
After Douvan scored in yesterday's Hilly Way, Paul Townend commented that he was doing "a half-speed".
Wow. Gilgamboa, a very good horse and second-favourite, was finding the gallop impossible to handle from an early stage, yet here was Douvan going through the motions.
If that's a half-speed, what could full throttle amount to? Likely a step up in distance is off the agenda, and that means Douvan may well avoid Un De Sceaux, which was odds-on in last year's Queen Mother.
Put two and two together and the 8/1 about a Ryanair win for Un De Sceaux, which stays better than had seemed the case, looks a nice play three months in advance.
BET: Un De Sceaux to win Ryanair, 1pt win 8/1