Draw the line with Academy

If there is one saving grace in the position of the Wokingham Handicap as the major betting race on the final day of Royal Ascot, it is that most punters have long since exhausted their money supply, and 70-odd seconds of headlong action down the straight six furlongs is unlikely to make things much worse. The last favourite to win it, Bel Byou in 1987, was also the last winner returned at single-figure odds, and anyone who attempts to chase their losses in the Wokingham is either very brave or very mad.

Yet there is no reason to despair entirely, for while the record of Wokingham favourites is poor, this is not a race which tends to fall to rank outsiders either. The typical winner is an experienced handicapper who has run into peak form, a profile which rules out a fair number today. The draw, too, is worth considering for, while neither recent history nor this week's evidence favours one side over the other, it may pay to play both sides against the middle.

In the last 10 runnings of the Wokingham only Astrac in 1995 has won from a draw in the teens. Winners have come from 30, 29, 28, 20, 7, 5, 3 and twice from 4. A stall within six or seven of a rail offers a distinct advantage, and with Guinea Hunter (in 29) the far-side saver, the clear pick on the stands rail is ELLENS ACADEMY (nap 4.20).

Eric Alston's sprinter is in the form of his life, and recorded an exceptional time when winning by six lengths at Doncaster last month. Early odds of 8-1 might not appear generous, but they are a realistic assessment for a horse with a major chance.

The Coronation Stakes is a more frustrating puzzle with half a dozen credible winners. Ameerat, the 1,000 Guineas winner, has a clear chance, but Enthused (3.45), who found it all happening too fast at Newmarket, may finish closer, while Crystal Music, fourth in the Guineas, looked to have improved when second to Imagine in the Irish equivalent. Add in Banks Hill, who was unlucky when second to Rose Gypsy in the French 1,000 Guineas, and the shortlist is already too long for comfort, even before you consider Monnavanna, whose trainer, Geoff Wragg, has won this race three times in nine years.

Storming Home, fifth in the Derby, is the form choice for the King Edward VII Stakes, but this race often comes too soon for Epsom horses, and Milan (2.30) is the alternative. Lucido (next best 3.05) must go close in the Hardwicke, while Pentecost (4.55) and Life Is Life (5.30) offer the final two chances to get out of trouble.