When it comes to top class staying contests on the flat, there is one coveted more than any other by owners, trainers and jockeys alike. It comes here at the Royal Ascot Festival and is the centrepiece to an excellent day three. Won by some true legends of the game, including remarkable four time champion Yeats, this contest, which was first run way back in 1807, is one of the truly historic events of the British racing year. Here we provide our betting tips for the race and highlight the best betting odds via our odds comparison below.
Order Of St. George mastered both the marathon 2m4f trip and his rivals last year and it looks likely that this will be the big target of the season for the Aidan O’Brien-trained colt once again. O’Brien has more wins in this than any other trainer, and if returning in the same sort of form which saw him run right away with this last year, Order Of St. George may prove very tough to beat. Looking at our odds comparison, he is already in to 5/4 with Coral and may well be a banker of the meeting for many.
With the favourite being so short in the betting, there are a number of other runners available at big prices. It is to these each way contenders to which we turn for our main betting tips.
The first one to catch our eye is the William Haggas runner, Dal Harraild. Seemingly held in high regard at home, this one produced the performance of his career to date when landing the Grand Cup Stakes at York by an impressive 3 ½ lengths. That was his first crack at 1m6f, and whilst he is stepping up a further 6f here, he looked better and better the further they went that day and was showing no signs of stopping at the line. The current best odds of 20/1 with William Hill are certainly attractive from an each way perspective.
Another who could be interesting at a big price is the Godolphin runner Qewy. This versatile performer was pretty decent over hurdles but looks an even better performer on the flat. A close second in the Ascot Stakes Handicap here last year, he won a Listed contest out in Australia last time out, sees this trip out very well, and at best betting odds of 33/1 with Bet365 and others, is another who looks an appealing each way proposition.
The Ascot Gold Cup – technically just called the Gold Cup – is synonymous with Royal Ascot and it is the most prestigious flat race for stayers in the business. Run over a distance of two miles and four furlongs, the race is a real challenge to runners and riders who have to remain focussed throughout, judging when to make a break for the winning post – if they’ve got the stamina of course!
Here we bring you the latest Gold Cup betting tips and predictions along with the latest live betting odds comparison to make sure you get the best possible odds whichever horse you choose.
The early favourite for Gold Cup glory at Royal Ascot is the DK Weld-trained five-year-old, Forgotten Rules. Priced at best betting odds of just 7/2 with Bet365 and others, Forgotten Rules has only run three times, only one of which was a Group race (the Group Two British Champions Cup at Ascot in October). But he has won all three and connections have seen enough promise to have faith in him for this massive race. We think it might be a step too far, however, and we’ll instead be seeking something a little further down the betting.
One option – available at betting odds of 8/1 with William Hill – is Brown Panther who was third in the Gold Cup in 2014 but who has since won both a Group One and a Group Two race. With 11 victories from 26 runs to date, the seven-year-old might have enough in the tank to challenge here.
A solid each way prediction comes in the form of Panama Hat, who is priced at attractive odds of 25/1 with Paddy Power and others. With five wins and a second from his last six races – albeit at a lower class than the Gold Cup – we suggest he could be on something of a roll and those odds are certainly big enough to allow us to take a punt on what looks an outsider with a real chance of upsetting the odds.