Cogito emerges as St James’s Palace hope
Posted by Robert James on Friday, June 8, 2012
Brian Meehan appears to have a potentially smart miler on his hands in the shape of the unbeaten Cogito, who enhanced his reputation at Sandown recently when proving too strong for the decent Stipulate in landing the listed Betfair Heron Stakes by a neck from Sir Henry Cecil’s runner, writes Elliot Slater.
The son of the high-class Giant’s Causeway could now step up significantly in class and bid for the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes on the opening day of the five-day Royal Ascot racing extravaganza that begins on June 19, where he could be set to lock horns with a number of proven pattern race performers who are currently rated significantly higher than Meehan’s upwardly mobile three-year-old.
He surprised Horse racing betting markets as a 14/1 winner of the Alex Scott Maiden on his racecourse bow at Newmarket’s Craven meeting in mid-April when proving nearly three lengths too good for William Haggas’ Nine Realms, (an impressive winner since), Cogito looked to have a tough task on his second outing at Sandown taking on far more experienced and higher-rated opponents. But Frankie Dettori’s mount proved more than up to the task in belying his official mark of 90 to outpoint the 103-rated Stipulate, the pair coming away from Sir Michael Stoute’s promising Tales off Grimm.
Racing betting tips believe that, on pedigree, the $165,000 yearling should stay quite a bit further in time, being a half-brother to the Geoffrey Freer Stakes (13 furlongs) winner Admiral’s Cruise, but it is the Group 1 mile contest at Ascot that has caught Meehan’s eye – he may also run his very useful Most Improved in the race – and which will tell us a great deal more about just how far Cogito might go, and if he really is up to mixing it with the best of his generation over eight furlongs.
The son of the high-class Giant’s Causeway could now step up significantly in class and bid for the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes on the opening day of the five-day Royal Ascot racing extravaganza that begins on June 19, where he could be set to lock horns with a number of proven pattern race performers who are currently rated significantly higher than Meehan’s upwardly mobile three-year-old.
He surprised Horse racing betting markets as a 14/1 winner of the Alex Scott Maiden on his racecourse bow at Newmarket’s Craven meeting in mid-April when proving nearly three lengths too good for William Haggas’ Nine Realms, (an impressive winner since), Cogito looked to have a tough task on his second outing at Sandown taking on far more experienced and higher-rated opponents. But Frankie Dettori’s mount proved more than up to the task in belying his official mark of 90 to outpoint the 103-rated Stipulate, the pair coming away from Sir Michael Stoute’s promising Tales off Grimm.
Racing betting tips believe that, on pedigree, the $165,000 yearling should stay quite a bit further in time, being a half-brother to the Geoffrey Freer Stakes (13 furlongs) winner Admiral’s Cruise, but it is the Group 1 mile contest at Ascot that has caught Meehan’s eye – he may also run his very useful Most Improved in the race – and which will tell us a great deal more about just how far Cogito might go, and if he really is up to mixing it with the best of his generation over eight furlongs.