23-07-2025
Like buying money – The two odds-on ‘steering jobs' tipped to leave bookies in tears at Glorious Goodwood
ANTE-POST punting is a dangerous road littered with torn betslips and shattered dreams.
But every now and then a seemingly golden opportunity presents itself.
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Too good to be true? Maybe. But unless you take the plunge you'll never know.
Punters who like to smash into favourites at very short prices will often talk about the notion of 'buying money'.
It doesn't always work.
Just this week we saw 2-13 Royal Ascot runner-up Thesecretadversary beaten by a 28-1 outsider.
But you'd hope there would be fewer chances for things to go so seismically wrong in Group 1s.
And that's where John Gosden's Field Of Gold and Aidan O'Brien's Illinois come in.
Both are currently odds-on for their respective races at next week's Glorious Goodwood.
Field Of Gold, who perhaps should have won the 2,000 Guineas, and definitely did win the Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes, is a best-price 1-2 to win the Sussex Stakes next Wednesday.
His big market rival - and second-fav - Rosallion was a big drifter on the Betfair Exchange and could be sent elsewhere.
Illinois was second to Trawlerman in last month's Ascot Gold Cup.
But he is a proven Group-level performer - albeit he has always come up short in Group 1s - and last finished outside the top two in April 2024 - NINE races ago.
He is a best-price 8-11 to win the 2m feature next Tuesday.
There is a chance O'Brien could run recent brilliant Newmarket scorer Scandinavia instead.
But this looks a golden opportunity for Illinois to get his Group 1, with 4-1 second-fav French Master moving up from handicaps.
Backing shorties in a double like this wouldn't be my go-to method of punting.
But if you put the pair together now you'd still get better than evens, with a £20 punt returning £48.44 with Ladbrokes.
Buying money? Like everything, it comes with its risks...
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