Wokingham Stakes at Royal Ascot Betting Preview

Over recent years the gulf in class between the leading handicap sprinters and those running in the Group One races over five and six furlongs has narrowed dramatically. Indeed, they are more less one of the same. In this year's Wokingham, run at Royal Ascot at York on Saturday June 18 (4.20), the front two in the market - Iffraaj and Soldier's Tale - stand out like sore thumbs, looking sure to go on and hold their own in races like the July Cup and the Haydock Sprint Cup. Soldier's Tale did extremely well when coming from another parish to score on his first start for a year over the Wokingham course and distance last month. The son of Stravinsky looked well-held two furlongs out but flashed home to nail the luckless Fonthill Road in the dying strides. A 7lb hike in the weights is negligible in terms of what this colt is thought capable of, but the drying ground on the Knavesmire may be his undoing. Jeremy Noseda's charge has won two of his three career starts, both of which were on good-to-soft going, and the penultimate victory was achieved over seven furlongs. All the evidence suggests that six furlongs on ground good or faster will prove too sharp for Soldier's Tale, which means that Iffraaj gets the confident nod. His in-form handler, Michael Jarvis, was considering running the Zafonic colt in the Group One Golden Jubilee Stakes, but opted instead to run him in this valuable prestige handicap, in which he could be thrown in off a mark of 101. Iffraaj suffered with a leg problem last season, and had been absent for 11 months prior to making his seasonal reappearance at Kempton in March where he cosily beat High Reach by a length. Next time out, the four-year-old looked imperious when treating a field of battled-hardened campaigners with disdain in the seven-furlong Victoria Cup at Lingfield. He was always travelling supremely well there and effortlessly took command two furlongs out, before staying on in good style to beat Moayed by two lengths. Iffraaj will not be phased by the prevailing conditions - he has won on good and good-to-firm going - and his prominent style of racing means that he will not get involved in the likely traffic problems effecting those that need to be held up from off the pace. All in all, he looks about as bombproof a Wokingham contender as you're likely to find and the 11-2 offered by Blue Square should be duly snapped up.Outside of the front two, Gift Horse looks best of the rest. He has been a revelation since joining Dandy Nicholls' yard and reverting to sprint distances. The five-year-old gelding has won on either side of a fine effort in defeat when third in Soldier's Tale's race last month. He swooped into the lead just after the two-furlong marker there but tired in the closing stages, eventually crossing the line a length adrift of the winner. Had the going been faster - it was good-to-soft that day - the son of Cadeaux Genereux may well have won. Indeed, he benefited from a return to good going when landing the valuable Vodafone Sprint on Derby day. With the drying ground in his favour, Gift Horse looks sure to be involved in the finish.The Paul Cole-trained pair Eisteddfod and Peter Paul Rubens both merit plenty of respect. The former would probably prefer more cut in the ground, but Peter Paul Rubens relishes top of the ground and should make a bold bid. However, his mark of 95 means he has 9st 5lb to shoulder, which makes him look vulnerable against some rapidly improving types like Iffraaj and Soldier's Tale. Last year's winner Lafi cannot be ruled out, despite being 7lb higher this time around. He was never at the races when well beaten behind another Wokingham entry, Indian Trail, at Newmarket last time, but he had a hapless task there from stall four in a race were the first eight home were drawn between stalls 16 and 29.Indian Trail got up to beat Baltic King by a neck there, and has gone up 8lb as a result. The first two were nicely clear of the remainder and Indian Trail does not have many miles on the clock for a five-year-old so may well find further improvement. A such he cannot be overlooked, but I don't think that he possesses the scope of Iffraaj and Soldier's Tale, therefore looks booked for a place at best. Betting verdict: 2pts win Iffraaj @ 11-2 (Blue Square)