Hannon to win Lockinge, but not with odds-on Canford Cliffs
Published:Canford Cliffs may be the favourite in the Lockinge Stakes odds at Newbury, but Richard Hannon’s other runner Dick Turpin has the credentials to steal the Grade One victory.
Newbury odds have Canford Cliffs as the 4/5 favourite and he is the chosen ride of jockey Richard Hughes over Dick Turpin.
Meanwhile, the Hannon and Hughes partnership has proved fruitful in recent years as the duo have won the Lockinge in both of the last two years with Paco Boy.
However, there are reasons to oppose Canford Cliffs, especially as he is odds-on.
The one big question mark hanging over Canford Cliffs is that the Lockinge Stakes represents his first run of the season.
He took a while to produce his best form last season and there is also the argument that Canford Cliffs is potentially using the Lockinge as a warm up for the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot next month.
Dick Turpin is 3/1 in the Newbury betting and arrives with the luxury of already having a run this year, when a smart victor in the bet365 Mile at Sandown in April.
Furthermore, he has finished ahead of Canford Cliffs on two of the three occasions they have previously raced against each other, including last year in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury when both were making their seasonal reappearance.
Being a previous Group One winner, it is hard to fault the record of Twice Over and he will certainly be regarded as solid each-way value for the Lockinge at 8/1.
However, in the past ten years, only one six-year-old has claimed victory in the race from 14 runners, while it is debateable if he has the speed to match Hannon’s duo.
Twice Over’s best form is arguably over 1m2f, so he may be just caught short in the speed department over two furlongs shorter.
A £30 stake on Dick Turpin winning the Lockinge would return £90. New customers can sign up here for a free £30 bet.
