2019 Commonwealth Cup Tips & Betting Preview

A six-furlong dash, the Commonwealth Cup pits the best sprinter’s of the three-year-old division against each other. Introduced in 2015, no trainer or jockey has managed to land the contest back to back, though Aidan O’Brien will be looking to change that fact.

Ten Sovereigns heads the market for Ballydoyle, unbeaten in three starts as a two-year-old, including the Group 1 Middle Park at Newmarket to round out the term. He ran better than the bare result suggests when upped to the mile on seasonal return in the 2000 Guineas. Dropping back to this distance should suit him much better as he possess a huge amount of tactical speed. He remains lightly raced and exciting, so he merits obvious respect for top connections.

Although it was a shock on the face of it, there was little fluke to Hello Youmzain‘s Group 2 win over Calyx at Haydock in May. He was a Group 2 winner as a two-year-old, landing the Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte. He didn’t stay the trip on seasonal return in the seven-furlong Greenham, so it perhaps shouldn’t have been so much of a surprise that he bounced back at Haydock. There should be plenty more to come from him at the distance and he handles any surface, so he’s definitely one to consider.

Highly progressive as a two-year-old, Simon Crisford’s Jash ended his two-year-old campaign with a close second to Ten Sovereigns at Newmarket in the Middle Park. He was made to work hard on seasonal return when landing a seven-furlong Listed race at Newmarket, but he should be all the better for that run-out. A return to a strongly-run six furlongs is another positive for him and given last year’s performances, he remains an exciting commodity for Hamdan Al Maktoum, who has won two renewals of this race.

Another for the race’s most successful owner, Khaadem has won all three of his starts since debut. He ended his juvenile campaign with a comfortable conditions’ race at Doncaster, bettering that effort on seasonal return when showing a good attitude to land a Listed race at Newbury. His profile is highly progressive and although he does need to take another forward to be truly competing in this company, that’s hard to rule out given the connections.

France’s big hope for this year’s contest looks to be Francoise Rohaut’s Big Brothers Pride, posting a clear career-best on her third start when landing the Group 3 Prix Sigy at Chantilly. She made all by four lengths, running away from the competition in the final two furlongs. That was over the extended five furlongs, but she stays the six-furlong distance and receives three pounds from her male counterparts. Although her bare form is hard to quantify, she’s an interesting contender for those across the channel.