Last season's star Minella Indo can dig deep for Gold Cup glory again
Keith Melrose expects the big prizes to be shared around in a tight division
Checking next year’s Gold Cup market has a similar feeling to walking into a familiar room where the settee has been moved a few feet. Something’s different, but it may take a few moments to put your finger on it.
Then it hits you. There is a Monkfish-shaped hole in the Gold Cup picture. His absence was only announced last month and the market has yet to properly right itself. The decapitated betting is now headed by last season’s winner, Minella Indo.
Had Monkfish not run at all last season you can bet that the market would look totally different. For one, his owner’s Royale Pagaille might have won the Brown Advisory in March to cap a four-from-four season. As it was, Royale Pagaille ran poorly in the Gold Cup, reportedly injuring a hoof, and is 50s for next year’s race.
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