Shady Could Be The Real McCoy At Ascot

This Saturday the Victoria Cup Heritage Handicap is the big race of the day at Ascot and it looks as competitive an affair as ever. 27 horses have been declared and a case can be made for most. Of the last seven winners five have been drawn in stall 13 or higher, so that suggests that high numbers are favoured. Ian Williams is a trainer who knows what it takes to make an impact in these type of races, and in Shady McCoy he has a horse that is handicapped to run a big race from stall 26.

Ian Williams knows how to ready one.

This 7yo son of English Channel has been dropped to a mark of 89 after a below par effort on his seasonal comeback at Nottingham (8.5f gd/fm) where he was heavily restrained after leaving the stalls and trailed in last of 11 off 90. However, he needed his seasonal comeback last season before going on to win next time out, so Shady McCoy should be a different horse with that run under his belt.

This fella last tasted success in a 7f class 3 contest at Goodwood last July off a mark of 87, just 2lb lower than he races off here. He followed that up with another good run over the same course and distance in a class 2, beaten just over 2L off 90. He then chased home Salateen at Newmarket, again off 90 beaten less than a length, demonstrating that he is more than capable of getting involved at the business end off his current mark.

His sole run at Ascot came on good ground over tomorrow’s trip of 7f, and he ran a cracker to be beaten a nose off 84 (would have won only for pulling hard early). That shows he handles the track well, and it would be no surprise if he has been trained with a crack at this race in mind. James Doyle rode him for his last win but he is engaged across the channel and he would have struggled to do 8st 5lbs in any case. Low weight specialist Jimmy Quinn takes over in the saddle. He has had 13 rides for Williams down through the years, winning on 3 and placing on 2.

Shady McCoy has a good draw in stall 26 and he has Holiday Magic on his outside so he should get a good pace to aim at. He is a strong traveller and can pull hard at times, so the quicker the early pace the better. He has been slowly away on quite a few of his recent runs but he is usually okay from the gates and as a hold up performer the start isn’t crucial. As long as he doesn’t fall out like last time he should be grand, and at odds of 40/1 he could be worth chancing for small stakes e/w.

STEVOS’ SELECTION: 16.00 ASCOT-SHADY MCCOY E/W @ 40/1