Wigmore Hall to land another Wolferton for the veterans
Published:The chance to back Wigmore Hall in a handicap rates an opportunity too rare for punters to miss.
With ground and trip to suit he can take advantage of a mark that looks extremely generous, even on last season’s turf form, to land Royal Ascot’s Wolferton Handicap at 22/1.
A seasonal pipe-opener at Chester was the Michael Bell-trained seven-year-old’s first run in a weight for ratings affair since he carried away the John Smith’s Cup at York back in July 2010.
Since then his group-race wanderings have taken him all over the racing world, with his passport bearing witness to contests in France, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai.
At his career high watermark, the son of High Chapparal was rated 117 and he was still appraised at as high as 112 after a close third to Mukhadram in a Group 2 at York’s International meeting last year.
Since then his BHA mark has nosedived to a very workable 105 in just four races.
He may have competed off that rating on the Roodee on his sole run of the campaign so far but, having never won in four attempts on soft ground, he was never going be at his best that day.
That run should have got him right on track to produce for us at Ascot.
Having finished in the first three in nine of his 11 runs on the good-to-firm ground expected at Ascot the going couldn’t be more ideal for this two-time Group 1 winner.
Meanwhile the 1m2f Wolferton trip, at which he’s medalled in nine of his 14 runs, means the conditions and distance replicate those he faced when landing the John Smiths Cup.
Drawn four doors down from Her Majesty the Queen’s 9/4 ante-post favourite Bold Sniper and cheek by jowl with the well fancied Saxo Jack 9/1 and Hall Of Mirrors, he’ll likely benefit from a fearsome tow into the race as he bids to emulate last year’s victor Forgotten Voice.
In a race dominated by four-year-olds Nicky Henderson’s gelding struck for the ancients at eight years young in 2013.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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