Goodwood Cup Tips: Kyprios Impossible To Oppose
It's all eyes on the stayers on Day One of Glorious Goodwood as the Goodwood Cup takes centre stage. The red-hot favourite also scooped the Ascot Gold Cup last time out and try as he might, Billy Grimshaw cannot resist the claims of Aidan O'Brien's star...
I was an enormous KYPRIOS fan in his breakout season when he beat fair and square - in different races and circumstances - some of the top stayers of his generation in Stradivarius, Trueshan (more on him later) and more back in 2022. It was a big shame that he missed nearly all of 2023, when without injury we may have seen the very best of him, but the 2024 vintage is in my opinion still head and shoulders above.
We aren't going to get rich backing an 8/15 shot, however, so a bit more punting innovation is required and I'll take a look at the without Kyprios market to hopefully find a value play. The first one to take on in my opinion is Coltrane who really did look gone at the game at Ascot last time out. He is getting on now and I'm worried what made him so good back int he day, consistency, has deserted him.
Sweet William is favourite in this market at the time of writing and does have his chance, but I'm not convinced he quite wants a test this far. Kypios takes no prisoners and will make sure every furlong is felt for the field and I'd be keen to back something to stay better than him. Trueshan is still going around but is not the force of old either and he may very well be withdrawn due to the good going, so he is another I've ruled out.
The aforementioned Sweet William is the more fancied of the Gosden runners but I'd be more keen on Gregory from the same stable. He totally blew out in the Ascot Gold Cup last time out but while his stablemate was involved, but the keenness of the Watnam raider was evident to see at Royal Ascot and I'm willing to venture this was just a bad day at the office. He is hardly exciting price wise either, however, so we are still searching.
Tashakhan has looked well off his best this season and it may well just be the case that he (are you spotting the pattern here with the field in this race?) has had his best days now, but with the windiness of this race perhaps he could cause a shock and get involved for minor honours as the outsider of the field. He was stuffed into eight last year here though in a weaker race, so it does look a tough task.
That leaves us with the horse I'll be backing to chase Kyprios home, AL QAREEM. Karl Burke's charge is one of the few in here who enters the race in good form following his solid second last time out at York in a Group 3 and I've always thought he's the sort who will show his best in marathon tests. Earlier in the season he ran the high class Hamish to within a neck and with the step up in trip expected to suit and prices of around 7/1 on offer, he'll do as the without Kyprios play.