DONN McCLEAN: Was on the mark last week with 9/2 WINNER of the Qatar Stewards’ Cup continuing his superb recent run of form. THIS WEEK: Shergar Cup: like or loathe? Or are you somewhere in between, in the loathike camp?
Pros: high-class international riders, carnival atmosphere, competitive racing, attracts big non-racing crowd.
Cons: horses lose part of their identity for a day by racing in unfamiliar colours, nightmare for commentators.
Pros win.
From a betting perspective, one of the more interesting Shergar Cup heats is the first race, the five-furlong race, the Dash, not to be confused with the last race, the six-furlong race, the Sprint.
Out Do and Medicean Man were strong in the market on Friday evening, but there are potential weaknesses in both. Out Do ran a big race in the King’s Stand Stakes in June over this course and distance (on soft ground) on his only run to date at Ascot, but he appears to be a better horse at York than he is anywhere else. While he ran well last time at Doncaster, going down by just a length to Naadirr over six furlongs, and while he is gradually stepping up this season, he will be of greater interest when he returns to York.
Medicean Man is a talented individual who goes well at Ascot and who will have Frankie Dettori for company. He also ran well in the King’s Stand and he didn’t run badly in a handicap over the same course and distance behind Alpha Delphini last time. However, he is 10 now, and he has won just once since he landed a six-furlong handicap at Meydan in February 2014. He doesn’t have many secrets from anybody, the handicapper has only relented a little, and he is vulnerable to a potential improver.
Union Rose is one of those potential improvers. Winner of a big-field five-furlong handicap on soft ground at York last October, Ron Harris’ horse ran a cracker on his debut this season to finish second to Ladweb over five furlongs at Sandown, again on soft ground.
He was drawn wide that day, eight of eight, furthest from the favoured far rail. And he didn’t move across either, he charted his wide path for more or less the entire five furlongs, yet he still got to within a half a length of the winner, who is progressive, who had the run of the race from stall two and who goes well on soft ground. Union Rose finished almost three lengths clear of the remainder.
That was the Stimulation gelding’s first run since he was gelded, and he built on that next time at Ascot, in a good handicap run over today’s course and distance run on fast ground. He only finished fifth, but he was only beaten a total of three parts of a length, the first five finished almost in a line across the track, and he didn’t help himself by hanging to his right.
That race is working out well already, with the winner Royal Birth finishing third off a 3lb higher mark in that Alpha Delphini race in which Medicean Man ran, and several of the beaten horses running well in defeat since.
Union Rose himself was due to run in the five-furlong handicap that Boom The Groom won at the Goodwood Festival last week, but he unseated his rider on the way to the start and had to be withdrawn. He appeared to be none the worse for that experience on the day, however, and he could gain compensation here. We know that he goes well at the track – he also finished second in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot as a juvenile at 100/1, and he was third in a nursery at Ascot – he goes on the ground, five furlongs is his trip, and he appears to be progressive again now after being gelded. As a bonus, in the Shergar Cup lottery for riders, he drew Silvestre de Sousa.
Dutch Masterpiece could be the biggest danger. Gary Moore’s horse is another who goes well at Ascot – he has won once and finished second once there in just two visits – he was beaten a short head in this race last year, and he shaped encouragingly in that five-furlong handicap at Goodwood from which Union Rose was withdrawn.
It is a fascinating contest with which to kick off the afternoon, but Union Rose looks a little over-priced for it at around 6.2.
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