There are a couple of cracking cards at both Ascot and York on Saturday and Andrew Asquith has picked out two early bets.
There is a bumper eight-race card at Ascot on Saturday which looks set to be a cracker, headlined by the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes, where recent Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner Auguste Rodin has been installed a short-priced favourite.
As a six-time Group 1 winner, it is hard to crab his record, though he has shown in the past that he is more than capable of running a stinker, so for me, he is an easy horse to pass over. The tricky part is finding one at the prices to take him on with. Globe-trotting, multiple top-level winner Rebel’s Romance is an obvious one, but the majority of his best form has come overseas, which has to be a slight concern, while an interesting filly in the race, Bluestocking, has shortened up over the last few days, so I’m happy to leave that race alone and head straight into the International.
The Wizard Of Eye was a good winner of the Victoria Cup over the same course and distance on his stable debut and was far from disgraced in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot last time. He shaped as though he’d relish a return to seven furlongs on that occasion, and he is just 3lb higher than when winning the Victoria Cup, so he looks a worthy favourite.
Several of these also have collateral form from either or both the Buckingham Palace Stakes Handicap from Royal Ascot or the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket, too, including Aalto and Carrytheone, who finished first and fourth in the latter race.
It isn’t surprising to see that Carrytheone is shorter in the betting, as he started favourite for the Bunbury Cup and shaped particularly well, almost certain to have finished much closer to Aalto with a clearer run. He was short of room when moving into contention under two furlongs out, meaning he had to switch around runners and finished with a real flourish, advertising himself as a well-treated horse. I’d be of the opinion that he’ll reverse the form with Aalto on revised terms.
However, the horse who is most interesting to me is the David O’Meara-trained NEW IMAGE, who could potentially be the best handicapped of the lot.
He was picked up for 45,000 guineas out of Ger Lyons’ yard having shown ability in two starts in Ireland and has made an excellent start for new connections, winning three of his six starts. The first two of his victories came on the all-weather, but he has proved he is also effective on turf on his last three starts, looking a good prospect when winning a seven-furlong handicap at Musselburgh last month.
New Image travelled well on that occasion in a good position just behind the pace setters, but it was his strength at the finish which really impressed, finding another gear inside the final furlong to be readily on top at the line.
That form hasn’t really worked out, but the form of his third-place finish in a typically competitive handicap at York last time has, won by a thriving sort who has gone in again since, while Aalto was further back in fifth place, and he has obviously come out and won the Bunbury Cup.
New Image didn’t get the clearest of runs on that occasion, either, ridden more patiently than usual and having to wait a little longer to make his challenge than Mark Winn would have probably liked, having horses in front of him while Aalto came with his run down the outside, but still able to go past that rival when switched to the stand rail.
Again, New Image was doing all of his best work at the finish, and it may be he’s ready for a mile now, but a straight seven furlongs in a likely strongly-run race on the straight course at Ascot should be perfect for him, especially with the stiff finish. New Image has a nice pull in the weights with Aalto even though he beat him comfortably last time and, provided he gets some luck with the draw, he seems sure to run a big race on Saturday on what seems set to be perfect racing ground and for a yard that have saddled five winners from their last 10 runners.
The Sky Bet York Stakes looks like it could be an excellent renewal and, though the 7/1 has gone, I still think KING’S GAMBIT is a solid bet at 6/1.
Passenger, who has been off the track since breaking the track record in the Huxley Stakes at Chester in May – beating subsequent Wolferton Stakes winner Israr – leads the way in the betting and he will likely be hard to beat if turning up in the same sort of form. However, you can never be sure if that will be the case following a setback, while he also has a 3lb penalty to shoulder, and the Juddmonte International back at York next month is seemingly his main target.
Therefore, this looks a good opportunity to take him on, and King’s Gambit is arguably unlucky not to be unbeaten this season. He had some solid form last year and looked a future Group 1 winner when taking apart the London Gold Cup Handicap on his return at Newbury in May. It is a race which his yard like to target with on of their better three-year-old middle distance prospects and he made a mockery of a BHA mark of 93, beating several other well-handicapped rivals with plenty in hand.
King’s Gambit did incredibly well to finish just three quarters of a length behind Jayarebe in the Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot last time, too, a messy start putting him on the backfoot from an early stage and he was still the back marker on entering the straight.
The amount of ground he made up from there on in marks him out as a high-class prospect, never able to get on terms with the winner who was always well placed and got first run in the straight, but beating the remainder comfortably.
That looks solid form – it was also the fastest running of the race since 2018 – and King’s Gambit almost certainly has more to offer after just two starts at this trip. Interestingly, three-year-olds don’t have a very good record in the Sky Bet York Stakes, in fact, the last winner from the classic generation was Best Alibi back in 2006.
That isn’t a great stat, but in terms of potential, King’s Gambit arguably brings the most to the table, and I thought he’d be a little bit shorter in the betting considering his profile, with ground conditions also set to be no problem for him. Hopefully, this will be the perfect springboard for the Juddmonte International next month, for which he also holds an entry.
Preview posted at 1530 BST on 23/07/2024
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