Wixim is the day's best wager

WITH the Epsom Classics barely a week ago, punters are provided with yet more top-quality fare this week with Royal Ascot's four days of fashion, champagne and great betting opportunities.

Roger Charlton's stable is in flying form and the Beckhampton handler's Wixim is the nap bet in the first race, the Group Two Queen Anne Stakes, this afternoon. The good ground suits and his three runs this season have all shown that this four-year old has developed into a most useful performer at the very highest level.

In particular, his head defeat of the ill-fated First Island in the Sandown Mile in April reads particularly well. In his most recent race, he was a gallant second in very soft ground to Geoff Wragg's much-improved Sasuru, running out of petrol in the last few yards over an extended nine-furlong trip.

Back to a mile, he can return to winning ways under 11 times champion jockey Pat Eddery.

The feature race of the day is the £160,000-added St James's Palace Stakes which brings together the winners of the French, Irish, Italian and German 2,000 Guineas. However, the race can go to a horse who has won none of them in the shape of Luca Cumani's Poteen.

His two-year old campaign marked him out as a colt to follow this season and although he was made to work hard on his seasonal re-appearance by Zaim before landing the odds, it is his two and a quarter length third to Entrepreneur at Newmarket in the Pertemps 2,000 Guineas that best illustrates the form he is capable of Cumani's colt will appreciate any more overnight rain but looks to be still improving.

Eddery is reunited with the Irish River colt and the smaller field might just suit him. He takes on some top-class opponents, with Curragh winner Desert King having had his English challengers strung out behind him in the Lexus Irish 2,090 Guineas, and Daylami impressive in France.

But Poteen can uphold the form of Entrepreneur by holding them all and keep the prize at home for the fourth successive year.