Like thousands of other Brits myself and Penny will be taking the Eurostar to Paris today for two fabulous days of racing at Longchamp culminating tomorrow with one of the World’s great races the Arc de Triomphe.
This is for many the World’s greatest Middle distance Championship race. Isn’t it a terrible shame that we are not seeing Frankel line up as this would have been a fitting swansong. In fact the great race has taken a few knocks this week as contenders have dropped like ninepins.
Reigning Champ Danedream is out due to an outbreak of swampfever in her native Germany, as an excuse its got to be one of the best ever.
The other joint Ante Post fave Nathaniel has now pulled out with injury which is a real shame as I think he would have probably won and then the other Newmarket challenger Snow Fairy has gone wrong and has had to be pulled out.
These multiple pullouts have triggered a remarkable series of events which has meant that Leger flop Camelot is now the favourite which would have seemed ludicrous a fortnight ago. What’s even more far fetched is that he will be partnered by the regular Godolphin jockey Frankie Dettori. Lets put it this way the owners of Camelot, Coolmore and Dettori’s employer Godolphin do not exchange Xmas cards or cheer when each others horses win so this is an amazing coup de tat to get Dettori.
Speaking to people in Newmarket this week they confirm that Dettori’s decision to ride for the enemy has gone down like a lead balloon. He has looked increasingly marginalised this year as many of the big Godolphin rides have gone to Monsieur Barzelona and may feel he has little to lose.
I will personally be amazed if Camelot is good enough to win the Arc so I think Frankie may have wound up his bosses for nothing. Orfevre the Japenese raider is second fave and has been the subject of a monster gamble from Japan but he has been handed a nightmare draw and that may well have scuppered him. His style of running means he will have to get out and across quickly and that will use up plenty of gas.
The subject of today’s Gambling Don free bet is in tomorrow’s Arc and is currently available at 20/1 with Paddy Power which is very tasty and is the Andre Fabre trained Meandre.
This horse was second to Orfevre in a recent trial but Fabre who is the most successful trainer in Arc history will fancy his chances of overturning that form as he left plenty to work on after that run. Meandre has been trained all season for this race and will see out the trip really well in what could be quite testing going. This price is simply too big to miss as I think the horse should be around 10/1 when all factors are taken into consideration. If Mr Power wants to tempt us at 20/1 lets oblige him we might all get in his next amusing advert!
Have a great days racing today and enjoy Arc day tomorrow, right now wheres my Beret!
Back next Saturday.
The Gambling Don
http://go.betfan.com/1000/119
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