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THE fifth and final day of the Royal Ascot festival always has the feeling of after the Lord Mayor’s Show for me as Tuesday is always the best day with a proliferation of Group One events, but day five has just the one top-flight race, the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at 3.40.

On the plus side, this year’s renewal is probably the most open in recent years, with a field of 16 set to go to post headed in the betting by the hugely flexible Lazzat. The French raider has run as far as a mile in the Hong Kong Mile and also run over six furlongs last time out when absolutely dotting up in the Listed Prix Servanne last month.

That could leave him vulnerable over this specialists trip and there are any number of runners that could take advantage without a real standout star over six furlongs. Winner of last year’s Commonwealth Cup and on his seasonal debut this term, the Duke of York Stakes, Inisherin is an obvious player, while former Aussie star, Storm Boy, now with Aidan O’Brien, has been the subject of hugely positive reports of some brilliant home work following a hugely below-par run on his Irish debut at the Curragh. But in the end I have gone out on a limb and plumped for an each-way play on JASOUR.

He was a real eyecatcher when running here on Tuesday, finishing off his race in cracking fashion to finish a never nearer fourth behind American Affair in the King Charles III Stakes. He is the kind of speedster who would ideally be suited to five-and-a-half furlongs, but being a bigger and stronger version this year, I suspect he will see out this trip as well as he ever has done and is readily available at 40/1.

There are several tough handicaps to try and solve during the final afternoon and none more so than the Wokingham at 5.00 with a field of 28 set to thunder down the six-furlong stretch.

The William Haggas-trained More Thunder has been ante-post favourite since winning back to back races at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile course during May. He has been raised some 11lbs for these two wins, but in an ideal world the son of Night of Thunder would prefer some juice in the ground and he certainly won’t get that here and he is short enough in the betting for me.

Course and distance winner Jarraaf, Woodhay Wonder and Elmonjed are just a trio of runners in the top half of the betting with obvious chances, but at a much bigger price I am going to take aim with ZOUM ZOUM who has been aimed at this contest all season.

The chestnut gelding has raced mainly over seven furlongs in his 11-race career to date, but has taken his form to a new level since being dropped down to this six. He had a lovely warm-up for this contest on his belated seasonal debut when a cracking second behind Fair Angellica in a Listed contest at Salisbury.

Of course, an elevated handicap mark of 106 is no gimme, but the selection has bundles of class and looks to be positioned on the side of the track where there is loads of pace. Also at a double-figure price, the likes of former winner St Lawrence and Cover Up could outrun their respective prices.

The newly purchased Ghostwriter runs over a mile-and-a-half for the first time in the Hardwicke Stakes at 3.05 and you could argue that this is his easiest task for some time, but the question has to be the extra quarter-mile.

Plenty of his rivals here would relish some give in the ground, though, so despite the dozen runners set to go to post, I am not sure that this Group Two will take all that much winning. That has pointed me in the direction of AL RIFFA. Joseph O’Brien’s charge has only raced over this distance on two occasions and a fast-run race around here should prove perfect for him and if he runs up to his best 10-furlong form, it is hard to see him being beaten.

As far as the rest of the card is concerned, I will be having a small play on second favourite WILD WAVES (6.10) in the final race of the card, the two-and-three-quarter-mile Queen Alexandra Stakes. The Golden Gates Handicap over a mile-and-a-quarter at 5.35 looks a much tougher race to try and dissect with 16 three-year-olds set to go to post.

I suspect that the Ralph Beckett-trained Seraph Gabriel will start favourite on the back of his second in the Esher Stakes at Sandown Park over a mile. He has quite obviously been saved for this by his shrewd and in-form trainer, but at a much bigger price and I much prefer having an each-way play on the London Gold Cup third, QUAI DE BETHUNE (5.35). 

The son of Persian King was outpaced and didn’t get the clearest of runs from three furlongs out at Newbury before powering home to be beaten and length-and-a-half and I am sure that there is a deal more to come from this progressive sort.

Elsewhere from Ascot, the best bet away from the big meeting probably comes at Newmarket on the July course in the form of bottom weight TATTIE BOGLE in the six-furlong handicap at 3.45. This will be the grey gelding’s ninth career start and I expect the drop of six furlongs, dropped to a handicap mark of 78 looks a winning combination.