Everything you need to know to bet on the Ascot Gold Cup

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Photo Credit: Sean Dempsey/PA Wire

For many, the Gold Cup is the highlight of Royal Ascot and the big story this year is whether eight-year-old Yeats will be able to defy the age trends and become the first ever four-time winner of the race. Here are some stats to help you decide whether or not to back the favourite to make history:

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Pointers

» The last ten Gold Cup winners were all drawn in even-numbered stalls, with three of the last five winners drawing stall four. Veracity will be occupying that stall this year.

» 13 of the last 16 winners had won over two miles or more prior to the race. Of this year’s ten horses, only Geordieland, Veracity, Yeats and Patkai have been victorious over that distance.

» The last nine winners all triumphed in a Group 1 or 2 race prior to their Ascot success – Sagara never has.

» Geordieland and Hindu Kush are the only horses in the field to have won their last race – five of the last six champions won their final outing before the Gold Cup.

Age and weight trends

Posted: June 17th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Tartan Bearer could end Sir Michael Stoute’s drought in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes

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Champion jockey Ryan Moore is the 15/8 favourite to ride Tartan Bearer to victory in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot. If he delivers, it will end trainer Sir Michael Stoute’s 18-year wait for a third winner in the race. Here are some stats which suggest that the favourite will deliver:

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» Eight of the last 12 winners won their final outing before the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. Of this year’s entries only Tartan Bearer, Vision D’etat, Never On Sunday and Virtual did so.

» Virtual has never won over more than a mile though and this race is 1m 2f. Just one of the last 24 winners hadn’t won at 1m 1f or more beforehand.

Posted: June 16th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Grand National 2009: This year’s frontrunners (Part 2)

15 of the last 18 winners have started at 20/1 or less. That means there are eleven major contenders: My Will, Butler’s Cabin, Rambling Minster, State of Play, Black Apalachi, Comply Or Die, Hear The Echo, Parsons Legacy, Irish Invader, Kilbeggan Blade and the chickendinner pick Darkness…

» Just one horse in the last twenty years has carried eleven stones or more to victory - Hedgehunter (2005) - which doesn’t bode well for My Will, State of Play, Black Apalachi, Comply or Die and Hear The Echo, who were all dealt with harshly by the handicapper.

» Rambling Minster and Parsons Legacy are hampered by the fact only two horses aged eleven or older have won in the last 13 years.

Posted: April 3rd, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment