Wednesday’s best bets, by Chris Cook
What an unexpected midweek treat to be faced with a Group One race in all but name, featuring the first three home from the French Derby. Better still, I fancy something to beat them ...
The race in question is Deauville’s Prix Guillaume D’Ornano, which I gather the French would like to get promoted to Group One level. It must be Europe’s most valuable Group Two, with £201,000 going to the winner, £70,000 more than Old Persian got for winning the King Edward VII at Royal Ascot.
The first two from the French Derby, Study Of Man and Patascoy, have not raced since and in the case of Study Of Man, this is being described as a comeback race en route to the Irish Champion. Who wants to take odds-on about a horse in that situation? It wouldn’t tempt me, bearing in mind there were three others within a length of him at the finish at Chantilly, the second and third being returned at 33-1 and 66-1. He’s a good horse but there’s no cause to get carried away yet.
Heading his rivals today and the subect of my interest is Gyllen (3.20), a Godolphin beast from the Andre Fabre stable that has won this prize a record 11 times. Gyllen looks like one of those Fabre three-year-olds who improves masses after a steady start to the year and turned in a career best last time to land another Group Two, holding Crossed Baton by a comfortable length.
That was his first chance this year to race on ground other than heavy and it was a help, which is hardly surprising, given the quantity of US blood in his veins. It’s reportedly soft at Deauville but they’ve had drying weather since the weekend and I really like the 5-1 which is on offer as I type.
You can get 7-2 about the nap, Silver Crescent (4.30) at Beverley. This is a Ralph Beckett slow-burner who can hopefully start to catch fire today, stepped back up to the distance suggested by his pedigree.
He needed his reappearance and then missed a couple of months before his next start, when a step back in trip, fast ground and a slow early pace conspired against him. It’s time for him to start producing.
At Newton Abbot, Alex Hales could continue to make hay with Mister Fizz (2.50), who had come down a long way in the weights before switching from Bundle Pickard’s stable. The horse won over this course and distance from this mark three years ago and can go in again against a small field at odds of 7-4.
Newton Abbot 1.50 D’Gentle Reflexion 2.20 Cracker Factory 2.50 Mister Fizz (nb) 3.20 Exxaro 3.50 Kublai 4.20 Top Chief 4.50 Bluberry High
Beverley 2.00 Mattymiller 2.30 Kingson 3.00 Jacbequick 3.30 Metatrons Cube 4.00 Ideal Candy 4.30 Silver Crescent (nap) 5.00 Our Little Pony
Salisbury 2.10 Crantock Bay 2.40 Secretfact
3.10 Tahreek 3.40 Savaanah 4.10 Champs De Reves
4.40 Summerseat Mist
Worcester 5.20 Gnarly 5.50 Omega Springs
6.20 Influential Lady 6.50 Sauvignon 7.20 Settimo Milanese 7.50 Uno Mas 8.20 Rooster Cogburn
Kempton 5.30 Pot Luck 6.00 New Queen 6.30 Quiet Endeavour 7.00 Early Dawn 7.30 Nomoathaj 8.00 Exeat 8.30 Perfect Hustler 9.00 Arlecchino’s Arc
