Mizzou puts down marker

Cumani eyes Gold Cup after Ascot win

LUCA Cumani’s fast-improving stayer Mizzou made a winning reappearance in the Longines Sagaro Stakes at Ascot yesterday and immediately had his odds cut to 8-1 for the Gold Cup at the Royal meeting in June.

After getting off the mark at the second attempt at Pontefract last July, the four-year-old son of Galileo claimed handicap wins at Doncaster and Haydock before being narrowly denied on his final start of 2014 in the Listed Noel Murless Stakes at Ascot in October.

Stepping up in class and distance on his return, Mizzou travelled sweetly in the hands of William Buick and was nudged along to close down the leaders from the home turn.

The pacesetting Forever Now would not go down without a fight, while Vent De Force was being produced with a challenge before being hampered. However, Mizzou passed the post two lengths clear, with Vent De Force beating Forever Now to the runner-up spot. Paddy Power cut Mizzou to 8-1 from 20-1 for the Gold Cup, with Vent De Force trimmed to 16-1 from 50s. After seeing Mizzou break the twomile track record, the winning trainer’s wife, Sara Cumani, said: “He’s a lovely horse and Luca has always had a lot of faith in him. He’s been telling everyone over the winter that this is his Ascot Gold Cup horse. He’ll go to Sandown now for the Henry II Stakes and then to the Gold Cup.”

Meanwhile, The Dapper Tapper can bring up a hat-trick in the titanbet.co.uk Handicap at Lingfield today.

Eve Johnson Houghton’s charge had a busy juvenile campaign, notching one win in ten outings, but the penny appears to have dropped this spring as he has scored twice in four starts since the turn of the year. He lines up off a 5lb higher mark but current progress suggests that should not be an issue.

Thomas Wild can strike gold in Newton Abbot’s newtonabbotracing.com Handicap Chase, while Rogue Dancer can get his head in front again in the Bet toteplacepot Handicap Hurdle at Towcester.