Appleby Ace Grabs Sprint Gold, A Double Triple For Baffert and Ascot On The Horizon.
Prince The Scottish Sprint King
The big betting race of the weekend came up in Scotland as Musselbrugh played host to the Scottish Sprint Cup, and it saw an exceptional effort from one of the old boys in the field.
Three times a winner of last weekend’s Epsom Dash, the Michael Appleby runner Caspian Prince couldn’t make his presence felt as he went for a fourth win in that race this year, but he certainly did here.
Bursting from the stalls in his customary style, the evergreen nine year old was much too quick for these in the opening three furlongs and quickly pulled into a lead. Despite a welter burden of 9st10lbs it was a lead he never once looked like relinquishing, proving once again that over a fast and furious 5f he is very tough to beat indeed. To break the track record at his age with so much weight on his back was a spectacular performance.
Justify Just Too Good
The big highlight of the weekend’s action came over in America. Following Saxon Warrior’s eclipse in the Derby, we won’t see a Triple Crown winner on this side of the Atlantic this season, however we do now have one in the States.
American Pharaoh was the most recent winner of the holy grail of American racing when claiming Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes glory in 2015, and it was that horses trainer , Bob Baffert, who once again achieved the remarkable feat. Prior to American Pharaoh, no horse had landed the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978, but it took Baffert only three years to find another colt who was up to the job.
Unraced as a two year old, Justify has now achieved – in the space of less than four months – more than the vast majority of racehorses do in their careers. Stepping up to 1m4f, the main concern was whether this son of speed influence Scat Daddy would stay the distance. Stay it he did though as he stormed into the history books under Mike Smith. The ex-Luca Cumani runner Gronkowski ran a cracker from the back of the pack to chase him home.
Awesome Ascot Lies Ahead
Looking ahead to the upcoming action and it is the premier flat festival of the season which is now looming ever larger on the horizon, as the betting bonanza that is Royal Ascot moves firmly into view. Five days of the classiest days racing staged anywhere in the World is what we have to look forward to once again, and it all kicks off on Tuesday 19th June.
Royal Ascot wouldn’t be Royal Ascot without a high class foreign raider or two, and this week saw one of Australia’s top sprinters take up residence in his temporary home at Newmarket. Housed in the same box as the great Aussie mare Black Caviar, Redkirk Warrior has the Diamond Jubilee as his main target and the three time Group 1 winner will have the assistance of Frankie Dettori in the saddle. The Aussie star can be backed at 6/1 with most bookies as he bids to conquer Harry Angel and co.
With Battaash vs Lady Aurelia in the King’s Stand Stakes, Order Of St. George vs Stradivarius in the Ascot Gold Cup, Cracksman in the Prince of Wales Stakes and much more besides, its easy to see why the excitement is already building for what looks set to be a fabulous week in Berkshire.
