday marks Day 2 of Royal Ascot and there’s an excellent mix of Group and handicap action on offer. We have seven races in total and the card gets off to a strong start, with three consecutive Group 2 races followed by the day’s main event.Our feature race is the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, which has a total prize fund of £1,000,000, and last year’s winner Ombudsman has some stiff competition this time around, as French trainer Francis-Henri Graffard sends over the excellent Daryz.Our expert has picked out three of their strongest fancies to follow and amongst them is an Aidan O’Brien-trained filly in the opening contest who is unbeaten in two starts and it may well take a monster performance from a rival to get the better of her.GET £30 IN FREE BETS WITH TALKSPORT BETRoyal Ascot betting tips Wednesday14:30 Ascot – Victorious @ 9/215:05 Ascot – Port Of Spain @ 7/116:20 Ascot – Daryz @ 15/814:30 Ascot – Victorious @ 9/2Aidan O’Brien dominated the two-year-old division at last year’s Royal Ascot, winning the Coventry Stakes, Norfolk Stakes and the Queen Mary. It could be a similar story this time around and the very promising VICTORIOUS gets the nod.This impeccably well-bred daughter of Wootton Bassett is out of a sister to the superb Minding and Oaks winner September. She overcame an awkward start to win well at Naas on debut, although that success came over 6f, and showed a fair amount of early speed.Stepping up in grade after that, she landed the Group 3 Irish EBF Fillies Sprint Stakes next time. The front two were well clear of the rest that day and she hung on well to score by a neck. Going back in trip might improve her on that evidence and she’s likely to step forward.15:05 Ascot – Port Of Spain @ 7/1This can be a tough race to assess, as many of the runners are trying 1m6f for the first time, but the handicapper thinks that PORT OF SPAIN is the best horse in the race and it’s easy to support that theory when looking at the three-year-old’s best form.Trainer Aidan O’Brien is expecting him to improve plenty this term and longer trips will definitely be to his liking this year. He got off the mark in a mile maiden at Punchestown last season, after finishing third behind stablemate Hawk Mountain at the Curragh.The son of St Mark’s Basilica went on to finish third behind Derby winner Christmas Day in the Group 3 Eyresfield Stakes over 1m1f and that race tends to suit future stayers. He’ll improve plenty for his seasonal debut and Ryan Moore can work his magic.16:20 Ascot – Daryz @ 15/8Defending champion Ombudsman will be the popular selection here, but he didn’t face any rivals with a similar amount of ability to the French raider DARYZ here. Francis-Henri Graffard’s four-year-old has made a flying start to the season and victory is anticipated.Making his seasonal debut in the Group 1 Prix Ganay at Longchamp, he over raced a little in the early stages, but that didn’t stop him from kicking clear with ease in the end, putting three-and-a-half lengths between him and the runner-up when they crossed the line.It’s very promising that he was similarly as impressive when winning a Group 1 over 1m1f last time out, even though he’s probably a 1m4f horse, and that suggests he should be absolutely fine in this 1m2f contest, which should be run at a strong gallop.GET £30 IN FREE BETS WITH TALKSPORT BETVisit talkSPORT BET for all the latest horse racing betting odds*all odds correct at time of writing and subject to change18+ New Customers. Opt in, deposit and bet £10+ on any horse racing markets within 7 days of sign up. Get 3 x £10 Free Bets for set horse racing markets. Bonuses expire in 7 days. Scroll down for T&Cs. GambleAware.org Please gamble responsibly. Remember to gamble responsiblyA responsible gambler is someone who:Establishes time and monetary limits before playingOnly gambles with money they can afford to loseNever chase their lossesDoesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressedGamCare – www.gamcare.org.ukGamble Aware – www.gambleaware.orgFor help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org