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Lockinge Stakes tips and predictions: Poker Face the choice
Find the latest Lockinge Stakes odds, along with our expert’s win and each-way tips plus a betting offer for the big race today
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Lockinge day at Newbury is always a pre-summer highlight and usually features a clash between some of the best milers on the planet.
The great Baaeed was victorious in 2022, while Palace Pier (2021) and Ribchester (2017) are other top-notch performers on the race’s recent roll of honour.
A field of 11 has been declared for this afternoon’s Group 1 event and our expert has picked out a pair of runners to follow.
Lockinge Stakes tips
- Selection: Poker Face @ 6/1 with BetMGM
- Next best: Witch Hunter @ 40/1 with BetMGM
Odds, correct at the time of publishing, are subject to change.
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Poker Face yet to show his hand
Big Rock and Inspiral are the two outstanding milers in the Lockinge Stakes, but there is a doubt over the pair’s race sharpness as they are making their seasonal returns.
Baaeed is the only horse in the past seven runnings to have captured this first time out. Inspiral, who appears to be drawn away from plenty of the speed in stall one, will not get the fast ground she relishes. Her form on soft going is far inferior.
Big Rock also has questions to answer after switching to lesser-known French trainer Maurizio Guarnieri and perhaps the bet365 Mile at Sandown last month is the form line to focus on.
Charyn did it nicely in that event to keep up his unbeaten record this term, but POKER FACE was not far away from the third favourite in first-time cheekpieces under a 3lb penalty on his comeback run.
That should have put him straight for this as they renew their rivalry off level weights with the aid reapplied, and it is a surprise that Charyn is shorter in the betting. While the Dark Angel colt is clearly on an upward curve, it was a career-best effort from both horses at Sandown.
Simon and Ed Crisford’s Fastnet Rock gelding needs cut in the ground and should get that, while he stays a bit further, so will have no worries if this is a strongly run race. He could just take his form to a new level as a five-year-old.
Selection: Poker Face @ 6/1 with BetMGM
Witch may hunt them down late
There are many in the field who could supply the pace here. Recent trends tell us that Dear My Friend (stall two), Hi Royal (four), Audience (five), Flight Plan (eight) and Big Rock (nine) are all likely to go forward, and there is a chance the leaders will go off too fast.
That could bring Richard Hannon’s regular hold-up performer WITCH HUNTER into the conversation at a massive price. The concern is the trip as the five-year-old gelding is known as a seven-furlong specialist, with his two defining performances earned when coming from last to first in the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Hungerford Stakes at this course last August.
The son of Siyouni has not had many tries at the mile, but does handle a slight ease underfoot and is likely to get a nice tow into the race from stall seven, close to the early speed.
The value of having race fitness on your side is all the more important in a well-run affair and Witch Hunter has built towards this by contesting two races that were not contested to suit at Sandown and Haydock in the past three weeks.
Selection: Witch Hunter @ 40/1 with BetMGM
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