Champion Sprint Stakes Tips: Rohaan looks overpriced for glory
A race which will centre around the chances of the ‘retiring’ Frankie Dettori aiming to win a race on his ‘final’ day riding in Britain, the Champion Sprint Stakes should be a gripping affair. Dettori will be riding favourite KINROSS, and although the defending champion’s claims are obvious, Billy Grimshaw is keen to take him on with one with proven Ascot form at a much bigger price…
#AD 18+ GambleAware.org. New Grosvenor registrations only, Bet must be placed using real money in combination with the Odds Boost Token, Offer applies to Sport bets only. Max stake £10. Each way bets are a max of £5 each way (£10 total). Odds Boost token expires after 60 days. T&Cs apply.
Favourite Kinross is the obvious place to start in here, with his love of soft ground and his ideal trip being seven furlongs or a stiff six which Ascot of course provides. In around the 2/1 mark with most betting sites for glory, there isn’t much to knock him with. Even when disappointing as favourite last time out in the Prix de la Foret, he still finished second and was probably only a few pounds off his best.
The style of his win in this contest last season and the form he has shown this year, taking out the Lennox and the City Of York Stakes, means he is probably the right favourite, but I am still of the opinion he is a good, not great horse. I was keen on Shaquille's chances of victory here but he has not been declared sadly, and so a gaze further down the odds table saw me land on one I was surprised to see available at as big as 14/1 at the time of writing.
ROHAAN has proven recently, particularly with his win over C&D last time out, that the fire still burns bright and although he could only manage fourth in this race last year, on re-examination that performance is better than the bare result. He is an inconsistent sort away from Ascot in truth, but this race of course takes place at his favourite venue and a record of five wins from eight runs at the track is not to be sneezed at. In the 2022 renewal he was a victim of the draw bias, finishing best of those drawn low and with Ryan Moore now back in the saddle for the first time in over a year, I'd expect him to be in prime position regardless of where the pace emerges.
The last time the pair were united was in a successful Wokingham raid in 2022 and so they clearly get on. A further feather in Rohaan's cap is that as he has aged he has got better on softer going, so with the forecast looking menacing his connections will be keeping up the rain dance. At their best, he is probably a few pounds short of the favourite, but the price disparity means he is the logical each-way play.
A host of decent sprinters could yet line up and a few will love it if the ground gets properly soft, not many more so than Art Power who could see some each-way support as racetime draws closer. The horse that seems to be most suited by the almost certainty of a mudbath is Vadream, Charlie Fellowes’ five year old, whose best performances have come on heavy, and is as I type being backed off the boards for this Group 1 event. She will be hard to knock out of the frame if the ground is bottomless.
Spycatcher’s connections will be hoping his last run has freshened him up and that he is back to something like his best as a likeably consistent type. Sandrine is a couple of points shorter in the betting than Spycatcher after upsetting the 5/4 favourite at Doncaster last time out, although I’d fancy the first named to reverse those placings here. Khaadem of course won the Platinum Jubilee Stakes at 80/1 at Royal Ascot and cannot be fully dismissed at 25/1, although he is an untrustworthy sort and could just as well throw in a stinker.
#AD 18+. Play Safe. From 00:01 on 18.10.2022. £30 bonus. New customers only. Minimum £10 stake on odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater on sportsbook (excluding Virtual markets). Further terms apply. UK and Ireland residents only. Further terms apply. GambleAware.org