KEY DAY FOR AOB: Aidan O’Brien came within a short head of winning the Gold Cup yesterday and has two rock solid chances to look forward to on day four of Royal Ascot this afternoon.
I obviously wish the short head verdict had gone the other way in the Gold Cup yesterday but in the end you just had to take the it on the chin and reflect on what was a magnificent horse race.
Never mind race of the meeting – fast forward the clock five months and if you were picking the top six races of the flat season how could you possibly not include it?
Did Ryan Moore leave his challenge too late? Plenty thought so and it’s an argument – but you can’t let that deflect from what a courageous, battling performance that Big Orange put up and as the official comment in running noted: ‘refused to be beaten’.
Order Of St George started an odds-on shot and Aidan O’Brien has two red hot favourites on today’s card which should both be mighty hard to beat.
The unbeaten Caravaggio won the Coventry Stakes here 12 months ago and is kept at the same six furlongs for this afternoon’s Commonwealth Cup which will be run on much quicker ground than last year.
Caravaggio has only raced twice since the Coventry – winning the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh and then winning the Group 3 Lacken Stakes on his seasonal reappearance at Naas.
Harry Angel and Blue Point are strong challengers from the resurgent Godolphin team but we still don’t know how good Caravaggio really is and I expect his perfect record to remain intact today.
Winter will start at even shorter odds for the Coronation Stakes at 4.20 and the dual Guineas winner can become the first filly to complete this treble since Attraction in 2004.
SHAMROCK’S BETS:
NAP: Caravaggio (3.40 Royal Ascot)
NEXT BEST: Winter (4.20 Royal Ascot)
DOUBLE: Above two on BETDAQ MULTIPLES
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