RacingBetter News
	Tuesday 21st June 2022

Golden Pal Can Make Amends at the Breeders’ Cup

The summer has seen some great races and a few surprises too. Everything is leading towards the 2022 Breeders’ Cup that takes place from November 4 and 5. What have recent races told us about who might be enjoying success at Keeneland in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint?

Golden Pal was the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint last year. He followed that up with an easy Grade 2 win at Keeneland. His trips over the pond to England have never produced a win. Golden Pal had a nightmare run at Royal Ascot earlier this month.

All those miles travelled and then he missed the start in the King’s Stand Stakes and ended up finishing 16th and last, six lengths behind the nearest rival.

That’s not the Golden Pal that American horse racing fans know. His last six races in the US have all been won and you can get 5/2 betting odds with current offers on another Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint win this year. If that is achieved it’d be the third year in a row Golden Pal has won at this meeting, having also won the Juvenile Turf Sprint in 2020.

There are plenty of rivals waiting to take his crown away. Just like Golden Pal had a disastrous run at Royal Ascot, it was the same for Caravel in the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Sprint Turf. Racing awkwardly saw the runner finish last of the field.

Caravel has changed stable since then and is now trained by Brad H Cox. His last run saw success in the Grade 3 Intercontinental Stakes at Belmont Park earlier in June. He’s 6/1 to win at Keeneland but the concern must be that Caravel has never won over five furlongs.

The Breeders’ Cup is a truly international meeting. Australia’s Native Strip is the current third favourite at 7/1. This contender may well be seven years-old, but you wouldn’t have guessed that when winning the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot by an impressive four and a half lengths.

That was the 38th race for this Australian raider with 21 wins. This is the first time that Native Strip will have run in the USA. If he runs like he did at Royal Ascot, it could well be a debut win.

Irish horse, A Case of You is available at 12/1 but only finished fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint last year. A better start and faster finish are the order of the day for this contender. Two recent races in Europe failed to produce a win.

A repeat of the form shown when winning a Group 1 race in Meydan in March would give this runner a decent each-way chance at Keeneland, which will be a great race to watch in the comfort  of your own home.

Many of the runners in this race have a bit to find with Golden Pal. That applies to Kimari, who was seventh in this race last year. You can get 14/1 on this contender but recent races have been run over seven furlongs, so will this distance of two furlongs less be too sharp?

Andrew Balding is planning to send his runner Kings Lynn over to the States for this race. A Group 2 winner at Haydock this season, but down the field in both the King’s Stand Stakes and the Platinum Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. At 16/1 to win this race, there are each-way claims and he has won over the distance.