24 Jun 2023 - NEWS
O'BRIEN AND MOORE TAKE TOP TRAINER AND JOCKEY TITLESDiamond Jubilee Stakes 2016: Fun can grab Gold in sprint feature
Posted in: Royal Ascot Tips
The Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes is the feature race on the final day of Royal Ascot and boasts a truly international roll of honour, with the likes of Choisir (Australia), Cape of Good Hope (Hong Kong), Black Caviar (Australia) and Undrafted (USA) all doing the business as overseas raiders since the turn of the century.
Black Caviar had previously proved herself to be arguably the finest sprinter of recent years in her native Australia and, although the form credentials of this year's travelling party don't look quite so glaringly obvious, there is still a strong enough challenge to suggest the home contingent might just have a battle on their hands.
The current favourite for the 2016 renewal is the Charlie Hills-trained Magical Memory. Last year’s Stewards’ Cup winner has returned better than ever this campaign and produced a career-best to deny Suedios in a warm renewal of the Group 2 Duke of York Stakes last time. He did have the advantage of race fitness over some of his rivals that day, but it was still a performance that marked him out as a strong contender for top honours on the domestic sprint scene this year.
Twilight Son could only manage fifth on his return from seven months off the track at York, but had beaten Magical Memory in all three of their previous encounters on the track and was forced to carry a penalty for his victory in the Group 1 Sprint Cup at Haydock in September (Magical Memory third). Trainer Henry Candy had also been struggling for form at the time and Twilight Son should prove much sharper with that outing under his belt.
The Tin Man is closely matched with that duo on Timeform ratings and looks likely to contest this race on the back of a striking success in the listed Leisure Stakes at Windsor. The half-brother to the top-class Deacon Blues is likely to come up against rivals with far more experience at this level here, though, and he makes little appeal at almost half the odds of some battle-hardened campaigners.
Last year's winner Undrafted showed that he retains all of his speed when winning a Grade 2 over five and a half furlongs at Keeneland last time and he should get the strong pace that he requires in his follow-up bid at the Royal meeting. Fourth in the 2014 July Cup, he produced a high-class level of form to get the better of Australian speedball Brazen Beau in the final furlong last year and a similar effort should be good enough to see Undrafted involved at the finish again in 2016.
Holler and Mongolian Saturday are other overseas raiders of note, although the latter looks more likely to take his chance in the King's Stand Stakes on the opening day of the meeting, a race in which he rates a lively outsider. Limato also has alternative engagements (entered in the Queen Anne) and, although he remains with the potential to go to the top as a sprinter this season, he simply can't be advised with doubts about his participation.
Gold-Fun represents the Hong Kong yard of Richard Gibson and comes into this race on the back of a smart effort behind Chautauqua in last month's Group 1 Chairman's Sprint Prize at Sha Tin, a race he won with Christophe Soumillon aboard in 2015. He has proved to be an extremely consistent performer on the typically competitive sprint scene in Hong Kong for a couple of years now and raiders from the Far East need to be taken very seriously in races of this nature.
Cape of Good Hope and Little Bridge have both won sprints at the Royal meeting in recent years, but Gold-Fun has achieved as much on Timeform ratings and he looks a sound each-way bet at 12/1.
Click here to back Gold-Fun each-way at 12/1 for the 2016 Diamond Jubilee Stakes
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