Stradivarius deserves plenty of respect as he seeks his Gold Cup hat-trick, but the bookmakers have him too short
Stradivarius deserves plenty of respect as he seeks his Gold Cup hat-trick at Royal Ascot on Thursday but the bookmakers have him very short indeed at 4-7 after a couple of defeats. After all, it is just 13 days since he chased Ghaiyyath’s tail in the Coronation Cup, which is hardly a conventional Gold Cup preparation.
At 10-1, Moonlight Spirit (3.35) is an interesting alternative, since the Godolphin horse seems on his way to becoming a decent stayer. He was run down late by Technician in France last autumn but has been gelded since and could prove a different proposition this year. Nayef Road has to be taken seriously after his Sagaro success on his first attempt at two miles. Rain would be a problem for Mark Johnston’s chestnut, but if the storms miss Ascot he should get into the argument.
Written by Chris Cook
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2020/jun/18/talking-horses-moonlight-spirit-can-spring-a-surprise-in-gold-cup-royal-ascot-horse-racing under the title “Talking Horses: Moonlight Spirit can spring Royal Ascot Gold Cup surprise”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
