Stewards’ Cup To See Plenty Of Laddish Behaviour

Punters will be licking their lips at having one last crack at finding a decent priced winner at Glorious Goodwood (3.45) courtesy of Saturday’s Stewards’ Cup over 6f.

A Magical Stewards’ Cup?

Always one of the biggest betting heats of the summer, the Stewards’ Cup has again attracted some progressive sprinters possibly destined for better things, including Charles Hills’ 3yo, Magical Memory (8/1).

It was his victory in a valuable Newmarket handicap (6f, good to firm), against his own age group several weeks ago, which earned him a 6lb penalty for this, but he’ll need to improve once more if beating his elders.

Indeed, it has been the older runners who lifted the cup down the years…

Trends Summary

Of the last 10 Stewards’ Cup winners…

10 were 4-6yo’s
10 had one run or less at Goodwood
9 returned 20/1 or shorter – those bigger were 1-149
9 were officially rated 95-104
9 had 2-4 runs during previous 90 days
9 ran in a handicap last time

Close Hunts Downs Cup

One who fits nicely into the right age bracket is Roger Charlton’s 5yo, Huntsmans Close (8/1), winner of last season’s Ayr Silver Cup (6f, good to firm). He warmed up for this with victory in a decent handicap at Windsor a month ago (6f, good to firm).

Another 5yo with a chance is Mike Murphy’s Discussiontofollow (16/1), who was beaten just under 3l when sixth in this race 12 months ago from 2lb lower (not clear run), and showed he was ready for another crack when staying on into fifth (of 18) in a valuable 5f handicap at Ascot this month.

Also on 16/1 is Richard Fahey’s 5yo, Tatlisu, who failed to show when blinkered in Royal Ascot’s Wokingham (6f, good to firm), but hit back when runner-up in the Scottish Stewards’ Cup at Hamilton a few weeks ago (6f, soft). His conqueror in Scotland that day was Poyle Vinnie (14/1), who won by over 2l and has to confirm that form on 6lb worse terms.

Wokingham Form

On the subject of the Wokingham, long term trends show that runners who made the top half in that race did well here, which bodes well for the Ascot fourth, Related (20/1), while Gamesome (25/1) was sixth and may appreciate this less demanding 6f.

For the record, Algar Lad was 11th.

While nine of the last 10 Stewards’ Cup winners were rated 104 or lower, a mention has to be given to the top-weight, Tropics (14/1), who was runner-up in the Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket several weeks ago, and has improved significantly than when sixth in this race two years ago.

Recommended Bets

It may be worth checking the first race of the day for draw clues, but at this stage the vote goes to Algar Lad, who enjoys an easy 6f, has run some big races in these kind of sprints over the last 12 months, and may finally land a big one at 25/1.

*Prices correct at time of publication