Horse Racing: Kinane All the Rage to Be Top Jockey at Ascot

Mick Kinane, from an opening price of 8-1, is now the 2-1 favourite to be leading jockey at Royal Ascot for the fifth time. It is not difficult to see why following yesterday's declarations for the opening day of the meeting when Aidan O'Brien, the main provider of Kinane's ammunition, has a particularly strong hand.

George Washington leads the Ballydoyle team in Tuesday's Queen Anne Stakes. He is Coral's even money favourite to make a successful return to the track after having fertility problems at stud.

If on his best behaviour, George Washington could be a first-day banker for Kinane. Given the colt's mercurial temperament, however, Hill's are offering 4-1 that he will refuse to enter the stalls.

While Cockney Rebel and Dutch Art corner the market on the St James's Palace Stakes at 6-4 and 9-4, respectively, with Ladbrokes, O'Brien is responsible for five entries in a race he has won three times in the last seven years. Excellent Art was an unlucky fourth in the French 2,000 Guineas behind his stable companion Astronomer Royal. The colt is a 13-2 shot with Hill's to turn the tables on Astronomer Royal (8-1) on Tuesday.

With the unbeaten two-year-olds Henrythenavigator and Warsaw among the O'Brien entries for the Coventry and Windsor Castle, Kinane is in pole position.

Betting on Wednesday's Royal Hunt Cup is set for a shake-up following Henry Cecil's announcement that the well-backed Sound Of Nature is likely to run in the Wolferton Stakes, over an extra two furlongs, on Friday instead.

Ron Cox's tip of the day


Look So 3.15 Newbury

Initial reaction to this filly's 100-1 victory at this course last month was to label it a fluke. But subsequent events have proved otherwise. Both the runner-up, Cape Hawk, and third-placed Parisian Dream, have won their next races, while Cactus Rose (seventh) gave odds-on Gongidas a fright at Windsor on Saturday. Look So, well in off 71, should be suited by this step up to a mile.