The finale to the domestic flat season this Saturday at Ascot is surrounded by doom and gloom at the moment with horses either retiring or being pulled from possible engagements because of ground concerns. The track ate 25mm of rain last night and I went from being lukewarm about the meeting with the Jumps just round the corner and Chasers & Hurdlers on my bedside table to instinctively knowing that this rain would present a betting opportunity or two.
Last year half a length separated Cirrus des Aigles and Ruler of the World as they finished second and third in the Champion Stakes. At the time of writing they are priced at 6/4 and 8/1 respectively, a ridiculous price differential. CDA is solid for the race and conditions will naturally suit him and to be fair he is nowhere near the worst value in the market (Free Eagle) but 6/4 is short enough for a horse of his age and like last season I expect Ruler of the World to relish ground conditions and be very competitive.
Gordon Lord Byron is a horse I've mentioned loads of times on this blog and after a good run on fast ground at Haydock in Spetember he ran well again in the Foret on Arc day. Like last season he heads to Ascot with the ground coming right for him but whereas he was somewhat strangely asked to contest the QEII over a mile then, now he runs in the sprint race over 6f and I expect him to reverse form with his Sprint Cup conqueror running over much easier underfoot conditions. At 7/1 he is way overpriced.
British Champions Sprint Stakes:
Gordon Lord Byron £25w @ 7/1
Champion Stakes:
Ruler of the World £25w @ 8/1
No comments:
Post a Comment