Racing Post Trophy
The last Group 1 flat race of the British season takes place at Doncaster this weekend and the winner of the Racing Post Trophy will most likely head into the winter as the ante-post favourite for the Derby.
The last Group 1 flat race of the British season takes place at Doncaster this weekend and the winner of the Racing Post Trophy will most likely head into the winter as the ante-post favourite for the Derby. Spread punters will remember St Nicholas Abbey’s demolition of a decent field 12 months ago, but he returned injured after the 2,000 Guineas in May. The way he sluiced through the field at Doncaster was a sight to behold and he eventually came home 3 ¾ lengths in front of Elusive Pimpernel. That was a ¼ length further than Crowded House the year before and the last two victors of the Racing Post Trophy have posted the biggest winning distances since Commander Collins took the prize in 1998.
Spread bettors will be hoping to see an equally impressive performance on Saturday and three of the last nine winners have gone on to Epsom glory the following June. Aidan O’Brien won his fifth RP Trophy last year with St Nicholas Abbey, but he is yet to send out a two-year-old winner in Britain this season, which is very rare for the Ballydoyle maestro. Spread punters will expect to see Kevin Prendergast’s Dunboyne Express and Michael Halford’s Casamento at the top of the Sporting Index win index on Saturday. However, buyers of either of these Irish contenders will be slightly discouraged that Aidan O’Brien is the only trainer from the Emerald Isle to win this race since Vincent O’Brien in 1973. In fairness, not too many have tried in recent years, though. This race has gone to the favourite in five of the last eight years, which will please SP spread sellers, but they won’t be as happy when they hear that two winners have been 20/1 and 25/1 during that time. If Racing Post Trophy day is the last big flat meeting on these shores, then the Breeders’ Cup really does spell the end of the season for the flat racing spread punters. The European runners have enjoyed a fine time of it over the past couple of years and both Goldikova and Midday will be going for their third and second Breeders’ Cup wins respectively this time. Goldikova is truly remarkable and another win here will elevate her above Freddie Head’s former wonder filly, Miesque, who won this race twice in the 1980’s. Spread bettors looking to get with the European horses will be slightly concerned that the event is taking place at Churchill Downs for the next two years, as they were more suited to the surface at Santa Anita. The highlight is the Breeders’ Cup Classic and the unbeaten Zenyatta produced her customary late burst to mow down her rivals last year. She will be many spread bettors’ idea of the meeting’s banker, but it’s worth bearing in mind that no six-year-old has ever won the Classic in its 26-year history. However, she became the first filly or mare to win the race 12 months ago and she would become only the second to ever win this race twice – following on from Tiznow in 2000 and 2001.Related links:
