IT’S been a testing week for punters at Royal Ascot. From trying to decipher the best place to be in 30-runner handicaps to switching from fast ground horses to soft ground horses overnight, such changing variables have made the puzzles more difficult, but in many ways more intriguing.

Soft ground is likely again today and it certainly looked like the centre had become a more favourable place to race yesterday, so that’s worth keeping in mind.

It’s been something of a testing week for Ryan Moore as well. That sounds a bit bogus when you consider that he won the Prince of Wales’s Stakes with Love on Wednesday but he has also ridden four seconds, some of which came in agonising style, like the fast-finishing efforts of Sir Lamorak in the King George V Stakes on Thursday and M C Muldoon in the Ascot Stakes on Tuesday.

Those are the types of losses jockeys hate but today is another day and perhaps of all the five days, Moore will have been most optimistic about this one the most.

Dream Of Dreams has been the exact just-failed, fast finisher for Moore in the last two renewals of the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, powering home to finish fastest of all from off the pace but finding one too hard to catch on the day.

However Moore is bullish that he can make it third time lucky for his old guvnor Sir Michael Stoute today. Writing in his Betfair blog yesterday evening, he said: “Dream Of Dreams is a horse with a very solid profile. You have to respect the up-and-comers like Starman but this horse has just got touched off in this race for the past two seasons, and I think this looks a winnable renewal.

“He is the form horse, he had an ideal prep for this race when winning as he was entitled to on his return at Windsor, and he is versatile as regards the ground. I think he will go very close.”

The Ballydoyle number one rider has an enviable book of rides elsewhere that include either the favourite or the second favourite in six of the seven races on the card. That includes Broome in the Hardwicke Stakes, in which Aidan O’Brien also runs brothers Japan and Mogul.

“We have a very strong hand in the Hardwicke and all have winning chances at their best,” Moore said. “Broome comes here on the top of his form and he was only a short-head away from making it four from four this season in the Tattersalls Gold Cup last time.

“This has been the first time he has stepped up to a mile and a half this term, and that could easily bring about improvement in a horse beaten in a four-way photo for the Derby. He has a very solid look to him here, and he should handle conditions better than most.”

Moore’s other most intriguing contender is Kings Lynn, who must have a major chance for Queen Elizabeth in the Wokingham.

He has already run at Ascot this week, finishing a highly respectable seventh to Oxted in the King’s Stand and is surely very well treated now off a mark of 100.

ROBSON Aguiar, featured in today’s Big Interview, went tantalisingly close with Go Bears Go to producing back-to-back winners of the Norfolk Stakes from his breeze-up operation in Mullingar. earlier this week.

That would have been a remarkable achievement following on from The Lir Jet’s win in the race last season. Aguiar’s success in finding and bringing along cheaply bought talent to succeed at the top table hasn’t gone unnoticed as he has been drafted in as an advisor to the burgeoning Amo Racing operation.

Interestingly, when asked what was his best chance of a connection to a winner this week, the Brazilian was very warm on the chances of Great Max in the opening Chesham Stakes(2:30). Aguiar bought this son of Wootton Bassett for 260,000 guineas on behalf of Amo, and having been sent to Michael Bell, he won on his debut just nine days ago at Newbury, despite showing clear signs of inexperience.

He is worth noting today in a race that despite holding listed status and containing a unique condition - sire or dam must have won over 10 furlongs plus - has often churned out the subsequent best two-year-old winner of the week in recent seasons. Champion two-year-old colts Pinatubo and Churchill were recent winners, as was 2011 champion two-year-old filly Maybe.

If there is a champion in the field today, it’s likely to be Point Lonsdale. This son of Australia looked top class winning his maiden at the Curragh. Considering his sire’s progeny often show their best form towards the backend of their juvenile campaign, this colt has the potential to be special.