2012 Prix d'Amérique Odds and Betting Preview: Ready Cash favourite to double up for Franck Nivard

PARIS, FRANCE - Ready Cash has been made the favourite to win the Prix d’Amérique at Vincennes on Sunday afternoon, which is by far the world’s most prestigious trotting race and carries a total purse of €1 million. 

The Prix d’Amérique is run every year at the end of January and attracts enormous crowds to the Parisian racecourse. Along with the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October at Longchamp, it is the main betting race of the year. The 2012 edition will see Ready Cash go for back-to-back wins in the trotting blue riband, having won it as an even-money favourite last year.

Several horses have won the Prix d’Amérique multiple times, and if Ready Cash can get his nose in front he will be able to join a club that includes star names such as Offshore Dream, Varenne, Bellino II and the outstanding Ourasi.

Ready Cash is trained by Thierry Duvaldestin and can be backed at best odds of 11/10 with unibet to win the big race. The son of Indy De Vive has had an outstanding preparation for the race, romping home in the Prix de Bretagne, the Prix du Bourbonnais, the Prix de Bourgogne and most recently finishing a fair third in the Prix de Belgique when faced with a 25 metre handicap at the start due to the conditions of the race. Unibet’s quote certainly looks attractive given that he is at 8/11 with Stan James and 17/20 with bet365, and those punters wishing for more security can take odds of 1/4 with bet365 that he finishes in the first three.

His driver Franck Nivard has won the race twice before, and he told the press before the Prix de Belgique that he would not be hard on the horse, and consequently he did not ask the champion to go into the red zone. Nevertheless, he was still well-supported on the day and some trotting fans will be looking elsewhere for their Prix d’Amérique bet.

The second favourite for glory is Maharajah, who has been backed into 3/1 from 4/1 with Stan James, but is pretty short with bet365 at 9/4. The Swedish champion was second in last year’s edition to Ready Cash, and he was most recently seen finishing fourth to Royal Dream in the Prix de Belgique when finishing the race like an express train. He carries the nation’s hopes on his shoulders, but if things fall into place then he looks to hold a massive chance of reversing the form with Ready Cash. His driver is Örjan Kihlström and his fans may also want to back him to win the Elitloppet back home in Sweden, for which he is the 8/1 second favourite behind the awesome Rapide Lebel in the betting with bet365.

Next comes Main Wise As at 9/1 with Stan James who could be a good option for a place under Pierre Levesque, although it is hard to make a case for him winning the race. The six-year-old seems to be just short of what is required to win a race of this nature, and preference would be for the 14/1 shot Timoko, who won on Christmas Day at the course and could be anything. He is five-years-old which is very young for such a big race, and this will be the first time he has faced the likes of Ready Cash. No matter how Timoko runs tomorrow he will still be one to look out for in future years, but at odds of 14/1 he could be worth taking a chance on.

Severino is at 10/1 with unibet but the Bigeon family are still yet to win the race, and 12/1 Roxane Griff comes here looking for a place at best.

Royal Dream has done remarkable well just to make the line-up, but he does not benefit from a 25 metre head start this time and can be opposed at 16/1 with bet365.

Other horses that could sneak into the frame are Lisa America and Quif De Villeneuve, both at 20/1 with Stan James, but the 2012 Prix d’Amérique looks to be between the ‘big two’ at the head of the market.

Finally the 33/1 shot Oyonnax had his moment in the sun when taking this race in 2010 at odds of 172/1, but he is set to struggle as a 10-year-old.

The Prix d’Amérique is due off at 3.25pm local time on Sunday 29 January, which is 2.25pm for UK-based punters.