'He looks a good wager around the 20-1 mark' - Tom Segal on the Ascot Gold Cup market

Ante-post betting isn't for everyone and the bookies make it extremely difficult for those who like taking a big price well before the event. The days of the legendary Nashwan 2,000 Guineas gamble are long gone and Barry Hills certainly wouldn't be able to set up training on the back of landing an ante-post Lincoln punt anymore, but it can still be good fun.

The one thing I always say to those who enjoy betting long in advance of the event is to firstly find the right race, and after that concentrate on the horse. For example, most of the Cheltenham markets these days are hopeless betting mediums ante-post, and if you had an Oaks bet this year I bet you didn't see Savethelastdance coming.

However, if you can find a race that is weak in terms of quality and looks like cutting up even further then that is the time to try to find the right horse. That was probably the case in the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham this year with the race cutting up and being full of horses who weren't very good jumpers. In hindsight (and I've never backed a loser in hindsight) The Real Whacker was a really good ante-post bet because, bar Gerri Colombe, there was nothing else in the race and you knew he was going to have the contest run to suit him.

Currently the race that has the best ante-post shape to it is the Ascot Gold Cup. Do I know which horse to back at the moment? I'm not too sure, but what I do know is that the superstar Kyprios is not going to be at Ascot and Trueshan has lost his mojo.

Coltrane is an admirable and improving horse, but as someone who managed to get him beaten at a double-figure price in the Chester Cup from stall two last year off a mark of 95, I'm loath to back him at 3-1 for an Ascot Gold Cup. The Coolmore team love the race and will no doubt have a few runners but they certainly don't appear to have a Kyprios at Ballydoyle this year, while Emily Dickinson was a massive letdown at Leopardstown, so I reckon there has to be something from leftfield.

With the Leger form having seemingly worked out well, the likes of Eldar Eldarov and Haskoy have to come into the reckoning, but whether the Juddmonte team want to step Haskoy up to 2m4f at this stage has to be up for debate and Eldar Eldarov did get beaten at York last week.

Consequently – and you may think I've lost the plot – but what about Yibir for Charlie Appleby? All anyone ever seems to say is how they don't like this horse, despite the fact he's won a Breeders' Cup Turf, a Voltigeur and finished an unlucky second in a Sheema Classic. Every time he runs he seems to finish off his races strongly, so he might well stay the marathon trip and if Appleby was to give him the nod to run in the Gold Cup he would look a good wager to me at around the 20-1 mark.

Yibir16:20 Ascot

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Jky: Tnr: Charlie Appleby

Breezers stamping their authority

There was a time when there was a bit of snobbery over the merits of horses from the breeze-up sales. That has all changed in recent years with a plethora of top-class horses having been breezers, and this week we have seen a whole heap more.

First there was George Boughey's Asadna, who smashed the clock into tiny little pieces when winning by 12 lengths on his debut at Ripon at the weekend. He received a higher Topspeed figure that last year's Coventry winner Bradsell did on his debut, and River Tiber and his pals are going to have to be very good to beat him in the Coventry.

Around about the same at Naas, Lezoo's half sister Navassa Island was making her debut in a Group 3 and her effort had to be seen to be believed as well. Navassa Island must have made up about five lengths in the last furlong and would have won in another stride. The time was only half a second slower than the high-class older sprinters on the card and she will surely be a huge factor in the Albany, if that's where she ends up.

Last but by no means least was Malc for Richard Fahey at Carlisle on Monday. Yet another rocket juvenile by the first-season sire sensation Calyx, Malc was very strong at the finish and while he didn't break the clock like the other two did, he was much greener and I wouldn't be surprised if he was a factor in the Coventry as well.

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Tom Segal tipped 1,000 Guineas winner Mawj at 20-1 - subscribe now with 50% off and don't miss out on a massive month for Pricewise 

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