04-Oct-2009

Ladbrokes have taken a chance by putting in Alandi at 10/1 here. True, he would probably prefer softer ground, but there is a good chance that the extended distance will compensate for the good ground. He is a real dour galloper who perhaps doesn’t have too many gears. As such, he has been disappointing when he has encountered fast ground in the past, but he has never been beyond a mile and six furlongs. This two and a half mile trip is going to take a lot of getting, and Alandi is well equipped for such a test. Also, they water the ground well, so it won’t be the fast ground that you have at the height of summer. I have Alandi down as a Cup horse next year and, as long as he has recovered from his Irish St Leger win, he should go close today. I had him in at much shorter than 10/1.

Yeats is vulnerable, he is eight now, this is his last race, and he has been beaten at odds-on in this race twice in the past. Kasbah Bliss looked good last time, but I am not certain that he truly stays two and a half miles on the flat. He disappointed in this race last year as well, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Incanto Dream got a lot closer to him today than he did in the Prix Gladiateur. All that into the mix, and Alandi is a decent bet at 10/1.

ALANDI WON (ADV 10/1, SP 5/1)