THE fact that Frankie Dettori claimed the riding accolades and the top jockey’s armband on Thursday means that Danny Tudhope’s exploits earlier in the week may not get the attention that they deserve.

Tudhope had just three rides at Ascot on Tuesday: Lord Glitters, on whom he won the Queen Anne, Addeybb, on whom he won the Wolferton Stakes, and Soldier’s Call, on whom he finished third in the King’s Stand. And he had just two rides on Wednesday, Move Swiftly, who won the Duke of Cambridge, and So Beloved, who ran well from a low draw in the Royal Hunt Cup.

Three winners from just five rides at Royal Ascot saw Tudhope sit joint top of the leading riders’ table with Ryan Moore on Wednesday evening. Tudhope couldn’t add to his Royal Ascot tally on Thursday, however, as he was at Ripon, where he won the Slingsby Gin Handicap on the William Haggas-trained Faylaq.

Tudhope is not just a top-notch rider in the north, he is a top-notch rider full stop. He has a great relationship with David O’Meara, and it is obviously a significant positive that William Haggas uses him as often as he does. They’re talking about the jockeys’ championship this year, Oisín Murphy or Silvestre de Sousa. Tudhope may not quite match those two in terms of the volume of rides that he will get, but he is operating at a strike rate of 24% and a level stakes profit of around €25, and he could yet be a championship contender.

Draw factor

IT appeared that you really wanted to be drawn high on the straight course at Ascot on Wednesday. The first three home in the Queen Mary Stakes emerged, respectively, from stalls 25, 18 and 23. The first four home in the Royal Hunt Cup raced, respectively, from stalls 21, 18, 32 and 25. And the first three home in the Windsor Castle Stakes raced from stalls 24, 22 and 23, the three highest stalls.

If you had been paying attention, you could have got the Trifecta up in the Windsor Castle. It paid £1,272.70. Even if you had done it ‘all ways’, that would have been a 210/1 winner.

High numbers may have been favoured on Thursday as well, when four of the first five home in the Britannia raced in the stands-side group.

Horses who ran well from low draws include Liberty Beach in the Queen Mary, Kynren and Roc Angel in the Hunt Cup, Symbolize and Summer Sands in the Windsor Castle and Awe in the Britannia Handicap. Those horses can probably be marked up at least a little on the bare form of what they achieved, and they may be under-rated when they race next.