BOOKMAKERS demonstrated unshakeable faith in the Royal Lodge Stakes as they chalked up odds for Saturday's Group One Racing Post Trophy yesterday. And layers clearly believe that John Gosden's stable, which broke its domestic Classic duck with Shantou last month will claim the Doncaster feature with Royal Lodge winner Benny The Dip.
The Silver Hawk colt, who showed plenty of courage to beat Desert Story by three quarters of a length at Ascot despite flashing his tail under the whip, is 2 to 1 market leader with Ladbrokes and William Hill to gain his second Group victory. Coral offer 7 to 4 while the Tote go 13 to 8.
Besiege, who finished third in the Royal Lodge, is the general second favourite as he bids to give Henry Cecil his 10th British trainers' title. Cecil's colt is Coral's and Ladbrokes' second choice at 11 to 4, but is on offer at 9 to 2 with the Tote.
The firms find it impossible to agree on the prospects of Asas stepping up on his comfortable win in a Newmarket maiden a fortnight ago. Asas, trained by Saeed bin Suroor but running in the colours of Hamdan AlMaktoum, is the Tote's 7 to 2 second favourite. Ladbrokes offer 11 to 2 and William Hill 6 to 1, with Coral the most generous at 8 to 1.
Ladbrokes' Ian Wassell commented: "Benny The Dip represents this season's juvenile Group race form which has, on the whole, failed to excite people. There are also a number of unexposed but potentially very good horses such as Asas and Poteen which add spice to the race. The continuing Cecil bin Suroor trainers' battle is yet another interesting sub plot.
. Criquette Head's decision to bypass the Prix de la Foret with Blushing Gleam proved spot on, with her filly streaking home by three lengths in the Listed Prix de Saint Cyr, over seven furlongs at Deauville yesterday.
The race had a less happy outcome for the two British runners, John Gosden's Darling Flame (Thierry Jarnet) and Willie Jarvis' Midnight Blue (Guy Guignard), who were ninth and 10th respectively.
