Arguably, the main attraction for Royal Ascot is the Gold Cup. This year, the field size is small, but we get the right horses turning up.
Ascot 4.20 – Gold Cup (Group 1)
I think it's fair to say that since Stradivarius retired and the recent retirement from Kyprios, it makes this year's Gold Cup is a very interesting renewal.
I think the staying division is the least sexy division in racing, and that's due to the distance. Thankfully, we have had some great stayers over the years who have turned into superstars. The two I mentioned at the top were flag bearers of recent years, and if you go back, you had the likes of Yeats, who was another amazing stayer. I don't think we'll get another horse who will be dominant as any of the names mentioned, but it is time to pass the torch on.
The Gold Cup is one of the few flat races, especially at Group 1 level, where they run over 2m 4f, and it takes a horse with supreme stamina to win it. We know some of the horses in today's race stay the trip as they have raced in the previous renewals.
Sweet William has been one of the more consistent stayers over the last couple of years and is one of the main players for today's race. He was positioned towards the rear in last year's race when he finished third. I don't think you can totally blame the ride, as he wasn't bridging the gap from the front two, who were miles clear. The deficit might have been marginally less if he were closer to them turning for home, but I struggle to see him reversing the form with Trawlerman, who was in second place.
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The horse they have to beat has to be Trawlerman. He was second in this race last year, as I've just mentioned, and he returned to form with a nice win at Sandown, prepping him up for the big race today. He was behind Sweet William on Champions Day at Ascot over 2m, but that was on much slower ground, and he has never been best on that surface. He will relish the rapid ground today, and the fact that you know he stays means he'll be a tough nut to crack.
Ballydoyle had to put a horse in the race after Kyprios was retired in recent weeks, and they've opted for Illinois. The four-year-old is a very classy horse. He is yet to win a Group 1, but he has gone to all the big races and run with credit. He has been second to Jan Brueghel in the St Leger, second to Los Angeles in the Great Voltigeur and was second to Sosie, who was fourth in the Arc. All of these runs have been over distances much shorter than today's trip, but he has always looked like a true stayer. Today, he gets to show what he is all about and whether he is the next star from Aidan's yard. He is very short in the market, and I would like to get him beat if I were to have a play in the race.
F-H Graffard's runner is an interesting horse for this race. He won a Group 1 over 2m at Longchamp last time out, putting in a career-best performance by a big margin. The ground was described as good to soft last time, but the time suggests it was much quicker, so I think today's conditions could be well suited for him. The form looks solid, the runner-up was sixth in the Arc and was proven over 2m, but Candelari pulled 3.5L clear and was going further away at the finish. He is still extremely lightly raced and will likely be better over this longer trip. I think he offers much better value against the horses we know all about at this trip, and is my fancy for the race.
GambleAware