The fourth day of Royal Ascot on Friday sees Hugh Taylor with four advised bets. DURSTON is the interesting one on the prevailing ground in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes (Royal Ascot 4.40) on Friday. He progressed well as a 3yo, doing very well to win a competitive 3yo handicap at Chester, clearly travelling best 2f out but shuffled back and forced to wait for a run. On his next start in an even more competitive handicap at Goodwood, he finished an excellent second, pulling right away with Sir Ron Priestley, and the value of that form was underlined when the winner won the March Stakes next time before finishing runner-up in the St Leger. On his final 3yo start he took on two quality soft-ground performers in Technician and Morando. He travelled just about best of all 2f out, but just seemed to be found out by the extended 1m5f trip in very testing ground against such quality performers. :: Get more content like this at At The Races He was put up 6lb for that run, but for a long way he looked like he might beat the first two home, or at least push them very close, and he’s unlikely to run into any soft-ground horses of their calibre here. His trainer David Simcock is 0-20 since the resumption of racing, but three of his four runners here this week produced what were just about career-best performances. I’d prefer it if he were drawn wider given that high-drawn horses tend to do best over this course and distance in big fields, but in a field where there are question marks about plenty on the ground, it’s not hard to see him looming up travelling well turning for home, and he gives the impression he definitely has a race like this in him granted luck in running. I was very tempted to put up Born With Pride for the Queen’s Vase when she was priced at around 12-1 at the weekend, but when she was declared for the Ribblesdale Stakes, I selected her for that race instead on Monday. It’s a bit galling to see her trading at around 5-2 for the Queen’s Vase at the time of writing, and I can’t really get involved at those odds, but William Haggas does have some other solid chances on day four, including HAMISH in the Hardwicke Stakes (3.00). :: Royal Ascot 2020: Get PPs, previews, analysis, recaps and more Haggas probably wouldn’t have chosen to thrust Hamish into a Group 2 event as the starting point for his 4yo career given he’s a graduate from 3yo handicaps, but he did look an obvious future Pattern horse last season. He won the Melrose Handicap in good style despite his trainer’s reservations about the quick ground, and he was even more impressive on soft ground next time when defying top weight in another hot 3yo handicap. He again ran well when just going down to another really progressive 3yo middle-distance horse in Trueshan next time. That still leave his with quite a bit to find with some of his rivals here, but he has had just six career starts, will love the ground, and he comes from a high-class family, most of whom have represented the Haggas family. This is a strong race, with Elarqam and Morando others to consider, but at the prices Hamish might be worth chancing despite the big rise in class. Haggas also looks to have a good chance with GOLDEN MELODY in the Albany Stakes (1.50). She created a very favourable impression when readily winning on her debut at Haydock in a fair time. Her jockey gave her an educational ride, merely waving the whip at her, and commented afterwards that she had been working with the stable’s impressive Newmarket winner Sacred, who is one of the market leaders for Saturday’s Queen Mary Stakes. There was a bit of give in the ground at Haydock, and her sire Belardo, who has already made a good start with his first crop, went very well in testing conditions. Her low draw might not be such an issue in a 14-runner race with the stalls in the centre, and she should run well. It’s no surprise to see Art Power a warm favourite in the Palace Of Holyrood House Handicap (Ascot 1.15), as he is proven on the ground and looks potentially better than a handicapper. However, at the foot of the weights I think CITY WALK is a very interesting runner. He was off for over a year after a promising 2yo debut at Newmarket, but he ran much better than the bare result suggests on his return over 6f at Kempton. Racing keenly, he tried to match strides with Meraas, who looks a quality sprinter in the making, and although he was still second at the furlong pole, he faded into fourth in the closing stages. It’s no surprise to see City Walk dropped to 5f after that run. The ground is definitely a question mark, but off 8 stone he could be worth chancing each-way. HUGH'S BEST BETS (SCALE 1-5 POINTS) 1.15 ROYAL ASCOT, FRIDAY – PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE HANDICAP 1pt each-way CITY WALK (20-1 Bet Victor, Coral, Ladbrokes, 18-1 Betfred, Unibet, 16-1 general) 1.50 ROYAL ASCOT, FRIDAY – ALBANY STAKES 1pt win GOLDEN MELODY (6-1 bet365, 5-1 Ladbrokes, William Hill, 9-2 Betfred, Sky Bet) 3.00 ROYAL ASCOT, FRIDAY – HARDWICKE STAKES 1pt win HAMISH (11-1 bet365, 10-1 Sky Bet, William Hill, 9-1 general) 4.40 ROYAL ASCOT, FRIDAY - DUKE OF EDINBURGH STAKES 2pts win DURSTON (8-1 Coral, Ladbrokes, 7-1 general, 6-1 bet365)