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Ascot Gold Cup reaction: Stradivarius awarded a higher provisional rating than Yeats
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Posted in: Royal Ascot News
Timeform's Flat Editor David Johnson reacts to Stradivarius' stunning ten-length victory in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
Stradivarius' performance in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot on Thursday was better than anything seen over staying trips since the days of Le Moss and Ardross in the ‘70s and ‘80s, according to Timeform's Flat Editor David Johnson.
Stradivarius became just the third horse – after Sagaro and Yeats – to win the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot for a third time, and he did so by ten lengths.
Johnson said: “Stradivarius was the clear pick of the weights today with Kew Gardens unable to take him on, but he elevated his form to a new level with his ten-length victory, earning a provisional Timeform rating of 130, which is 3 lb higher than he was rated pre-race. Though even in winning by such a wide margin, it’s difficult to get too carried away with the performance given Stradivarius is a fully mature six-year-old and was having the 22nd start of his career.”
HE'S DONE IT. THREE IN A ROW!
Stradivarius wins the Gold Cup at @AscotRacecourse with an imperious performance! pic.twitter.com/3gcexujBb7
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 18, 2020
Stradivarius, who was sent off at 5/4-on, had been an uneasy favourite after overnight rain at Ascot turned the going soft, and Johnson added: “It’s ironic that connections spent much of his career suggesting he wasn’t as effective on soft ground as a firmer surface, given it was under such conditions that he produced a career-best.
“Multiple winners like Yeats, Royal Rebel and Drum Taps failed to reach a rating of 130, and Stradivarius has shown himself to be the best horse over staying trips for almost forty years.
“The 2005 Gold Cup winner Westerner ended that season rated 130, but that figure was earned on the back of his second in the Arc. A crack at the Arc with Stradivarius this year is what most racing fans will be hoping to see.”
Click here to see David Johnson's tips for Royal Ascot on Friday
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