Should you side with the proven top-class two-and-a-half miler or the horse with the X factor in the Ascot Chase?
Our top tipster on the increasing versatility of the top-class chaser
There aren’t many top-class specialist two-and-a-half milers in training nowadays. Most horses seem able to mix it either at two miles, three miles or in between and King George winner Banbridge is probably the best example of the increasing versatility of the Grade 1 chaser.
He has won Grade 1s over 2m½f and 3m, and a Grade 2 over 2m4½f, and Corbetts Cross looks in a similar mould. His last three victories have come in a Grade 2 hurdle over 1m7½f, a chase over 2m5½f, and at the Cheltenham Festival over a marathon 3m6f.
That’s why he is the most exciting runner in this Grade 1 line-up. Corbetts Cross has the X factor and is already the joint-highest-rated runner in this race, despite being the second-youngest and one of the least exposed. He could improve into a Gold Cup contender.
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