One of the feature races of the week the Group 1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot will take centre stage on Thursday afternoon at 4:25pm and it will see former champion Kyprios line up as a red-hot favourite. Our in-house tipster is willing to take on the Aidan O’Brien hotpot with a hugely consistent stayer, who is available at big odds.
KYPRIOS
(Ryan Moore/Aidan O’Brien)
A superb half-a-length winner of the 2022 Gold Cup, Kyprios was the star stayer through that epic campaign, but injuries have plagued his career since then, but he showed when winning the Saval Beg on his last run that he is still a top notch performer for Aidan O’Brien. Second to Trawlerman in the Long Distance Cup on British Champions Day at Ascot last season will give some favourite backers a few doubts, but two wins out of two this season has seen him return to a high level, and while he may not be at his best he is the proven class act in the field.
GREGORY
(James Doyle/John & Thady Gosden)
John & Thady Gosden’s Gregory rocketed into the upper echelons of the staying sphere with a notable success in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot last season, but the son of Golden Horn has failed to get his head in front on the last three occasions. Well beaten in the Yorkshire Cup last time out, the four-year-old needs to hope a return to Ascot can bring about some notable improvement and a career best will be needed here to get the better of Kyprios.
VAUBAN
(Colin Keane/Willie Mullins)
The 2022 Triumph Hurdle winner at the Cheltenham Festival, Vauban then romped to a seven-and-a-half length victory in the Copper Horse Handicap last season at the Royal meeting to show he’s a top quality dual-purpose performer. Sent Down Under to the Melbourne Cup, the Willie Mullins-trained raider failed to play any notable part there and was last seen on British shores finishing second in the Yorkshire Cup, so will need to replicate last year’s display to feature.
THE FIELD
A gutsy winner of the Long Distance Cup at the end of last season, where he edged Kyprios out by a neck, Trawlerman will be eager to replicate that display and is another shot fired by the Gosden gun that needs respecting. Sweet William is another lining up for the Gosden team and he got the better of Caius Chorister in the Henry II Stakes at Sandown Park and that pair add more depth to the race, but have to shown they can produce the goods on the biggest stage.
Second in the race last year, Andrew Balding’s Coltrane is arguably one of the most consistent performers in training and having won the 2022 Ascot Stakes at the Royal meeting he has shown he lights up when it runs at the Berkshire track. A winner of the Sagaro Stakes on his last outing, where he actually beat Caius Chorister and Sweet William, Coltrane is a really solid yardstick, while Trueshan may have seen better days for Alan King.
VERDICT
It’s hard to not see Kyprios fighting out the finish, but with skinny odds available then it’s worth taking on the Aidan O’Brien hotpot and Andrew Balding’s COLTRANE looks the perfect alternative. First and second on his last two visits to Royal Ascot show that he blossoms in the June sunshine and at double-figured odds he’s far more attractive value from a punting perspective. Caius Chorister appears to still be improving and can chase Coltrane and Kyprios home.
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