'An exciting prospect' - learn more about the unheralded gelding who is 20-1 for the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot

The Gold Cup at Royal Ascot appears open and the unheralded Courage Mon Ami is a best-price 20-1 with William Hill for the 2m4f event following his success in the 1m6f handicap.

Anthony Oppenheimer's homebred is trained by John and Thady Gosden, who must have been sufficiently impressed with the gelding's all-weather novice victories at Kempton and Newcastle last autumn to enter him in the Gold Cup, which the stable has won three times in recent years with star stayer Stradivarius.

Robert Havlin did the steering on Courage Mon Ami and said: "It was an unsatisfactory race to ride in because we went very slowly and he's only won two novices, but I think we can step him up in trip because he was flat to the metal for five furlongs and kept going.

"He looks a nice horse and has come on leaps and bounds for each run, so let's hope he can keep doing the same."

Pressed on what might be next, the rider added: "We went a married man's pace there, but he has been on a steep upward curve and he'll have a couple of entries at Royal Ascot, although I'll leave that to John and Thady to decide on. He's an exciting prospect."

Lovely from La Guarida 

La Guarida could head to the Albany at Royal Ascot after impressing in the 6f fillies' maiden.

Trained by Richard Hannon, she was third on her debut at Newmarket last week and, in the hands of Pat Dobbs, earned a likely crack at the Group 3 next month.

La Guarida displays a touch of classCredit: Alan Crowhurst

That is a fixture her owner Kia Joorabchian, whose horses run under the banner of Amo Racing Limited, loves to target.

In La Guarida, he has a juvenile who is 16-1 for the Albany with William Hill.

"Richard has always liked her and was adamant she’d come on for her debut at Newmarket," said Amo's racing and operations manager Tom Pennington.

"She’s a filly with lots of potential – she has scope and quality – and has lots of options after today."

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