Last weekend, most of my selections got stuck in the mud at Newmarket and York. Conditions look like being equally as gruelling at Ascot for Champions Day and if it comes up soft or heavy, Moss Tucker can make his presence felt in the Sprint.
We have done well in this race in the past. Donjuan Triumphant won for us at 33s, Brando was beaten a nose at 80s and we also had Run To Freedom in 2022 when he finished second at 150/1. Moss Tucker is currently chalked up at 66/1 but he is capable of making a mockery of those odds if he gets his favoured underhoof conditions.
It looks like this son of Excelebration has been trained for
a backend soft ground campaign. After looking better than ever on his seasonal
return in April at Naas (5f, yielding), he then disappointed on good ground at
the Curragh in May. He was left off for over three months after that run and he
made his return in the Sprint Cup at Haydock.
Unfortunately, the ground was good that day, just as it was
when he ran down the field in the Flying Five at the Currah. Two weeks ago he
did get soft ground in the L’Abbaye at Longchamp but unfortunately, the draw
gods conspired against him and he never figured.
He didn’t have a hard race that day and I believe 6f on
testing ground on a track like Ascot should really suit him. His career form figure
on soft to heavy/heavy read 1151 with the fifth coming when he probably needed
the run on his seasonal comeback last year. One of the wins came over 6f at the
Curragh, where he beat Big Gossey by almost 4l.
Moss Tucker is already a Group 1 winner over 5f, he’s won a
Group 3 over 6f and he’s a triple Listed winner at 5f/6f. He’s been totally
written off for this by the bookies and to be honest, that is understandable on
the back of his last four runs.
However, as I pointed out earlier, he has had excuses for
all of those efforts and I think we’ll see a much better version of Mossy at
Ascot on Saturday. At odds of 66/1, he is worth backing each way. Fingers
crossed for lots of rain!
2024 Champions Sprint Stakes Tip: Moss Tucker e/w @ 66/1
No comments:
Post a Comment