The Inside Track on the Coral Cup

Everyone at Coral is extremely proud of our continued sponsorship of this great race, especially those who are able to get fat and drunk on the company tab every year.

Unfortunately I will be holding the fort at Stratford HQ while everyone else is having fun, so the only way I’m going to get anything out of this wonderful heat is to bet on the winner at a decent price.

Donald McCain landed a monster touch in this race in 2012 when Son Of Flicka bounced back to top form to win going away up the hill, and early betting skirmishes suggest that he has another likely type this year in the shape of lightly raced Irish import CLONDAW KAEMPFER.

The son of Oscar was bought for £130k after winning a Fairyhouse bumper and, given that he beat The Liquidator that day, I could think of worse ways to blow the budget (an hour with Wayne Rooney perhaps?).

Things haven’t gone to plan in a couple of handicaps this season but the yard is as streaky as they come and, if the recent money is anything to go by, he’s fancied to repay the faith on the biggest stage of all.

Given the quality of the field you could make a case for any number of rags, but the other I like at this stage is Leo Luna for my trainer of choice Gary Moore.

Given that this five-year-old is related to Workforce, Brian Boru and Sea Moon I can’t imagine a handicap hurdle was on the breeder’s mind when he sent Eva Luna to spend 20 seconds of vigorous passion with Galileo but, after an equally brief flat campaign with Sir Michael Stoute, he only started to find some form when he went over the obstacles for Moore.

He ran a really nice race behind Kaylif Aramis on unsuitably soft ground in February and, so long as the sun continues to shine on the Cotswolds, he could out-run big odds at the Festival.

Selection: Clondaw Kaempfer

Alternative: Leo Luna