Abu Dhabi International Stakes Odds
24th July, 2009
The Group 1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes is the feature race at Ascot on Saturday but the big betting heat takes place at 3.50 and two horses dominate the market.
The Abu Dhabi International Stakes, a Heritage Handicap run over 7f, sees Jeremy Noseda's Captain Brilliance shade favouritism from the William Haggas-trained Roaring Forte with the latter looking to make up for lost time following his Royal Hunt Cup disappointment.
Trouble at the stalls prevented the well fancied 4-year-old taking his chance in the one mile contest at the Royal meeting but Roaring Forte had looked a horse to follow when winning on his seasonal reappearance at the July Course in emphatic fashion and conditions should prove ideal for the son of Cape Cross, providing the Berkshire track misses the forecast rain.
Roaring Forte, an 11/2 chance with Coral, must go well but the odds compilers give slight preference to Captain Brilliance on the back of his narrow defeat in the Bunbury Cup last time out. He is clearly progressive, has the services of Johnny Murtagh from the saddle and rates as a 9/2 shot with totesport.
Of the rest both Giganticus and Secret Society are sure to have their supporters.
Giganticus, who can be backed at 16/1 with Paddy Power, slammed a competitive field over C&D on his penultimate start in the Buckingham Palace Stakes while Secret Society, in the care of Michael Bell, is an unexposed 3-year-old. He went agonisingly close in the Britannia Handicap, when just touched off by Fareer, and rates as the biggest danger to the front pair.
By Tom Allen
