Ascot Gold Cup Preview. (Jordan Yates' Royal Ascot 2018 Preview)

The Gold Cup is of course the feature race of Day Three and it’s possible the race i’ve most been looking forward too throughout the entire week as it’s thrown up an absolutely outstanding renewal.

Order Of St George heads affairs for Aiden O’Brien and Ryan Moore, runner up in this last year after being narrowly beat by Big Orange and the winner of it in 2016. He certainly looks as though he still retains his ability this season with a couple of straight forward wins to his name.

He’s likely to put up another very bold showing here and that’s why he’s trading at the top of the market at the 15/8 mark. John Gosden’s Stradivarius joins Order Of St George at the top of the market on the back of his very stylish win at York the last day. He comes here with youth on his side and also a win at Goodwood over Order Of St George’s conqueror Big Orange last season. The trip is an unknown to him today but if handling the extra distance he’s a huge player here with Frankie once again on board.

One of my all time favourite Flat performers also lines up in this star studded line up and that comes in the form of French raider Vazirabad. He comes here of the back of another profitable campaign in Meydan and a smart winning return to Longchamp the last day. He’s an all time great in the flat racing staying division and if handling the track here is a live danger to the field. He’s around 5/1 and is partnered up with Christophe Soumillon again. Torcedor could be a dark horse in the field, the Jessica Harrington charge was last seen when bolting up in a Group 3 around here in May and could well play a part.

VERDICT: I’m just going to side with the younger horse here and that’s of course STRADIVARIUS for John Gosden. If he get’s the trip which is the obvious negative I think he’s going to be very hard to beat.

STRADIVARIUS – (15/8)