Dave Massey is back for the fifth and final day of Royal Ascot 2024, with the best ahead of Day 5 of the royal meeting.

Royal Ascot 2024: Haatem (3:05 Ascot) – Back 

Haatem was a busy boy as a juvenile, running no less than nine times, and the assumption was that his win in the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood would be as good as he was, as he didn’t improve on it as the rest of the season went on, but how wrong we were. 

Again all the clever souls dismissed his Craven romp as a fluke, but his third in the 2000 Guineas next time scotched that theory, and then it was dismissed entirely when only finding Rosallion a head too good in the Irish 2000. It would be fair to say that form is already looking much stronger after Rosallion’s Group 1 win earlier in the week, and really the only question is whether the drop back to seven furlongs is going to be an inconvenience. 

To that end, and given he looked a sprinter for much of last year, I think he’ll easily have the pace to cope and lay up, and that extra bit of stamina will serve him well in the closing stages. For me, he looks rock-solid, and in a Jersey that might not take that much winning, is clearly the one to beat. 

Royal Ascot 2024: Hand of God (5:40 Ascot) – Lay 

I was rather hoping Hand Of God was going to be drawn low, as I’d have been really confident at that point, but all the same I’m struggling to see why Hand Of God is quite a short price for this, for all that improvement may be forthcoming now he steps up in trip. 

His form to date reads okay, but not much more than that; his win in a back-end Newmarket maiden last year may well have marked him out as one that would do better at three, but it hasn’t really worked out that well as yet, with second home Classic Encounter beaten at a short price in a Kempton maiden on his only start since, third Brave Call not really going forward and fourth Sisyphean scrambling home in a Newcastle maiden before disappointing off a mark of 80 in a handicap on his latest start. 

Hand Of God himself didn’t improve much when beating Blue Lemons at Sandown first time this year, although he did show a good attitude to win, and all in all, I’m not seeing why he’s the price he is. Lay him for places in what looks a very competitive handicap. 

Royal Ascot 2024: Rumstar (5:05 Ascot) – Each Way

Rumstar ran an unexpectedly good race to finish a close fifth to Shaquille in the Commonwealth Cup last year and he showed that no fluke when a close sixth in the Hackwood Stakes on his next start; after needing the run at Bath first time out this year (where heavy ground was no use to him) he improved enormously to run the rejuvenated (and well-handicapped) Lethal Levi at Newbury last time. Has a good draw in stall 25 to work from and he should be doing plenty of good late running at a track that clearly suits. 

Despite going off an 80-1 chance Rumstar ran a blinder to be beaten just 2½ lengths by Shaquille in the Commonwealth Cup last year, form that just looked stronger as the season went on, and although that looked something of a fluke effort at the time, he ran to a pretty similar level to be sixth in the Hackwood Stakes at Newbury next time out.

t would be fair to say his form since then has been patchy, although an early unseat in the Stewards Cup was hardly his fault, and he hated the heavy ground at Bath on his reappearance, so they’re easy enough to forgive, but he came right back to form at Newbury last time when second to Lethal Levi, who himself was coming back to his best form in first-time blinkers, but on 4lb better terms and arguably a better draw among the high numbers today, it isn’t too hard to envisage that form being reversed here.  With track, trip and ground all in his favour, he looks the each-way value play in the Wokingham. 

By Dave Massey

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