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.

PAField Of Gold is getting shorter and shorter in the market – but will surely be the good thing of Goodwood and feature in every rolling multiple for the week[/caption]

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.

‘The gambling gods often have their way’ – Templegate’s verdict

Steve Mullen (aka Templegate) has his say on the banker double

WE all know there’s no such thing as a certainty in racing but FIELD OF GOLD has to be the nearest thing you’ll see to one.

He should have won the 2,000 Guineas and underlined why with a smooth success in the Irish version before laughing at his rivals when landing the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

He faces the older milers for the first time next week but he already looks a cut above them – and they have to give the Gosden superstar weight which just doesn’t seem fair.

It will be a major shock if he doesn’t follow his sire Kingman on to the roll of honour.

At 2-5 it’s hard to make a decent return so it’s tempting to double up with another shortie like ILLINOIS in the Goodwood Cup.

But the Aidan O’Brien stayer has a bit more on his plate.

He was a good second in the Ascot Gold Cup last time and a repeat may well be good enough but it wouldn’t a shock to see Dubai Future run well while we know old boy Sweet William can be classy on his day.

He’ll probably win but I’ve never been one for short-priced doubles like this.

The gambling gods always seem to make sure something goes wrong when you think you’re on to a good thing.

The odds aren’t likely to get any shorter so you could have a single on the first and decide how much of your winnings to put on the second leg.

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…