- The Ascot Gold Cup is the most prestigious long distance horse race in the U.K.
- The race kicks off on Thursday, at 4:15 p.m. EST
- Three time champion Stradivarius is the favorite to win with +120 odds.
ASCOT, U.K. - One of the most prestigious horse races in the United Kingdom is set to kick off on Thursday. The Ascot Gold Cup has been run yearly since 1807, and while there have been some breaks in there, it was even run in 2020.
The reigning champion of the race is Stradivarius, who has won the last three Gold Cups.
Given his status as such, he has a chance to equal the all time record for Gold Cup wins, which is currently held by Yeats, who won in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Stradivarius is certainly the favorite entering this race on the online horse racing betting sites, but he’s not the only horse with odds under +500.
Gold Cup - Royal Ascot (UK) - Race 4
- 1. Nayef Road +6600
- 2. Rip Van Lips +8000
- 3. Spanish Mission +1000
- 4. Stradivarius +120
- 5. Trueshan +350
- 6. Twilight Payment +3300
- 7. Amhran Na Bhfiann +4000
- 8. Ben Lilly +10000
- 9. Emperor Of The Sun +2000
- 10. Santiago +2000
- 11. Serpentine +1800
- 12. Subjectivist +650
- 13. Princess Zoe +2000
Stradivarius’ +120 odds make him an overwhelming favorite, but he’s not an outright one - the field is still favored over him.
The next horse up on the odds boards is Trueshan, who has +350 odds - the second most likely horse to win the race by quite a large margin.
Trueshan’s jockey, Hollie Doyle, is hoping for rain on the day of the race, thinking that it could give Trueshan an advantage over Stradivarius.
“I don't think there's a particular key to beating Stradivarius,” said Doyle. “The best horse on the day will win and there's no reason why that can't be Trueshan - especially if the rain arrives!”
As evidence, she points to Trueshan’s victory over Stradivarius at the British Champions Long Distance Cup, which came after a rainfall made the track a bit softer than normal.
After Trueshan on the odds boards is Subjectivist, who has +650 odds - the last of the realistic contenders.
Every other horse on the odds boards has more than +1000 odds, and most are in the +2000 range.
The horse racing betting sites regard this as something of a two-horse race between Stradivarius and Trueshan, with other horses relegated to dark horse status.
In that context, it could be worth keeping an eye on the weather forecast for any online gambling fan wishing to bet on the Ascot Gold Cup.