Redford for starring role at Ascot
The bigger the field, the bigger the certainty is a favourite maxim in racing and the ladbrokes.com Handicap at Ascot provides the first part with 17 going to post.
Vulcanite, unbeaten in his last three starts, is the market leader to provide the second part but could be vulnerable and possibly represents poor value. He has not run on ground with as much give as he will encounter here and his three recent victories have all come when held up in small fields so there has to be a chance that he might find it more difficult to repeat that performance in this larger field.
He is also coming into this race off the back of an 84-day break. With this many question marks it may be worth looking at Prompter. Although yet to win this season Prompter, beaten just a head in a Group Three juvenile race on this corresponding card last year, can handle cut in the ground and could well have won a handicap over course and distance a fortnight ago but for being ridden a little too conservatively, on what was his first attempt over 12 furlongs.
Mount Athos has no stamina problems and could well be one for the places.
Redford has already outstayed his welcome in the handicap division, having won two major prizes last month, and can make the next progression in the Group Three Models 1 Bengough Stakes. He is best served by a fast early pace and another big field should provide just what he needs. The sprint-race draw bias has been a debating point on this track in recent years and, with the stalls on the stands’ side, stall 16 should be right.
Frankie Dettori, who has ridden Redford to his Ayr Gold Cup and Challenge Cup victories, is riding in Italy but Richard Hughes looks the ideal replacement for this hold-up horse.
Ed McMahon’s two-year-olds have a 29% strike-rate this year and Electric Waves deserves another chance in the Group Three Sodexo Prestige Cornwallis Stakes. The filly blew out in the Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster last month but had run up a hat-trick before that which included an impressive win in a Listed race at Newbury on ground similar to this.
Diktat, through the exploits of Middle Park Stakes winner Dream Ahead, is a sire in the news and Toolain can add to that reputation in the Group Three Group Three Jaguar XJ Autumn Stakes.
He looked a certain winner until unseating his rider at Sandown Park in June - the form of that race has worked out well since – and he won at Listed race at Ascot in July beating Galtymore Lad by three-quarters of a length and that colt has since franked the form with two good runs behind subsequent Group One winner Wootton Bassett.
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