6f Wokingham Stakes (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (3yo+ 0-110)
Class and an ability to stay +7 furlongs have tended to produce the winner of the Wokingham in recent years and that’s where we have landed with our selections.
There were big things expected of KHANJAR as a three-year-old last season emphasised by going off a short priced favourite of the Ayr Gold Cup. But there is a feeling that contest came too soon in his career and he got right back on track with a decent second in Hamilton behind a course-specialist last time out.
Khanjar actually posted a career high RPR mark of 108 and is officialy rated 2bs higher (at 99) than what he races off here (97). William Haggas applies cheekpieces to him for the first time which could produce an improved level of performance for a horse that maybe just needs to try a bit harder. But the key to Khanjar may also be lightning fast-ground, which he will get here on Saturday and he still has plenty of potential for connections.
The other two that looked interesting off the same mark were Probe and Apollo One, but I really can’t quite understand how KINGS LYNN is priced at 20/1 for this race.
Kings Lynn finished third in this in 2021 off a 6lbs lower mark behind Rohaan when not getting a clear run and has been plying his trade at pattern-level ever since. He had his first run in two years in a handicap last time out at Chester when getting done by his stablemate who got first run on him over that tactical track. This will be much more suited to him and whilst Kings Lynn hasn’t got his head in front at Ascot, he has placed here twice and general runs fairly well.
He has dropped to a mark that could potentially be quite dangerous and Harry Davies takes a further 3lbs off him. Kings Lynn is a classy-type and I can see him running a big race returning to a handicap.
1pt win Khanjar @11/1, 17:00 Royal Ascot, Saturday
1pt win Kings Lynn @20/1, 17:00 Royal Ascot, Saturday