2023 Balmoral Handicap Tips

Harry Eustace might have the favourite to win this race in the form of Docklands, with the three-year-old having performed well this season. There was an underwhelming showing at Goodwood last time out when finishing second-last in a Thoroughbred Stakes encounter, although there was previously a star showing at the 2023 Royal Ascot meeting.

Sent off as the 6/1 favourite to win the Britannia Stakes, the horse was able to oblige over one mile and perhaps jockey Hayley Turner will be reunited with this charge. However, Sonny Liston is a four-year-old with similarly solid credentials and trainer Ralph Beckett could certainly coax the best out of this runner.

The horse was second at Doncaster last time out when narrowly being edged out by Liberty Lane in a handicap race and this came after a fourth-placed finish out of nineteen horses in the Clipper Handicap. However, Baradar is the horse bidding for a third successive win and the five-year-old has recently scored at Ascot and Doncaster.

There was a 16/1 success in the Moet & Chandon International Stakes, with George Boughey seeing his horse edge out 50/1 chance Hickory by half a length on that occasion. However, the runner was well down the order when appearing in the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and it could be worth considering some of the other bigger-priced runners.

2022 Balmoral Cup Tips

Dubai Mirage is a talented five-year-old who has scored a couple of victories already this season, with Saeed bin Suroor having trained the runner to success in the Champagne Jacquart Handicap. Previously to this, the horse finished fifth in the Porsche Handicap after a handicap win at Salisbury.

However, there are lots of similarly-priced contenders under consideration. Sweet Believer came back after a break of nearly a year when lining up at Sandown Park on 14 September, with Stevie Donohoe giving the charge a solid ride when finishing second behind odds-on favourite Bayside Boy.

Tyrrhenian Sea is a Roger Varian-trained runner and was sent off as the 3/1 favourite in the P J Towey Construction Handicap at Doncaster on 11 September, although the horse could only finish fifth in that particular race. Previously to that had been a solid effort in the Clipper Logistics Handicap over one mile.

Bashkirova also has plenty to prove after finishing second-last in the Strensall Stakes at York Racecourse on 20 August, with punters potentially profiting from bigger-priced contenders for this race. Many bookmakers might be offering five or six places depending on the number of runners that are lining up here.

Who Are the Other Betting Favourites for Balmoral Handicap?

Bell Rock is looking to build on his decent effort in the Cambridgeshire when the Andrew Balding-trained charge finishing third in this Group 1 encounter and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the four-year-old run into the frame in the Balmoral Handicap.

Matthew Flinders could be the pick of the three-year-olds, with Ed Walker saddling a horse that recently won a one-mile encounter at Doncaster Racecourse, with the runner having finished in the frame in all five starts this season and could be a good each-way bet.

Brian Meehan could have a peach in the form of Raaeq and the three-year-old claimed the spoils in the Bet At racingtv.com Handicap over a mile on good ground, with the horse only being narrowly edged out in a handicap race previously to this at Sandown.

The History of the Balmoral Handicap

This is a fairly recent race that takes place at Ascot Racecourse and is the lowest-grade race on British Champions Day although it’s still an attractive encounter and it’s an opportunity to land some decent prize money as part of an excellent racecard.

The race was originally established in 2014 and this Class 2 encounter is run over a straight mile and no more than twenty horses can enter the race so the cut-off always ensures that only the highest-rated runners line up.

Trainer David O’Meara has claimed victories in two of the previous three renewals, with Escobar and Lord Glitters both successful for this handler, while Roger Varian won the race in 2018 with Sharja Bridge.