Asset Is the Value in Stewards Cup
One of the biggest handicaps of the season takes place on Saturday at Goodwood, and over the years there have been many huge gambles landed. The Stewards Cup, held over a distance of six furlongs has a field of 28 runners set to line up at 3:40pm, and the Jane Chapple-Hyam trained Secret Asset looks to have an excellent chance of victory.
This five year-old gelding has been very consistent this season, winning first time up in a good handicap at Wolverhampton. He has since followed that success with some good performances and none better than last time when he contested the Group 3 Shadwell Stakes at Newbury. Held up in the early stages, he made good headway along the stands rail a furlong from home until he became short of room, which allowed Regal Parade to scoot clear.
He still managed to come home in third place and if he was to perform to that level here, then he would be very well handicapped indeed. The draw in this contest always raises a lot of discussion and it is worth noting that the past three winners have come from stalls 10, 11 and 14. Therefore, Secret Asset looks to have gained an ideal starting position, coming out of the 10 box, and given the luck in running, he can come with a late run and capture this valuable prize.
The favourite is likely to be Genki, from the Roger Charlton yard, and he will be attempting to follow up his victory in this race twelve months ago. On that occasion, he came late and fast to snatch a win in the final 100 yards, defeating Evens And Odds by a length. His task is more difficult this time around, as he has to race off a ten-pound higher mark, though he does come into the race in good form.
His run in the Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot, where he finished sixth behind Laddies Poker Two, is better than it first looks. He was the clear winner of his group that raced on the far side of the course, but the stands side group appeared to have a definite advantage. He gained some compensation last time though, when staying on strongly to beat Rileyskeepfaith in a decent conditions event at Haydock. However, the draw may not have been kind to him again as he has to contend with stall 25. As his current odds are around 7/1, he looks worth opposing here.
One that is sure to have his supporters is Tom Dascombe’s runner Jonny Mudball. This four year-old made all the running to win a good handicap at Newcastle last time and by a wide margin too, beating Poet’s Place by over four lengths. He will have no problems with the undulations of the track, having performed well at this course back in May, where he finished runner-up to Parisian Pyramid. His draw in stall 19 is just about OK and therefore, he has decent claims.
An outsider with a shot here is Prohibit, trained by Robert Cowell and ridden by Eddie Ahern. He has done well in his last two outings despite them coming over an inadequate trip of five furlongs. His last effort when fourth behind Masamah at Ascot was a particularly good run and at one point looked likely to win. The yard has also hit form just at the right time and has notched two victories in the past few days. The draw has been kind too, with stall 12 looking perfect. At around 33/1, he looks sure to give his followers a good run for their money.
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