Gabriel’s the Lad for Wokingham glory at Royal Ascot

The fact that there have been six double-figure priced winners of the Wokingham Stakes in the last 11 renewals says it all. Finding the winner of the big handicap on the final day of Royal Ascot is no easy task.

And with 114 horses currently still entered for the race, you are by no means guaranteed a run for your money when betting ante-post. However, it could well be worth snapping up some early value.

Three big trends could be vital to finding a winner. Only one winner since 2000 had an official rating of less than 90; four and five-year-olds have won 10 of the last 12 renewals; and 15 of the last 16 victors placed in the first four on their previous outing.

Using these criteria, we can eliminate two-thirds of the current entries and focus on a more manageable number.

The Denis Coakley-trained Gabriel’s Lad fits all the trends and certainly looks to have the form in the book. Available at 20/1 with Ladbrokes, the four-year-old looks well worth taking a chance with.

A winner over course and distance in October, albeit when rated six pounds lower, the gelding has proved ultra-consistent, filling the first two places in eight of his ten runs to date, including four in large field handicaps.

Most recently he was seen finishing 2 ¾ lengths behind Hamza  at Newmarket. The victor that day is also entered here, priced at 16/1, although he is 11lbs worse off with the selection for that win, and is set to carry top-weight.

Aside from Gabriel’s Lad, Yeeoow and Gabbiano are two others that have form over the trip at the Berkshire track and are both priced at 25/1 for more success. However, they would seemingly need to show a big improvement to be able to take this.

With question marks over who will line up, some may not fancy betting ante-post here. But for those that do, it looks well worth getting Gabriel’s Lad on-side at the prices.

All odds and markets correct as of the date of publishing