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Jim Crowley “Afaak has a great chance in the Royal Hunt Cup”

| 19.06.2019
SPORTSBOOK ODDS

3.40 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes – Desert Encounter

 

I’ve picked up a nice spare on Desert Encounter, in what promises to be one of the races of the week.  He is a Group One winner, in last year’s Canadian International, this is over two furlongs shorter, but he’s a hold up horse so hopefully he might be able to pick up the pieces and pick up some prize money, although this is a big step up for him.

 

There’s no doubt it is a hot race, and I’d find it hard to split the big three at the head of the betting.  Crystal Ocean is a tough, battle-hardened horse, and this may be his chance to win that first Group One, while Magical comes here off the back of three wins this season.  By contrast, Sea Of Class has the best form in the book having finished second in the Arc, but this is a big ask first time up, although William Haggas wouldn’t be running her here if he wasn’t 100% happy with her, he could have gone down the Hardwicke route as they have with Masar.  

 

5.00 Royal Hunt Cup – Afaak

 

Afaak was second in this race last year, and I think he’s got another great chance here.  We’re better off at the weights with last year’s winner, Settle For Bay, he runs well fresh so we’ve come straight here, and we should be drawn well, in 21, so on the stands side.   

 

Obviously in these big field handicaps you need a bit of luck in running, but he showed last year he can cope with it, he’s in good form, Charlie [Hills] has trained him for this, so it really wouldn’t be a surprise to see him run a big race here.

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Author

Simon Clare

Simon Clare joined Coral in 1997 as Racecourse PR representative and was
promoted to Coral PR Director in October 2002. Between 2008 to 2011 Clare
added Trading to his responsibilities in a new role as Coral Trading & PR
Director. In 2011 he relinquished his Trading responsibilities and assumed a
new wider role of PR & Broadcast Director responsible for all Coral Public
Relations activity, CoralTV and Social Media. Clare has extensive broadcast
experience on radio and television commenting on a diverse range of betting events from the obvious - horse racing, football and sport - to the more obscure - politics, reality TV, showbiz and the weather.
Simon Clare is a keen sports fan, still turning out for Carshalton FC on a
Saturday when work allows.