6f Coventry Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1) (2yo)
I make this my first 2yo bet of the season and I’m backing ANDESITE for a number of reasons. He’s bred to be a precocious 2yo, by juvenile champion Pinatubo and out of the same dam as Queen Mary winner Dramatised, meaning both parents won 2yo races at Royal Ascot. I always mark up York maidens as the standard there is high, and I love the way he won on debut as they went way too fast early on – he posted the fastest furlong (10.84s) of all the runners in just the second furlong – yet stayed on strongly to wrestle back the lead, proving his speed, stamina and willing attitude. I’d have no concerns over the stiff nature of Ascot’s 6f track and reckon he has loads of improvement in him if racing the right way round this time. 9/1 appeals as a really good price. It’d be rude not to throw a couple of darts at this race and Godolphin’s second string SYMBOL OF HONOUR seems way overpriced at 18/1. He clocked three consecutive sub 11 second furlongs before being eased down to win comfortably at Lingfield, and the second and fifth have both won since. Pedigree wise he’s a half brother to Group One sprinter Dragon Symbol, and his young sire produced best juvenile sprinter last season. I don’t really understand why Buick hasn’t chosen him but he wasn’t aboard at Lingfield either and I don’t think it matters too much in this type of race.
1pt win Andesite @9/1, 1pt win Symbol Of Honour @18/1, 15:05 Royal Ascot, Tuesday
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