WITH several runners dropping down from Group One level, Saturday’s Jersey Stakes (4.25pm) looks like a Group Three in name only.
The second and third from the Irish 2000 Guineas, HAATEM and RIVER TIBER clash again, with that form having been firmly rubber stamped by winner Rosallion, who landed the St James’s Palace Stakes on Tuesday.
The second mentioned was having his reappearance run, while Haatem has already had three starts this season, so he may be able to reverse that form.
Both horses set a very high bar for the others to shoot at and it’s hard to see them not there at the finish.
However, they do take a chunk out of the front of the market and the value play may be with TASK FORCE, who should be around the 8/1 mark.
Ralph Beckett’s son of Frankel doesn’t have too much to find with the top two on ratings, after an excellent two-year-old campaign last year.
He progressed quickly from winning his Salisbury maiden, taking the step up to Listed company in his stride when winning at Ripon and then chased home high-class rival Vandeek in the Group One Middle Park.
He reappeared with a respectable seventh in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, finishing around three lengths adrift of Haatem in third.
Given the fact he was a bit keen through the early stages on the Rowley Mile, he should appreciate this drop back to seven furlongs and with improvement expected on his second start of the season he can stake a bold claim.
World Pool, the globally commingled pools powered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, once again offer punters exceptional value, and with Haatem and River Tiber likely to swallow up a lot of bets, it’s likely we’ll get a better price than SP on Task Force in the World Pool Win and Place markets.
Anyone in the UK can bet into the global pools via Tote.co.uk and I’ll certainly be doing so, while also combining Task Force with River Tiber and Haatem in a World Pool Quinella (pick the first two home in any order) or Swinger (pick two horses to finish in the first three).
POINTERS SATURDAY
Task Force (Win and Place) 4.25pm Royal Ascot
Task Force, River Tiber, Haatem
(Quinella/Swinger) 4.25pm Royal Ascot