Coming in to 2021, he had already secured the 2018, 2019, and 2020 Gold Cup, and a strong performance this year could put him in a special category with only one other horse being Yeats to with the Ascot Gold Cup four consecutive years running – with an estimated 44% chance of winning and 5/4 odds, he’s certainly looking to be the favourite of the runners. The Sagaro Stakes win certainly lead bookies to still favour him, but those looking to seek an alternative bet aren’t short of reasons to not bet on the front runner – following a 10-race winning streak, a second place finish in the 2019 British Champions Long Distance would put an end to the run only winning four of the last seven races participated in, and although excuses can perhaps be made for the losses with less than ideal conditions, some spark has been lost for whatever reason.
With younger competition on the field there are many bettors who’ll look to the youth to see if they can challenge at the front, Subjectivist tops the list with a 17% chance of winning and 5/1 odds following some strong recent performances and will be the first Gold Cup race for her having just turned four earlier this year. Trueshan is another good shout towards the top of the list too with an estimated 11% chance of winning after taking the British Champions Long Distance Cup at the end of the last season, and it’ll be a question of whether or not he can keep that good form going forward.
Some fans will be a little disappointed, although only sitting at a 6% chance of winning it was recently revealed that Ocean Wind has pulled out of taking part in the Gold Cup, with the race taking place on Thursday June 17th it’s certainly getting close, with now just perhaps the hoping that a little cooler weather is on the way before the race week for the most optimal conditions throughout all of the race week.