We all saw how easily Workforce won the Derby and he’ll probably go on to be a very good horse but there were a few other horses that caught my eye over the weekend with a view to some upcoming races. They probably won’t scale the same heights as the Derby winner is destined to but I reckon we’ll get paid out on these….

1) Shakespearean

The Godolphin stable seemed to have turned the corner, just in time for Royal Ascot, as their runners performed very well at the meeting. I thought Shakespearean was particularly impressive in winning the Surrey Stakes considering it was his first run of the season and he was giving weight away to all the runners. There were quite a few 100+ rated horses in the field so the form looks solid and I reckon the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot may be on the agenda for this one.

2) Approve

A 2yo from the Willie Haggas yard who ran 4th at Epsom on Saturday. He was beaten 2 1/2 lengths at the finish but would have been a lot closer had the gap opened up for him on the rail. It didn’t, and Eddie Ahern had to switch him to the outside to make a strong challenge in the last 150 yards. The way he stayed on over 6f may persuade connections to go for one of the minor 2yo races at Royal Ascot, specifically the Chesham Stakes over 7f on the Saturday. Failing that I reckon he’ll be one to look out for this summer in the better class 2yo Nurseries.

3) Mull of Killough

If this horse hasn’t been laid out for the Hunt Cup I’d be very surprised. He made his seasonal debut running 3rd in the Lincoln and followed that up with a 21st in the Spring Cup when sent off the 13/2 second favourite. That was a particularly rough race that saw Mull of Killough suffer more than most and he was allowed to amble home when his chance had gone. But that was nothing to his run on Friday when again he suffered bad luck in running just as he came to challenge for the race. He was repeatedly blocked in down the home straight and inside the final furlong before Jamie Heffernan accepted the situation and eased his horse down to finish a very unlucky 5th. After all that he was still only beaten 2 1/2 lengths and granted better luck in the notoriously difficult Hunt Cup I can see him being very competitive. 20/1 looks good to me.

4) Gertrude Bell

Her 7 length 5th in the Oaks tells only half the story as she looked the likely winner from the 2 furlong pole only for her stamina to give out on her. She weakened quite drastically late on in the race and I think a drop back in trip to around 10 furlongs will see her make up into a genuine Group 1 performer. The Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood looks the obvious choice given the record of 3yo’s in that race but I’d imagine Mr Gosden will probably give her one last chance at 12f in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot. It’s usually a pretty poor Group 2 race and she may just get away with her stamina but if you’re reading this John, forget the Irish Oaks and bring her back in trip for Goodwood, there’s a good chap.

5) Coordinated Cut

Bit of a long range hope this one as I reckon Coordinated Cut is tailormade for the St Leger. In all three of his runs this season I’ve looked at him and thought this horse will love the step up past 1m 4f. He was all about stamina as a 2yo and after his gutsy seasonal debut win he appeared to lack the speed of the front two in the Dante. His run on Saturday in the Derby had all the hallmarks of a horse in need of a trip and I’d imagine that Michael Bell will be planning his season along those lines now. The Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, the Voltigeur at York followed by the St Leger. He’s currently 12/1 for the final Classic of the season.

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Royal Ascot

This week I’ll be deep in study for the biggest flat meeting of the year, Royal Ascot. It wasn’t a great meeting for me last year and I gave up counting the number of placed horses I had over the 5 days. The trends were very good but I just couldn’t pick the right one when left with a choice of 2 or 3 runners. Last years Wokingham is a race that still gives me nightmares as I spent a day and a half umming and arring whether to go with Jimmy Styles or High Standing. They both had perfect profiles but, for some reason which I can’t remember, I eventually went with Jimmy Styles only to see High Standing romp home. To add insult to injury Jimmy Styles went on to win the Ayr Gold Cup later in the season without a penny of my money on him. Darn!

The trends guide for Royal Ascot will be out on Monday but we do have a 4 race ante-post guide which is out now. You can get your copy and pre-order the full guide by clicking below….

http://www.festivaltrends.co.uk/amember/signup.php

Also, Gary is going to be doing a guide for Royal Ascot that will be a purely tipping look at all 30 races. He’ll be giving his personal opinion on each race and trying to find a big priced winner to back. The days races will be available from the evening before.

He is currently writing an ante-post look at the two big betting handicaps (Hunt Cup & Wokingham) and this will be ready later this afternoon/evening depending on how long it takes me to put in the full stops and commas. Those people who have already paid will have this guide sent out to them as soon as it’s ready.

His record at the big meetings this year has been nothing short of phenomenal and if you’ve backed any of his winners and want to help support his wife and 6 kids then the guide is just £20. Available below….

http://www.horseraceoutsiders.co.uk/

Good luck,
Gavin.

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