Ascot Saturday Shergar Cup Preview 2023

The first race of the afternoon at Ascot on Shergar Cup day is the Shergar Cup Dash over 5f and the horse we are siding with is Bond Chairman.

A horse who has a superb record at Ascot Finishing fourth of 27 as a juvenile in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at the Royal meeting in 2021.

Seen for the first time in 2022 back at Ascot again at the Royal meeting he was fourth of 27 runners again over the same C&D, this time in the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes off a mark of 93.

Seen twice more last season at Ascot he then finished second of 20 in a good Class 2 Handicap over C&D again when a neck behind Mountain Peak and then in the run after he was a close fourth of 10 in a similar event.

Starting this season off at Doncaster when getting back to winning ways off a mark of 95 over 5f, he was then last seen back at Ascot finishing a good third in a Class 2 Handicap over 5f off a mark of 98.

Running off the same mark in this event showing clear form at the track he has every chance of going close in a race that looks slightly easier than the ones he has contested over this C&D previously.

Next up at Ascot is the Shergar Cup Stayers Handicap over two miles and we are hoping Zoffee can bounce back to form now on a more feasible mark of 95.

The Hugo Palmer trained gelding was a fair jumps horse for Philip Hobbs but given to Palmer last season raced on the flat and turned into a very credible performer.

Getting off the mark on his second start of the season over 1m6f at Salisbury off a mark of 81, he then went to Newcastle and landed the 18 runner Northumberland Vase with ease.

Bumped up to a mark of 90 he took the rise in the weights in his stride to finish a short head third in the bet365 Trophy at Newmarket.

Not seen to his best at 2m 4 1/2f at Glorious Goodwood when seventh of 14, he then got back to form at York when third in the Class 2 Stayers Handicap behind the extremely well handicapped Alfred Boucher.

Finishing the season on a mark of 93, he placed again in the Cesarewitch Handicap at Newmarket when fourth behind Run For Oscar.

Racing off the same mark for his seasonal debut in the Chester Cup he ran a cracker to get chinned on the line by Metier who loved the soft conditions.

Since then Zoffee has been seen twice finishing sixth of 19 in the Ascot Stakes at the Royal meeting just over three lengths behind the winner Ahorsewithnoname.

Off the same mark last time out at Newcastle he ran no race in the Northumberland Plate which was odd having won the Northumberland Vase over the same C&D the year before.

Putting that run behind him and getting back to his early season form makes him the one to beat.

In the Shergar Cup Challenge over 1m4f we are taking a chance on Pride Of Priory getting in the race as he is currently the first reserve for the contest.

Bringing up a hat-trick of wins in this race last year off the same mark of 92 as he races off today, he then went off the boil reaching a mark of 98 and looked to be in the grasp of the handicapper on his final two runs of the season.

This carries on at Kempton on his seasonal debut when finishing ninth of 13, albeit not finishing that far behind the winner.

Sent to Ripon on soft ground when going off favourite again he underperformed but when last seen dropped to a mark of 93, he finished a much better third of seven over the same C&D on the same soft conditions.

Now back down to his last mark of 92 in the same race he was last seen winning, he looks to have been set up for this if getting into the race.

Returning to quicker ground will be a positive, but he does need one runner to come out to get into the race, if not then it will be a no bet from us.

Another competitive event on the Ascot card is the Class 2 Shergar Cup Mile and Perotto at the top of the market could be tough to beat off the best of his form.

A winner over this course and distance in 2021 off a mark of 99 for trainer Marcus Tregoning in the 29 runner Britannia Stakes, he then lost his way being too far up the handicap, not being able to meet the heights of his mark in the high 100's.

Not being the same horse since that win, he had a torrid end to the 2021 season and that carried on in 2022 where eventually at the start of this term he was moved to Roger Varian for a fresh start.

Getting back down to a mark of 97 at Ascot in May in the Victoria Cup when well fancied he ran a credible race to finish seventh of the 22 runners.

Sent into the Royal Hunt Cup back up to a mile over course and distance and having been the ante-post favourite for the race he weakened in the final furlong to only manage 10th of the 30 runners.

Down to a mark of 94 his lowest since June 2021, he got back to winning ways in fine style at Sandown in the Coral Challenge Handicap, comfortably beating smart handicappers Ouzo, Dutch Decoy and Revich.

Last seen at Glorious Goodwood back up 3lbs for that win, the soft ground went against him when only managing seventh of 20 in the Golden Mile Handicap.

Off 1lb higher here in a much smaller field/easier contest, he can get back on track again at a track he has shown he can run well at.

The penultimate event at Ascot on Saturday is the Shergar Cup Classic over 1m4f and although John & Thady Gosden has the favourite in Rajashtan, we like their second string Intinso.

Intinso is a half brother to the yards Amtiyaz who was a winner over 1m4 to 2m which would suggest the further he goes the better he will be and stepping up to 1m4f for the first time makes him interesting.

A winner on his sole juvenile run at Newcastle over a mile when bolting up and that is a track the Gosden’s like to start their better horses and he could turn out to be just that.

Upped to 1m1f on his three year old debut in the Listed Feilden Stakes when pulling extremely hard and ruining any chance of winning the race and ultimately running no race.

Not seen for almost three months he returned at Chelmsford in a Novice Stakes under a penalty over 1m2f and ran to a much better standard finishing just over a length back in third again taking a keen hold.

Hopefully that would have taken the freshness out of him ahead of this event and having been keeping on at the line the step up trip from his pedigree and that run suggests the step up to 1m4f will be the making of him.

The final event at Ascot is the Shergar Cup Sprint over 6f and we have picked out two runners at each way prices that should outrun their odds.

The first is the Harry & Roger Charlton trained Batal Dubai who has won three of his six races to date and on his last start at Newcastle looked better than ever.

Needing his first run of the season at Windsor when seventh in a decent handicap beaten less than three lengths, he was not at his best despite running credibly.

That run set him perfectly at Newcastle over a course and distance he had previously scored at before, but this time in better company he came from last to first to land a hot handicap by a head.

Only up 4lb for that run and having not been seen since then, he still looks ahead of his mark and the speed he showed in the final furlong makes him very dangerous.

At a slightly bigger price is the Harry & Roger Charlton trained Zaman Jemil who was a late withdrawal at Glorious Goodwood when breaking the stalls.

A horse who got off the mark for his career in August last year on his first handicap start off a mark of 76 at Newcastle over 6f during the Racing League when being a class above the field.

He then went up 11lb in the handicap and ran another cracker at Chester on good to soft ground when finishing a length back in third behind two smart horses including Coco Jack.

Finishing last season in a hot Nursery Handicap and although only beating two home did not run the worse race in the world, this season he returned in better form when a good third at Windsor off a mark of 87.

Last seen at Thirsk in a Class 3 Handicap and he got back to winning ways in decisive style and although 6lb higher he has the scope to keep improving.

This is tougher but if staying on an upward curve he looks interesting.