The Bahrain Trophy betting tips given by Horsebetting.com experts for the opening 1m 5f Group 3 contest at Newmarket’s July Festival has St Leger implications. Curragh Cup second Giuseppe Garibaldi looks worth a bet to land the spoils ahead of First Eleven, while the former’s stablemate Victory Salute could also go well in this race on Thursday, 12 July. Read all about these horses in our 2018 Bahrain Trophy betting tips preview.Giuseppe Garibaldi can grab Group success in Bahrain Trophy battleMaster Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien is double-handed in his bid to land the 1m 5f Group 3 Bahrain Trophy for a third time at Newmarket on Thursday (13:50), and Giuseppe Garibaldi looks like landing a big race success based on his last two outings.
A run in this St Leger trial is the third group outing in as many weeks for this son of Galileo. Giuseppe Garibaldi is the sole distance winner in the lineup, having landed a maiden at Navan before taking the step up into Listed company in his stride when capturing the King George V Cup at Leopardstown over 1m 4f.
Connections sent him to Royal Ascot off the back of that success where he ran with great credit as a two-length third to Old Persian in the King Edward VII Stakes. Although losing second in the final strides, Giuseppe Garibaldi didn’t leave that race behind him as he backed it up with a keeping on well 1 1/2 lengths runner-up to Flag Of Honour in the Curragh Cup.
The latter was a furlong further than this, but dropping down slightly in distance and grade from that Group 2 will certainly not inconvenience him. On official ratings, Giuseppe Garibaldi has 3lb and upwards in hand on his rivals, so off level weights he should be making his presence felt.
He appeals over an ante post favourite in First Eleven that has to take a massive step up from a sole victory in a class 4 handicap. Giuseppe Garibaldi looks worth a bet to go one better then and earn the group victory he has been threatening to do.First Eleven attracting attentionJohn Gosden has trained four of the last eight Bahrain Trophy winners and a record five overall. He teams up with Frankie Dettori – the most successful jockey in the race’s history with seven successes – for First Eleven, who inevitably has been well-supported by punters.
Like Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Prince Khalid Abdullah owned colt’s juvenile career wasn’t much to write home about. But this son of Frankel impressively took a 1m 3f Newbury handicap on his penultimate start when running on strongly in the final furlong.
Having shaped there in the manner of a stayer, a crack at the 1m 4f King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot was his next target. First Eleven was an unlucky third to Baghdad going down by just a neck in one of hottest middle-distance handicaps of the season.
Constantly denied a clear run just when the race was developing, it’s testament to the horsemanship of Dettori that he got so close to the winner in the end after being switched and rallying in the final 100 yards.
Again, the way First Eleven finished off his race suggested staying credentials and he’s stepped up a further furlong here. Placed form in a Royal Ascot handicap does him credit, but a group contest such as this demands more.
Although put up 6lb by the assessor for his last run, First Eleven still has plenty to find on his new official mark compared to the top rated Giuseppe Garibaldi, so that is why this favourite may be worth taking on.Victory Salute unexposed for O’BrienThe other O’Brien entrant Victory Salute has placed form behind some interesting sorts, including when fourth in the Curragh Cup and 4 1/2 lengths down on stablemate Giuseppe Garibaldi, so could go well at a big price.
Also fourth on debut over 1m 4f to Southern France, who went on to chase home Kew Gardens in the Group 2 Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, Victory Salute then dropped back to a mile-and-a-quarter to land a Cork maiden.
Connections were very bullish to pitch him straight into the Curragh Cup off the back of that 2 2/3 lengths success. In that big Group 2, which is open to older horses too, Victory Salute was only beaten six lengths.
That has earned him a mark of 102 – the same as Godolphin runner Loxley who isn’t proven to stay the trip. Nor is the higher rated Wells Farhh Go, so Victory Salute could easily outrun his odds and make the frame here.Your Next Bet
