Best Of Bets

Tag: Courage Mon Ami

  • Four To Follow: Glorious Goodwood & Galway – Day One

    What a Saturday for Four To Follow.

    Three winners, at big prices, it couldn’t have gone much better. It sets up a fantastic week for both Glorious Goodwood and the Galway Festival, a midsummer’s treat.

    Here are four to look out for from both sides of the Irish Sea.

     

    Goodwood

    Hot Hot Hot

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    3:25 – Vintage Stakes (Group Two) – Iberian @ 9/2 (William Hill, BetVictor)

    The Vintage Stakes is always throwing up some useful two-year-olds.

    Highland Reel, Expert Eye and Pinatubo have all won this race in recent years. But the best thing is not one outfit has dominated the race, which makes the betting heat wide open.

    I’ve chosen Iberian because I liked what I saw when he won on debut, travelling smartly to the two pole when everyone around him was being hurried, and looked very professional.

    Charlie Hills isn’t going well at the moment, but he seems to have a knack with his two-year-olds, who have delivered a £27.50 profit to a £1 stake. The horse itself is out of Lope De Vega, so shouldn’t have a problem getting the seven furlong trip.

     

    Keen On Ross

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    4:00 – Lennox Stakes (Group Two) – Kinross @ 5/4 (General)

    I love Kinross. I loved him at the back-end of last season when he won three seven-furlong races on the spin. It is his true trip.

    He won the Lennox two years ago, fending off Creative Force by a neck, on soft ground. He then got chinned himself when losing to Sandrine last year on good ground.

    With the ground expected to be soft, and Frankie on board, I’m expecting another big performance from Kinross, and maybe we might see a repeat of last year’s feat.

     

    Don’t Rane On His Parade

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    4:35 – Goodwood Cup (Group One) – Coltrane @ 10/3 (Unibet)

    Courage Mon Amis was extremely impressive at Royal Ascot. Extremely impressive.

    He’s unbeaten and is ridden and trained by that familiar partnership of Dettori and Gosden. He’s also won at Goodwood this season in preparation for the Gold Cup.

    Why am I against him? Purely on experience and ground. He’s 4/4 and, like the Gold Cup, he’s up against some experienced rivals.

    Coltrane is his nearest challenger and just couldn’t produce over the 2m 4F trip last time out. This time it’s a fairer two-mile trip and Coltrane loves a bit of juice. It’s hard to know what the favourite likes as his two wins on turf have come on good-to-firm ground. Coltrane represents far better value, and can finally show off his Group One potential.

    To follow him in, I’m expecting Giavelloto to be up there. Marco Botti deliberately avoided the Gold Cup and has decided to come here. He’s versatile with the ground, so that’s not a problem and Andrea Atzeni is no jockey to be sniffed at, given his two wins on Stardivarius here.

    He won the Yorkshire Cup, which is always a good early season test, and that little loinger lay-off will have him in good nick for the contest. 14/1 (William Hill) is a perfect price.

     

    Galway

    A Nice Cup For Joe

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    6:40 – COLM QUINN BMW Mile (Premier H’cap) – Joe Masseria @ 9/1 (William Hill)

    The first big highlight of the Galway Festival is the mile handicap, which is 1m 123yds.

    Last year’s winner, Soaring Monarch is rightly at the top of the betting for being set up for this race again, but I’ve decided to go down a more active route.

    Joe Masseria is a soft ground specialist and a Galway C&D winner. He finished third on yielding ground, but that was after a break of the track since the early spring. It was a good set up for this race which looks tailor-made for him. Colin Keane is back on board, and he has a 2/3 record aboard him so looks set for another big performance.

    Gavin Cromwell has a runner in the race that looks as though he has been targeted since the end of the jumps season. Mister Wilson is a C&D winner and also loves the soft ground. A mark of 83 shouldn’t trouble him at all, after narrowly losing to twice winner of the Mile handicap Saltonstall, at Tipperary. He looks a big price at 16/1 (William Hill, BetVictor, Betfred, 10Bet)

    And it wouldn’t be an Irish premier handicap without a battalion of Adrian McGuinness’ taking up nearly half the field.

