Royal Ascot Betting 2009: Four horses to follow

Royal Ascot / Wayne Bailey / 11 June 2009 / Leave a Comment

Wayne Bailey gives his four to follow for the upcoming festival and hopes that Yeats can silence the critics by winning the Gold Cup at the ripe old age of eight...

Last year, we were reminded that seven-year-old horses rarely win the Ascot Gold Cup, but no-one told Yeats (pictured) and he became the first horse since Sagaro to win three in a row.

Sagaro was six when winning his last Gold Cup in 1977, and while Yeats bucked the trend by winning as a seven-year-old, what chance has he got aged eight?

Well if Betfair punters have called it correctly, he has a 25% chance of achieving the feat as he's priced around [4.0] - and if he does actually win, he's sure to go down as one of the greatest stayers of our time.

I'm not sure what the coverage was like in the UK, but when Yeats struggled home in sixth place out of eight horses in the Vintage Crop Stakes last-time-out at Navan, I read a number of media reports in Ireland which more or less suggested he's past it. Yes, it was a disappointing performance - especially for those who backed him at around [1.9], but in fairness it was the first time he ran on soft ground since 2004 and it simply didn't suit. Jockey Seamie Heffernan said afterwards:

"He got a bit tired on the ground...When he gets his (faster) ground, and he's a bit fitter, he'll be a real competitor."

It's also worth remembering that some critics wrote Yeats off when he disappointed at Longchamp in October, but he bounced back later on that month to win the Prix Royal-Oak at the same venue. I'm not going to have a big bet at [3.95], and my Gold Cup stakes will be kept fun sized - but if we forget about the stats and negative comments for a moment, on form, Yeats is still the one they all have to beat (Thursday 18th).

It's true to say that Yeats was very disappointing last-time-out at Navan, but Aidan O'Brien always trains with the big day in mind - and we can trust that the Ballydoyle maestro will have him running to his best at Royal Ascot.

Fleeting Spirit is a nice price at [6.6] and I think it's worth taking those odds for a win in the King's Stand Stakes (Tuesday 16th). Jeremy Noseda sent her overseas at the end of last season with mixed success but the four-year-old can return to form back home in England. She's yet to win at Group one level, but a devastating turn-of-foot in the Group two Temple Stakes at Haydock really caught the eye and she managed to break the course speed record on that occasion. If she's fit and well after the break, she can place at the very least.

I won't win any prizes for originality by putting up Mastercraftsman for the St James' Palace Stakes, (Tuesday 16th) but as mentioned in my last article, plenty of recent winners of that race came straight from the Irish 2,000 Guineas and a price of [2.2] looks about right. If you are having a bet, I'd take the [2.2] as soon as possible as some Irish bookmakers have already cut him down to [1.9]. They say that great horses can win on any ground, and the conditions in the Irish Guineas were certainly very testing - although I do concede that it wasn't the strongest ever renewal.

Finally, JJ The Jet Plane is the obvious choice for the Golden Jubilee Stakes (Saturday, 20th), priced [5.4]. Fans of South African racing are acutely aware of how much ability this five-year-old has, and British racing fans got to see the Mike De Kock trained gelding up close at Windsor recently when winning the aptly named sportingbet.com Up Up And Away Stakes earlier on this month. Sacred Kingdom will give him work to do but JJ The Jet Plane should have enough in hand to take the win on the final day of the festival.

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