By Ben Cleminson
CASH-SPLASHING owners Wathnan Racing look to hold a strong hand in today’s ultimate cavalry charge, the Royal Hunt Cup (5.05pm).
Eight of the last 10 renewals have been won by progressive four-year-olds, so the Qatari powerhouse’s upcoming aces look cut out for this.
REAL GAIN, who has raced just once this season, runs off a mark of 101, which looks more than fair based on his three-year-old form.
He breezed to a five-and-a-half length win on good-to-firm ground at Newmarket on his second start last term before running below par on much softer going in the Group Three Darley Stakes.
The ground was also against him on his seasonal reappearance in an ultra-competitive Spring Cup at Newbury and he’s worth giving another chance to given conditions are drying all the time at Ascot. William Buick is in the saddle, which can be taken as another indication of his chances.
Fellow top jockey James Doyle takes the reins on Wathnan’s other runner, BESHTANI, who was last seen coming off second best in a head-bob on Derby Day at Epsom.
Another stride or two and he would have been in front.
That was his first run in seven months, and his first in the UK for a new yard having previously been based in France, so he should take a big step forward.
He gets in here off an unchanged mark of 104 and this race will have been the plan for a while, having been purchased for the princely sum of €340,000 in October.
The red-hot pace of a Royal Hunt Cup run over the straight mile will suit both Wathnan runners, who have shaped like an extra furlong or two wouldn’t hurt.
The pair are priced at around the 8/1 mark and, with World Pool’s globally commingled pools once again in operation today, they make for good plays in World Pool’s Quinella (pick the first and second in any order) and Swinger (pick two horses to finish in the first three) markets.
Add to that the legendary 10-year-old BLESS HIM and we could be looking at some tasty World Pool dividends.
The straight mile at Ascot is his playground, having won twice in six starts over the trip, and he could hit the frame at around the 20/1 mark.
Both of those wins came on good-to-firm ground, so he’s set to get his ideal conditions, and it would be no surprise to see Jamie Spencer weaving through traffic late.
He’s no spring chicken, so the concern is whether he’s quite the force of old, but his third in the Victoria Cup off just a pound lower than his mark today confirmed he’s still up to the task.
Market leader Wild Tiger is an obvious danger, coming into this off the back of a decisive win at Goodwood and now stepping up a furlong in trip, but the six pound rise in the weights and the fact he’s a single figure price in a race like this is enough to put you off.
The lightly-raced Regheeb could ping out of the traps from stall 31 and bring his stamina to the fore, but connections would rather have seen a bit more dig in the ground, so he’s passed over as well.
POINTERS WEDNESDAY
Real Gain (Win and Place) 5:05pm Royal Ascot
Bless Him (Win and Place) 5:05pm Royal Ascot
Real Gain, Bless Him, Beshtani
(Quinella, Swinger) 5:05pm Royal Ascot
