Sussex Stakes Betting Preview PT 3
- By A.J. Ryder on July 25, 2016 17:50 GMT
It's worth noting that the handicapper left him on a mark of 120 between his last two races so that tells you a lot about the similarity of the performances. The big question for him is whether he can genuinely step it up and produce something with a bit more grit and the finishing kick that he showed in his Deauville victory back in the Spring.
His wagering has him just a slight shade behind Galileo Gold and The Gurkha can be spotted with a number of bookmakers right now trading around a price of about 2/1. Looking for him to turn things around will only reward at a 2/1 margin so you'd do well to watch the market and see if there is any drifting on the day – though he will probably be a fairly popular forecast and reverse forecast wager for many.
The odds then take a bit of a jump to about a 6/1 margin for the likes of Awtaad who comes in for Sheikh Hamdan's outfit after finishing third behind Galileo Gold in the aforementioned St James Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. Prior to that he had bveen seeking his fifth score on the bounce having taken the Irish 2000 Guineas.
He is especially notable having been one of the contenders who has actually beaten Galileo Gold this year and he deserves a lot of respect for running on so well to capture that big Group 1 contest by a stellar two and a half length margin. Expect him to continue winning ways and he was bumped up from 106 to 120 based on the manner of that victory. Prior to that he had emerged off the handicap circuit to take a listed contest in early May at the Curragh.
Deserving of respect and boasting the type of style that certainly makes him a deserved wild card in this race, you have to respect Awtaad as a force here in a race that may just see those top two cancel each other out a bit.
A Godolphin runner, Ribchester, lines up as the fourth favourite in the wagering with a number of bookmakers placing him around the 8/1 picture rightabout now. Look for him to put together another solid run here but you kind of get he feeling that he is in a lower class of athlete than the previous contenders listed in this article.
