Both of Saturday's selections ran shockingly.
St Faz saw a decent chunk of money come for him. Originally, when they lined him up towards the front, I liked it. When he started to take pieces of fence with him at every obstacle, I soon changed my mind. He hadn't run over obstacles since moving to Adrian's yard, and I think it showed.
Revoir continues to be a frustrating character. She has the ability, but at Class 1 level, she struggles to get it done. The horse who won at huge odds was many lengths behind Revoir last time out, which makes it even more annoying. It makes me question whether she'll ever get a Listed win, as she has finished second on five attempts, and yesterday's performance was shocking.
Al Riffa (4.25 Curragh) & Cankoura (1.33 Chantilly) Double – 2.85/1 (1pt)
Al Riffa
I cannot remember the last time I tipped up a double over individual horses, but with nothing standing out as a single bet, I thought pairing up these two short-priced horses was worth it.
If the real Al Riffa shows up for this Group 2 Curragh Cup, there should only be one winner. His form is better than what the bare numbers look like next to his name. He ran solid races in the Melbourne Cup, at Hong Kong, and was third in a Group 1 in France in May. Last time out, he was fourth in the Ascot Gold Cup, but you've got to think that the trip wasn't ideal for him.
He has shown a good liking for this track. He won this race last year, and then won the Irish St Leger over today's course and distance. To my eye, his only rival is Illinois, who is a very inconsistent horse, but can run big races if he's on a going day.
Cankoura
If the form from America can be translated straight to the European form, there should only be one winner in this race, and the 5/6 price could be deemed as a big price.
Cankoura was second in a Grade 1, which was worthy of an RPR of 116. If you compare that type of performance to the horse closest in the market, it's like chalk and cheese. Cankoura is clear at the head of the official ratings, with Indalimos being the nearest at 7lbs inferior.
F-H Graffard's form from France is decent. She was third in a Group 1 last year, and on her only start in France this season, she finished 4th/9 in Group 3 behind Sunly. She clearly improved for that run, as her next run in America was a better effort.
The only downfall to picking Cankoura is Mickael Barzalona being in the saddle. I'm not a fan, and he always finds trouble, even in small field races.
GambleAware