Manifest belief in Henry Cecil for Gold Cup
Replacing the greatest champion the race has seen will be no easy task but this year’s Gold Cup is ready and open for a new name to be added to the roll of honour.
The Group One highlight of the third day of Royal Ascot, traditionally referred to as Ladies’ Day, brings together a field of 13 for the race that has been dominated for the last four years by the now retired Yeats.
The market for the Gold Cup has been dominated by Henry Cecil’s Manifest since he beat Purple Moon by eight lengths in the Yorkshire Cup at the Dante meeting last month. Manifest’s stamina has to be taken on trust, as he has yet to race beyond 14 furlongs thus far in five starts, but he appeared to be going better the further he raced in the Yorkshire Cup and his breeding – by Rainbow Quest out of a Roberto mare – looks the right type of pedigree.
His main market rival is Age Of Aquarius who, on a strict line of form with Harbinger, could just shade matters. However, he gave the impression of being outstayed by Profound Beauty at Leopardstown over 14 furlongs three weeks ago and Aidan O’Brien’s runners in this country have so far yielded two wins from 32 starts.
The horse with the best form, in class terms at least, is Sir Michael Stoute’s Ask who has been running consistently at Group One level. The winner of the Coronation Cup at Epsom last season he was then two lengths second to stable companion Conduit in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes and then stepped up to two miles to win the Prix Royal-Oak at Longchamp in October. However he has not run for 235 days and that has to be a concern.
The Group Two Ribblesdale Stakes is the first chance to assess the quality of this year’s form from the Oaks. There are four fillies who ran in that race - Awe Inspiring , Bikini Babe, Cabaret and Gertrude Bell. Of those Gertrude Bell got closest to the winner, Snow Fairy, but was still beaten seven lengths. Pipette was also beaten by Snow Fairy, by three lengths in a 10-furlong Listed race at Goodwood a month ago and is bred to be improved for the step up to a mile-and-a-half.
The trainers behind two of the leading contenders for the Group Three Norfolk Stakes have strong claims on their records with their two-year-olds this season. Richard Hannon usually has a strong hand with juveniles and this year’s 29% strike-rate underlines that but even he has to bow to the stats for Henry Candy, although that should not be taken at face value.
Candy had a perfect record with his two-year-old runners this season but it is just two wins from two starts, both coming from Dinkum Diamond, who booked his place in the field for the Norfolk when he won the National Stakes at Sandown Park last month.
In that race he beat Scarlet Rocks by four-and-three-quarter lengths, who was only a half-length behind Hannon’s Zebedee at Windsor in April.
The Britannia Stakes is another of the meeting’s handicap cavalry charges and, after the Royal Hunt Cup, a high draw looks essential. Ransom Note was just beaten at Newmarket last month but still looks a progressive sort and stall 27 could tip things his way.
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