Old Borough Cup Tips: Moore's Mount Looks A Standout
The 2024 Old Borough Cup comes to us live on ITV Racing on Saturday from what will hopefully be a dry Haydock Park. Some dour stayers are set to contest the race and Billy Grimshaw thinks the jockey bookings could prove crucial...
Those who regularly read my musings on these pages (hi again Mum) will know I am a huge Ryan Moore fan boy. He will never reach the numbers that Lester Piggott posted and perhaps for some will never be able to reach the mastery of the longfellow as a result, but in my lifetime watching flat racing he has been out on his own as the greatest. Frankie Dettori on big days could be imperious but for sheer relentless brilliance, Moore is the man.
With that in mind, I am acutely aware I am not the only member of the Moore fan brigade and as such I am conscious his mount in this race ONEFORTHEGUTTER could end up a price I'd not want to be tipping him at. Nevertheless, the 8/1 on offer at the time of writing from our friends at BoyleSports is more than satisfactory and I'll be recommending a confident each-way play at those odds as I think he has a brilliant win chance and - on his Ebor run - is rock solid in the place market.
In that Ebor he finished just ahead of the market leader here Epic Poet, and although much has been made of the powerful late surge Epic Poet made - which explains his short price in here - I'm fairly stumped as to why there is so much difference between the horses in the market for this race. Maybe there are some who believe Epic Poet had a more luckless run than I do at York, but with just a 1lbs swing I can't see why the two won't be very close together come the finish here over the same trip and potentially the same ground.
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No disrespect intended to Joe Fanning here either, but I'd say swapping Moore in for him in the saddle is worth a good deal more than that solitary pound and so I can see Oneforthegutter confirming the placings from the Ebor. I'd be surprised were these two not in the mix at the finish as I'm confident they bring the best form line to the table, and with Oneforthegutter's outstandingly consistent record at this trip in his career he looks a belting bet.
The Goat is a horse I've supported in the past and connections will have been licking their lips earlier in the week at the forecast for Haydock, however the rain has not come and with soft likely to be out of the going description by post time I can't really fancy him in here. The draw shouldn't play too much of a part in a race like this but from stall one I do think perennial hold up horse Knightswood could get a nice toe into the contest and he is one I feared when first analysing the race.
At the other end of the scale I'd expect Divine Comedy to attempt to blitz a trail from stall fourteen, which could well set things up for the closers drawn high. There are chances aplenty in here but as I've said, the Ebor should hold the key and I cannot understand the price differential between our pick and favourite Epic Poet. I could put no one off playing the reverse forecast but for tipping purposes, I'm team Oneforthegutter.