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How To Bet £20 on Saturday: Limato can be cup cracker at 5-1

Last Updated: Tue 5 Dec 2023

Caravaggio is one of the most exciting horses in training but whether he should be a general Evens to win a hot renewal of the Darley July Cup at Newmarket (4.35) on Saturday is debatable and, with the ground drying out, I’d rather have a few quid on Limato repeating his electrifying success of 12 months ago.

Track form counts for plenty on the July Course and Limato was an outstanding winner last year - showing a great turn of foot to thump 17 rivals in a swift time despite jinking right when out on his own in the closing stages.

Plenty has been said about the quality of Saturday’s renewal but last year’s was not too shabby, either, with five of the field rated 117 or higher. This time there are four.

Things have since not gone quite to plan for Limato, for a variety of reasons, but he shaped as if retaining all his ability when third in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot last time - coming with a strong run inside the final furlong only for Ryan Moore to have to stop riding as The Tin Man and Tasleet combined to squeeze him.

I’m not saying Limato would have won with an uninterrupted passage but he would have gone very close and there has to be a chance he will step forward again because that was his first run since returning from Dubai with pulled muscles and, in the words of his trainer, being a bit of a mess.

The fact he enjoys the track is a big tick in his box - none of the other principals have this - and having Harry Bentley back on board is another plus. Bentley has had the Midas Touch for the past three Saturdays and will lack nothing in confidence.

Whether Limato is good enough to beat Caravaggio is a moot point but the younger horse is going to have to be sharper in the first half of the race than he was in the Commonwealth Cup to avoid running into traffic problems. For all he was impressive at Ascot, it is worth noting he traded at 5-1 when giving his rivals a head start.

The bet365 Bunbury Cup Handicap (3.25) never gets any easier to solve but I’m going to give one more chance to Bossy Guest, who looks well drawn in stall 17 and is a general 14-1.

He often gets going too late and has been frustrating to follow but he is 12lb lower than this time two years ago and his first two couple of run this term, when not beaten far in either the Spring Cup or Victoria Cup, stand close inspection.

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