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- Coventry Stakes: Why Power Blue is the one to watch at Royal Ascot
Coventry Stakes: Why Power Blue is the one to watch at Royal Ascot
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© Healy Racing Photos
With two massively priced winners in recent seasons, it can pay to look beyond the obvious in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, and Adrian Murray, whose Bucanero Fuerte placed at 16/1 two years ago, has another live contender in the thrice-raced colt Power Blue.
BoyleSports Betting Offer
3.056f. 20 Declared.
Coventry Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1 ) of £175,000.00 2-y-o
- Formscan
- Race Info
1st - €99,242.00 2nd - €37,625.00 3rd - €18,830.00 4th - €9,380.00 5th - €4,708.00 6th - €2,362.00 Going - Good to Firm (Good in places).
Formscan - Military Code has plenty going for him after accounting for two subsequent winners under a penalty over 5f at this venue last month and is hard to ignore. Postmodern made a deep impression when bolting up on his introduction at Yarmouth and will likely have his supporters. The same can be said for Underwriter after his smooth debut success at Ayr, but the vote goes to GSTAAD. The son of Starspandledbanner turned over an odds-on stable companion at Navan last month and he shaped as if he might take a big step forward for that experience.
Odds Shortening 
Odds Lengthening | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
914 | 1st | Gstaad | 7/2 | |
1219 | 11th | Postmodern | 13/2  7/2 | 4/1 |
1115 | 17th | Military Code | 11/2 | |
220 | 4th | Andab | 9/1 5/1 | 11/2 |
216 | 10th | Warsaw | 9/1 | |
18 | 13th | American Gulf | 15/2  12/1 | 12/1 |
1510 | 9th | Rock On Thunder | 9/1 14/1 | 14/1 |
139 | 5th | Power Blue | 18/1 12/1 | 14/1 |
| 2018 | 20th | Underwriter | 11/1 16/1 | 18/1 |
821 | 16th | Gavoo | 18/1 25/1 | 33/1 |
311 | 18th | Ballistic Missile | 40/1 | |
103 | 15th | Kolkata Knight | 50/1 | |
1612 | 12th | Shaatir | 50/1 | |
47 | 19th | Bone Marra | 18/1 33/1 | 50/1 |
52 | 8th | Bourbon Blues | 66/1 33/1 | 50/1 |
617 | 3rd | Coppull | 66/1 | |
1716 | 14th | Super Soldier | 66/1 | |
75 | 2nd | Do Or Do Not | 100/1 | |
1813 | 6th | Tadej | 100/1 | |
144 | 7th | Raakeb | 40/1 100/1 | 100/1 |
191 | n.r. | Tricky Tel | 33/1 20/1 | 22/1 |
| Betting Percentage | 128% | |||
| Each-Way Terms | 4 1/5 | |||
7/2
Debut victory
Obviously trained to the minute, Power Blue made his debut in a Curragh maiden in March that Murray had won for the past two seasons with very useful colts.
The aforementioned Bucanero Fuerte took the prize in 2023 and last year, Arizona Blaze was successful when debuting in the race - he subsequently finished third in the Norfolk at Ascot’s Royal meeting.
All that boded well and Power Blue duly bolted up at a very generous 5/2, achieving a better RPR than either of his predecessors in the process.
Defeat in a Listed contest
Like both of his stablemates, the Listed First Flier Stakes also over five furlongs was next, and like Arizona Blaze, (Bucanero Fuerte was made a non-runner on the day) Power Blue was beaten, albeit by a lesser margin and behind a very good filly in Lady Iman.
He pulled hard that day, his trainer probably keen to get him more experience before stepping up to six furlongs, but considering that and the standard of opposition it was an encouraging run and he again achieved a Racing Post rating superior to that of Arizona Blaze the previous year.
Step up to six furlongs
© Healy Racing Photos
The benefit of that second run was apparent when Power Blue stepped up to six furlongs for the first time in the Group Three Marble Hill Stakes, once more at the Curragh.
He jumped well and led or disputed the lead throughout the contest until he was nailed late on by the fast-finishing effort of the well-touted 4/11 favourite Albert Einstein.
Despite coming off second best, it was notable that having been headed, he was battling all the way to the line and was going clear of the third.
Royal Ascot next
Jockey David Egan led on sufferance in the Marble Hill Stakes, and the prospect of not having to make his own running in a big field at the Royal meeting can only see Murray’s colt in a better light.
He may be racing in new colours when he turns up in the Coventry Stakes, having been entered in the Goffs London Sale on the eve of the big meeting, and he’s likely to attract plenty of attention.
Albert Einstein was as short as 11/10 for Ascot after his win last time, but with him ruled out, the race has an open look to it.
With the record of Murray in Ascot juvenile events established, and with Power Blue having got so close to the supremely talented ante-post favourite on his last outing, his current price of 16/1 seems pretty baffling.
