What Happens Next? Ante-post betting column

Racing

Royal Ascot offers such a ridiculous feast for fans of Flat racing that it’s easy to let one or two important ante-post clues slip through the net.

For stars such as Ribchester, Caravaggio and Lady Aurelia, their next targets seem crystal clear and all three look legitimate and justifiable market leaders for their next Group Ones.

But in the handicaps, one or two performances failed to catch the eye of the ante-post market managers that might have done had there been less going on, and one of those was undoubtedly the return to form of Ayrad, fifth in the Wolferton Stakes on his first start since being gelded, on Saturday.

Being drawn 14 of 16 did him no favours there and Ryan Moore had to drop him right out in order to get him settled from the start. But without setting the world alight, he made quite taking progress as he weaved his way between runners to finish a close-up fifth and this was a very encouraging effort on his return to handicap company.

The John Smith’s Cup at York is fast approaching and it’s speculative to think Ayrad will definitely end up there, but the trip looks ideal given the way he finished over this marginally-shorter distance, and it’s become the sort of contest that is nowadays dominated by older horses with the three-year-olds struggling to get a run in such a tightly-handicapped contest.

I’m convinced Ayrad can improve again, and although his form tailed off towards the end of last season, the gelding operation seems to have bucked his ideas up a little.

At 25/1, it’s worth taking a flier in a race that his owners took with Danchai in 2013. (Will Hayler)

Click here to back Ayrad for the John Smith's Cup with Sky Bet

Golf

Following his runner-up finish in the BMW International Open, Sergio Garcia continues to harden for next month’s Open Championship.

One of the many fascinating aspects of Garcia’s Masters win in April was that Augusta had previously seemed the least-likely destination for his major breakthrough, with his game much better suited to the type of classic links test that Royal Birkdale will provide.

Now with the confidence of being a major champion, he has to be considered a huge contender and while it’s rare for any golfer to complete the Masters/Open double, it can be done. Tiger Woods won both in 2005, while back in 1998 and here at Birkdale, Mark O’Meara landed his second major in a matter of months.

As recently as 2015, Jordan Spieth won both the Masters and the US Open, while a year earlier Rory McIlroy won the Open and the PGA Championship.

Certainly, Garcia looks the best of the rest behind the so-called Big Four, and at this point in time he’s probably more likely to play well than at least two (Rory McIlroy and Jason Day) of that quartet – and arguably all four of them.

However, after Spieth won in Connecticut, where McIlroy showed some promising signs in the final round, it’s important to note that Garcia is close now to his absolute basement price – around the 16/1 mark. I just don’t see how he can start a major championship any shorter than that, whether I think it’s the right price or not.

With extra places guaranteed during the week of the Open, the message has to be to hang fire if you do want to back the Spaniard, something I can envisage doing myself.

Indeed there should be no rush to get involved in the Open so close to the event, with Ross Fisher and Bernd Wiesberger standing out as two of the few remaining options at this point.

Fisher was fifth heading into the final round here back in 2008, just his second Open appearance, before a disappointing Sunday saw him tumble outside the top 30.

A year later, he was leading the Open early on during the final round and throughout his career, Fisher’s long-game has helped establish him as an excellent links player.

While missing the cut in the US Open, he was only a shot shy after a good second round and among his eight top-10 finishes over the last 10 months he’s been third in the WGC-Mexico and fifth in the WGC-Match Play, plus a notable runner-up in the Dunhill Links.

Fisher doesn’t quite fit the statistical trends of surprise winners (usually they’d won a title somewhere earlier that season) but he’s one I expect to perform well in his warm-up events and could start as low as 66s were he to win one, rather than the 150/1 you can take now.

A quick word on Wiesberger, lastly.

He is a winner this year, he’s a good links golfer, he was 16th in the US Open, 12th in the Players, made the cut in the Masters and has basically played well almost every week since his last missed cut in August 2016.

Wiesberger has also contended for a major before having played in the final group of the 2014 PGA Championship so while the short game is a slight worry, he looks set to harden from the current odds and could well be in the mix.

What’s more, this week’s Open de France – an event he’s won before – is a good opportunity for him to contend again. He’s one win away from starting the Open in that 66/1 to 80/1 bracket so if you are looking to pinch a price, the Austrian looks a good option.

Forced to choose between the pair, it would be Wiesberger owing to his greater consistency and scope, plus the fact he’s won already this year. (Ben Coley)

Check out all the latest Open odds with Sky Bet