Illinois ready to make Light of Gold Cup challenge
WE HAVE reached the midpoint of Royal Ascot 2025, and for many tomorrow features the pinnacle of the meeting, the Gold Cup (4.20pm).
A unique test, run over a trip of two-and-a-half miles, the field pass in front of the stands before embarking on one full lap of the Berkshire course.
Any inadequacies in the stamina department will be exposed here, as along with this being a marathon trip it’s a race that is often run at a true gallop, leaving no hiding place.
It’s a contest known for creating great staying champions that become part of racing folklore, with the roll of honour providing names such as Sagaro, Yeats and Stradivarius to conjure with.
This year had looked to be set up for Aidan O’Brien’s two-time Gold Cup winner Kyprios to ascend to those heady heights, only for the Ballydoyle star to be ruled out and sadly retired due to sustaining a career-ending injury just a few weeks ago.
The seven-year-old was the undisputed champion of the staying division so it is a great shame we won’t see him lining up to defend his crown.
However, such is the strength of O’Brien’s County Tipperary-based operation that they look to have a ready-made replacement in the form of ILLINOIS.
The son of legendary sire Galileo was a good winner of the Queen’s Vase at this meeting last year, handling quick ground well.
He’ll encounter those conditions again tomorrow, which looks to be a positive, while his regular rider Ryan Moore expects him to stay this extra trip.
His win at Longchamp over the best part of two miles on soft ground in October certainly showed he has no shortage of stamina.
On his return to action at Chester, he readily kept at bay a good rival who has since franked the form last weekend, and that run should have left him spot on for this.
I was thinking about taking on Illinois when seeing the early prices last week, but with both Trawlerman and French raider Candelari shortening up in the market, and not that much between the three now, the O’Brien runner must be the selection at 7/4 with Star Sports.
That’s also partly because O’Brien is a master at preparing horses for this most prestigious of prizes and he is sure to have left no stone unturned with Illinois.
Trawlerman is highly respected as a high-class stayer that has been there and done it, albeit never quite in this race, but as a seven-year-old he could be vulnerable to younger legs.
Francis-Henri Graffard’s Candelari could be the main challenger but the quick ground at Ascot poses a new challenge, and I’m happy to put my faith in Illinois.
Coolmore also have a leading hope in the earlier King George V Stakes (3.05pm) in Serious Contender, however I’m instead going to look to his stablemate, LIGHT AS AIR, who I think might offer a bit of value.
Ballydoyle’s supposed second strings are well capable of winning at Royal Ascot and I think the 11/1 on offer is a very fair each-way price.
This son of Wootton Bassett left the impression that he was unlucky on his seasonal return at Leopardstown, when only half-a-length behind Serious Contender.
He was seen looking for racing room deep into the closing stages there and flew home when finally getting daylight.
Last time out, he again went down by a narrow margin at Navan under tomorrow’s rider Wayne Lordan.
This step up in trip, with cheekpieces applied for the first time, is an interesting move and it wouldn’t take much improvement to see him seriously involved in the finish.
POINTERS THURSDAY
Light As Air e/w 3.05pm Royal Ascot
Illinois 4.20pm Royal Ascot