Pick of the Pundits – Fame And Glory will justify favouritism
Published:It was a horrendous day at Royal Ascot yesterday, summed up with the news that not one of the 50 racing writers in the Racing Post naps competition napped a winner.
For the first time since starting this ‘Pick of the Pundits’ feature Britain and Ireland’s best racing hacks failed to pick a winner between them, making it a spectacular day for bookmakers yesterday.
So You Think’s defeat in the Prince Of Wales’s stakes saved the bookmakers around £2m and there will be plenty of punters baying for blood today.
Which leaves Fame And Glory carrying even more hope in the Gold Cup at 15:45 and six of racing’s best writers believe he will justify his 5/2 favouritism.
15:45 Royal Ascot: Fame And Glory – 5/2
He’s the most napped horse of the day and his job was made a lot easier when last year’s Gold Cup winner Rite Of Passage was ruled out of the race.
It’s not the strongest of Gold Cup renewals and had Fame And Glory proved himself over the trip, we’d be talking about an odds-on chance in today’s feature race.
The trip is the one major doubt about Fame And Glory and the bucket loads of rain at Ascot this morning will not be helping his cause.
However, in Aidan O’Brien, Fame And Glory has a trainer that knows this race inside out having won it with Yeats on four occasions, and I would be willing to bet money on the knowledge of the Irishman.
O’Brien must believe Fame And Glory will get the trip otherwise he wouldn’t be running him and because of that, Fame And Glory will win today.
15:20 Ripon: Samarkand – 2/1
Boost the coffers ahead of the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot with a punt on Samarkand, napped by three writers including Alan Keyte of the Western Mail, Bob Watts of the Western Daily Press and John Martin of the Mail On Sunday.
This three-year-old handicap sees Samarkand gain 3lbs from her main rival Defence Of Duress, and after winning so impressively at Kempton last time, we agree with the pundits who believe she’ll reproduce that form today.
