Royal Ascot

Each-way specialist Richard Hutchinson, who runs Won Two Three Racing Tips on Tipstrr, has cast his expert eye over the Royal Ascot card to provide his best value bet from this open-looking handicap.

15:05 King George V Stakes (Group 2) (1 mile 4 furlongs)

This Group 3 race for three-year-olds offers a competitive appetiser on Gold Cup Day and it rarely disappoints for horse racing drama.

The 2022 winner Secret State was the first successful favourite (4/1JF) since 2014, and even then the Charlie Appleby-trained winner only just held on by a head from Deauville Legend.

I like the chances of a Royal winner here in the form of Desert Hero, ridden by the excellent Tom Marquand.

He is bred to appreciate middle distances; his grand-dam produced the game and gritty stayer Dartmouth (a gift to the Queen by Sheikh Mohammed) who won the Group 2 Hardwick stakes at Royal Ascot over this very trip.

Planet Sport Bet: Money Back if 2nd to SP Favourite in all Royal Ascot Races

Desert Hero showed promising form as a two-year-old, postmarking 94 on debut, defeating the favourite Captain Waters by a cosy 2.5 lengths over seven furlongs - that horse is now rated 105.

He then ran well in a seven-furlong Group 3 at Sandown, but was rightly outpaced in the final furlong to finish three lengths behind Silver Knott, who is now rated 112.

This season he made his seasonal reappearance and went off favourite in a hot Newbury handicap, where he made the running over 10 furlongs and was still there at the furlong pole, only to get outpaced, going down by just three lengths.

Connections will have had an eye on this Royal meeting, and were easy on the young colt in the final half furlong, but this was a great outing and a needed run, and the experience will have done him the world of good.

Today he steps up to one and a half miles and this should bring out more improvement, so the fact he runs off just 94 gives him a cracking chance here.

He comes out of stall 21, which may seem too wide, but a wide draw here can be an advantage, especially considering he likes to race prominently (like many of the previous wide-drawn winners)

It's a tough race to call, but we could get 25/1, and that's way too big for Desert Hero's chances, and even if firmed up to 14/1 I'm recommending 1 point each way - hopefully, we can cheer on a Royal winner!

Suggested bet: Desert Hero each-way in the 15:05 at Royal Ascot

King George V Stakes each-way tip: Royal Ascot glory beckons for Desert Hero