2012 Lockinge Stakes Betting Tips

 Paddy Power is one of the only European bookmakers to have floated a betting market on the upcoming Lockinge Stakes. The big race is set to run May 19 and punters everywhere will have their eyes peeled towards their television sets as the mighty Frankel is set for his seasonal debut and the kick-off of his four-year-old campaign.

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As it currently stands, Frankel has been short-priced at a 4/9 listing to take the outright victory and this might come as a real surprise to some who may have been expecting a better price with so many having thought he was retired not even a month ago when word swept around the Grand National meeting like wildfire that Frankel would be unable to recover from an injury sustained on the gallops a few days prior.

Thankfully, Lord Grimthorpe was in attendance and was able to clarify that Frankel was not, in fact, retired.

The key challenge is expected to come from Excelebration, who finished behind Frankel more than a few times last year. With Frankel trading as low as 4/9, you'll find Excelebration priced around 7/2 while New Zealand-bred globetrotting sensation So You Think hovers around the 6/1 mark. Generally campaigned at a longer distance, the sixth-place finisher of the 2011 Breeders' Cup Classic will be an interesting fancy for many.

Strong Suit is in the mix and he's trading at an 8/1 price just behind So You Think while the odds then take a considerable jump to Nahrain at 20/1. Godolphin's African Story is also given an early entry for this one but his 40/1 price shows just how up against it he really is. Red Jazz can be backed at the same price.

It appears as though Bullet Train, Frankel's stablemate, will be sent out as a rabbit for this one and punters will find him listed as the only contender with a 100/1 listing.

Only expect 6 or 7 of these runners to actually hang around past the final declaration stage with So You Think and Excelebration the only genuine bankers to make the race.