Royal Ascot Albany Stakes tips: Mountain Breeze can blow Fairy Godmother away in competitive opener

14:30 Royal Ascot: Albany Stakes

• Race details: 6 furlongs, Group 3, 2-year-old fillies only
• 2023 winner: Porta Fortuna(5/1) – Frankie Dettori (J), Donnacha Aidan O’Brien (T)
• Recent Trends: 16/19 winners came from double-figure stalls, 12/18 came from stalls 11-15 

Planet Sport Bet Royal Ascot Special: Bet £20+ cash on any runner in the race and if the favourite (inc. joint/co) wins, get a £5 Free Bet!

If the bookies have got their numbers right, then Friday’s opener should develop into a two-horse race with Ryan Moore and William Buick going head-to-head on board clear market leaders Fairy Godmother and Mountain Breeze respectively.

Fairy Godmother hails from the red-hot Ballydoyle stable and is expected to progress further after backing a debut runner-up spot with a hard-fought win at the second attempt in a six-runner affair over this distance at Naas a month ago.

It’s a brave move to back against Aidan O’Brien’s in-form squad at the moment, but on this occasion we’re going to bite the bullet and give our seal of approval to Charlie Appleby’s progressive filly, Mountain Breeze, who looks good value at a slightly larger price at the time of writing.

Suggested best bet: Mountain Breeze in the 14:30 at Royal Ascot

A debut outing over the minimum trip at Newmarket’s Guineas meeting was won with some aplomb, and she quickly backed that up with an equally impressive victory when stepped up to this six-furlong trip a fortnight later, and she was quickly pencilled in for this royal meeting entry.

Both wins were won cosily with more than two lengths in hand, and with seemingly plenty more to come, she looks a strong candidate to give this trainer/jockey partnership their first win of the meeting (although Buick did taste success on a Willie Mullins charge on Tuesday).

Assuming the race runs to the form of the two principals, the four places up for grabs means that the remaining 15 runners can engage in an each-way slugfest to grab the minor placings.

Of those, there’s plenty with a number 1 already in their brief formline, with Twafeeg in particular catching the eye for the Hollie Doyle/Archie Watson team.

There’s only one previous outing to call upon, but it was an impressive performance as an 18/1 shot in a fillies’ maiden at Doncaster in which she held off the short-priced favourite with over a length to spare, with 10 other rivals strung out behind.

After landing three Royal Ascot winner in 2023, all for this trainer, Doyle is yet to register her first success this year. She has had three top-three spots, all at outsider prices (40/1, 50/1 and 28/1), and while she might have to settle for another frame finish here, Twafeeg represents a more realistic prospect of opening her account.

Best each-way bet: Twafeeg each-way in the 14:30 at Royal Ascot

The remaining 14 starters are all available at double-digit odds, which opens the door for the likes of Simmering and Heavens Gate to build on their early promise, but if we’re looking for real outsider value, then the fact that Karl Burke has already saddled two winners here this week bodes well for the chances of Liberalised, who lines up under Danny Tudhope.

She will obviously be challenged much more than in her solitary outing at Hamilton a fortnight ago, when she brushed six lower-class rivals aside, but with the yard in red-hot form and a very capable pilot, she could well put in a better performance than the bookies would have us believe.

Outsider punt: Liberalised in the 14:30 at Royal Ascot

READ MORE: Royal Ascot Friday tips: Best bets for ITV action on Day 4, June 21