    Celtic Crown catches the eye with claimer James Ryan aboard, who has a 12% strike rate which isn’t bad for a jockey with a seven-pound allowance. That takes his mark down to 84, which is a big winning mark for after he won the Emerald Mile at the Curragh in 2022 off the same mark.

    Conditions might suit, although if the ground stays heavy on the West Coast of Ireland, be wary. Small stakes at 22/1 (William Hill)

    The very best of luck!

  • Qatar Goodwood Festival 2023: The favourites

     

    Royal Ascot, done. July Festival, in the books. It’s time for Glorious Goodwood!

    As flat season enters August, hot on the heels of an all-time classic King George VI renewal at Ascot, this week, West Sussex gets its turn in the spotlight.

    With five days of action and 37 races on the card, three Group 1 contests are on the slate.

    But just where will the money be this week?

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    Brit Courage – 5/2 Betfred

    In the opening day’s main event, the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup takes the spotlight and Courage Mon Ami is the bookies’ favourite.

    But only just.

    Now unbeaten in four, the 4yo gelding sprung a relative upset to win the Ascot Gold Cup at 15/2, edging Coltrane by just under a length.

    The latter was fourth in this contest last year – behind the still absent Kyprios – and the duo lock horns once more over the shorter trip.

    Perhaps the only slight caveat this week for the mount of Frankie Dettori lies in this summer’s unpredictable weather.

    Ascot’s turf this past weekend had a little more juice in it, but was still close to good to soft and will likely be for the off on Tuesday.

    Courage Mon Ami’s two wins since gelding have both been on firmer ground – including at Goodwood in May.

    In conclusion, Coltrane and potentially Eldar Eldarov could push, but this contender should have enough courage, my friend.

     

    Perfect Paddington – 8/15 William Hill

    Never mind marmalade sandwiches, it’s been caviar on a plate from the magical Paddington.

    The 3yo goes for an astonishing seventh win in-a-row in Wednesday’s Sussex Stakes.

    Unbeaten since an Ascot debut last September, Aidan O’Brien’s colt has become the toast of Ballymore.

    Such is the calibre of the son of Siyouni, Paddington is no one-trick pony; he’s won in all conditions.

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    His last outing on the softer turf saw victory in the Coolmore at the Curragh at the start of May, and though amongst stronger company looks the overwhelming favourite.

    Indeed, perhaps only Inspiral – Frankie’s other main hope this week – could hold a candle.

    The only question now is, just when might his winning streak end?

    At 2/5, that is unlikely to be this week; Paddington is poised to make it super seven.

     

    GNashing of teeth – 2/1 BoyleSports

    Moving on, Nashwa then looks to become the first horse since Midday to defend the Nassau Stakes.

    Storming back to victory in last month’s Falmouth Stakes, Hollie Doyle rode the filly’s first win since that last trip to Goodwood 12 months back.

    Fending off Richard Hannon’s whopping 40/1 shot Aristia, rain might be a slight concern for John and Thady Gosden.

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    However, Nashwa still has a decent record in said conditions, with a win in France last summer.

    The youngster’s main challenge looks to come from the unbeaten-in-five Blue Rose Cen.

    It is worth considering though, having not run since late June, all five wins for the Irish girl have been on French soil.

    And, with the bit between her teeth, we’re anticipating another gutsy outing from Nashwa.

     

    Prancing Princess – 11/8 William Hill

    As we complete our look at the big names, is this finally the week Highfield Princess re-asserts her authority?

    Lining up in the King George Qatar Stakes, the Yorkshire-based French wonder is yet to win this season, but the effort is there.

    Putting on a much-improved showing in this year’s Jubilee Stakes, the Princess was nonetheless forced to watch Khaadem romp to a stunning victory.

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    Before that, runners-up in the Kings Stand and the Clipper Stakes at York have come this season but so far, the pieces have not quite fallen.

    That could be about to change at Goodwood.

    Having been third in the 2021 Whispering Oak, her last win came on the soft at the Curragh last September.

    Over the same 5f trip, Highfield Princess is currently a full 7pts up in the markets over her rivals.

    Following on from a decent weekend at Ascot for Jason Hart, this will surely be the return to winning ways for this glorious mare.