One of the biggest races of the flat season outside of the Derby and the Guineas is the Ascot Gold Cup.
This race shows who is the strongest stayer in flat racing, as it is run over a unique distance of 2m 4f on a very stiff Ascot track.
We have seen some legends win this race. Yeats, Stradivarius and most recently, Kyprios. It is a prestigious race and is a Group 1, with the winner getting £396,970.
Scandinavia 9/4
On paper, he isn't the flashiest of horses, but he has to be respected because he is trained by the greatest flat trainer of all time.
He is a classic winner from last year, winning the St Ledger, and he did it whilst staying on nicely. This year he hasn't set the world on fire with his performances, but everything will have been about getting to Ascot in the best shape. Would he surprise me if he were to win? not at all. I'm not sure if he will stay, but Aidan knows what he's doing with these stayers, so he probably will.
Trawlerman 5/2
If you're a supporter of Trawlerman you have to be a bit worried about his prep. He is not a spring chicken anymore, and he hasn't run this season.
The Gosden yard have come out and said it has been a delayed start for him, as he has developed a problem with sunlight. He will be parading with ski goggles on, which sounds utterly ridiculous, as he will not be able to wear them in the race.
If the sun is beaming when the race starts, god knows how he is going to react. On the back of that, you can't be backing him at odds as short as 5/2, even if he was the most likely winner on his best form.
Rahiebb 13/2
He was second to Scandinavia in the St Leger at Doncaster last year, and that was a career best by a big margin. He returned to racing at York and won a Group 2, but the race massively fell apart, so can you take anything from it?
He could have matured over the winter and spring, but he will have had to because he had an issue of hanging to his left last season. He could stay the trip, but it's an unknown, and I'm not totally sold on him.
Caballo De Mar 7/1
Arguably one of the better EW bets of the race is Caballo De Mar. He doesn't have the sexy profile like the others, and isn't trained by one of the big stables, but you know for a fact he'll stay and he handles the track.
I am a fan of his, but he has burnt my fingers too many times from last year to give him another chance at relatively short odds. If he were double the price, it would have tempted me. I can see him running well, and I think he is fine on this ground.
Al Riffa 10/1
This lad is the most talented horse in the race, but it all boils down to if he stays the trip. I don't think he will, but I can see why people will be happy to bet on him and hope he does.
If he stays the trip, he has a superb chance. The yard is flying and the jockey can't do anything wrong. I do think the horse is better on softer ground.
Sweet William 10/1
His price has started to drop, and people are latching on to him a lot more than they did yesterday. He was probably too big of a price yesterday, but I don't think he's a strong enough stayer to win over 2m 4f.
He has run in this race a few times, and has never landed a blow. It's probably a weak enough race, with no stand-out, so I can see why punters fancy him, but he's not for me.
Selection: Carmers 22/1
My fancy for the race has drifted slightly since tipped up, but it doesn't concern me.
It is a punt to pick a 22/1 Gold Cup winner, but as I just mentioned, it's not a vintage renewal. If you had a Kyprios or a prime Stradivarius, there's no chance I'm having a bet in the race as the favourite would just win. The favourite might win this, but he hasn't given me any belief that he's the next staying superstar.
Carmers has track form from when he won at Royal Ascot last year, beating Scandinavia and Raheeb. The fast ground has to be a positive, and he looked like he was staying on nicely over two miles last time out in Ireland. I can't be supremely confident that he'll win, as he's a 22/1 shot, but I think he offers good EW value in a race he could definitely spring a surprise.
GambleAware