River Tiber was nominated by our podcast team as one of the best bets of the Breeders’ Cup in the Juvenile Turf on Friday evening.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained juvenile is the general 3/1 favourite for the mile contest after finishing third to Vandeek over six furlongs in the Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes on his last two starts.
Before that he had won the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot in good style and the son of Wootton Bassett is bred for the step up in trip given he’s related to a 1m US winner.
Graham Cunningham said: “I had a look at that River Tiber race today and he looks to have very strong credentials indeed.
“He’s got a nice low draw, he’s bred to be very well suited by a mile and I’d be interested to hear what Billy thinks, but if he’s still 3/1 that sounds like a good bet to me.”
“I think he’s a fascinating contender,” Billy Nash agreed. “He’s a better calibre of two-year-old than Aidan generally runs in this race. A Coventry winner, he hasn’t had a hard year by any stretch of the imagination, his five runs coming over no more than six furlongs.
“Certainly on his last two runs he looks to have been crying out for a step up in trip, he’ll definitely stay seven without any problem whatsoever and a mile around a bend should really suit him.
“But I think the most interesting factor is that Ryan Moore has chosen to ride him over Unquestionable. River Tiber comes out top on Timeform ratings but there’s only 1lb between them and you could say Unquestionable’s form – he was second in a Lagardere – would give him a very good chance.
“So the fact Moore is on River Tiber, they clearly think an awful lot of this horse and stepping up to a mile should really suit. Like GC, I think he’s a good bet, one of my bets of the meeting.”
Ed Chamberlin added: "To back up the point, Aidan's previous winners of this race were Wrote, George Vancouver, Hit It A Bomb, Mendelsshon and Victoria Road last year.
"This River Tiber at Royal Ascot was right at the top of their pecking order and I just sense via the Morny and Middle Park, he's one of those two-year-olds building up to this rather than going to the Breeders' Cup as an after-thought. I agree complete with what the others have said."
David Ord hosts the podcast with Graham Cunningham, Ed Chamberlin and Billy Nash on the panel to talk all things Breeders' Cup, Melbourne Cup, Charlie Hall Chase, low sun drama and more.
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