Horse Racing Betting Tips: Jalmoud can put you in the mood in Queen’s Vase
FOR MANY, the highlight of the five days at Royal Ascot is tomorrow’s Gold Cup, but if you’re looking for a future Gold Cup winner it may well be running in this afternoon’s Queen’s Vase (3.05pm).
The last two victors of this Group Two contest, Kew Gardens and Stradivarius, have gone on to bigger and better things.
Kew Gardens landed the St Leger at Doncaster last September and Stradivarius had an even greater time of it last season, winning all five starts and scooping the inaugural WH Stayers’ Million, so reducing the distance of the race and upgrading it to a Group Two in 2017 has clearly worked.
Aidan O’Brien has won this six times, including in four of the past six years, and he saddles the first and second favourite in Western Australia and Norway.
The latter’s price plummeted yesterday when it was confirmed Ryan Moore would be on board, but it must have been a tricky decision for him.
We’ve seen plenty of times recently that Donnacha O’Brien is no back number and there really shouldn’t be much between the stablemates.
Western Australia was only beaten a length by Magna Grecia in last year’s Group One Vertem Futurity Trophy and he relished the extra distance when winning a Listed contest over 1m5f at Navan last month.
Stamina seems to be his forte and that is likely to be the case long term with Norway as well.
A full brother to the 2013 Derby winner Ruler Of The World, the son of Galileo was second to Sir Dragonet in the Chester Vase before finishing eighth at Epsom.
He could well be this year’s Kew Gardens, with all roads leading to Doncaster in the autumn, and Moore will hope he has picked right.
It is often folly to take on Ballydoyle in races like this, but I’m going to give it a shot with the Godolphin-owned JALMOUD who is improving at a rate of knots.
This will be only the fourth start of the New Approach colt’s career, having made his racecourse debut at Newcastle in November.
Although beaten by stablemate Moonlight Spirit, who he takes on again today, he was very green and put the experience to good use when comfortably landing a novice event at Newmarket in April.
Appleby was keen to continue his education by stepping up another level and he got the job done in a Listed race over 1m4f at Longchamp at the start of May.
I’m sure connections were tempted by Epsom a year on from Masar’s historic success, but they wisely decided to be patient and come here with the extra two furlongs likely to be right up his street.
Who knows, perhaps they are already planning a return mission to Flemington to see if Jalmoud can follow in Cross Counter’s hoofprints.
Appleby’s horses are in fine form at present and for me, Jalmoud is the most exciting horse in the line-up, so take the 11/2 with Star Sports.
Moonlight Spirit can’t be ruled out, although he was a little disappointing in a Group Three at Longchamp last month when only third of five.
The interesting one from an each-way perspective is Andrew Balding’s Dashing Willoughby.
He was less than a length behind Norway at Chester and looks certain to relish this extra distance, as did stablemate Count Octave two years ago when chasing home Stradivarius.
POINTERS
Jalmoud e/w 3.05pm Royal Ascot