King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes - Ascot 29th July 2017

Enable won't win this for me. Impossible not to be impressed by her development and visually she does everything right, but if you dig down into the form a little I'd say she still has a few lengths to find with the main protagonists here.

Hoping the soft ground currently at Ascot doesn't put the connections of Ulysses off. Actually very little rain forecast from Wednesday onwards so should dry out to decent enough ground. If he doesn't take his place due to weather then it will Jack Hobbs carrying my money. Will probably have a little cover bet on him in any event if and when confirmed to run. With his form impossible to weigh up due to inconsistency you can't overlook the fact that he's beaten Highland Reel twice already (including once on good ground)

 

I've given up with this race until I know what the ground is on the day and who is running.

 

I see that old boy Gosden is going to (i) talk to Lord Teddy (must dent his carriage having to do that) and (ii) wait to see how much rain the racecourse gets on Wednesday, bit of uncertainty at the moment as to how much precipitation the South of the Isle will get in 48 hours time, before any decision is made re Enable and the ‘King George VI’. All the main firms now 7/4 or shorter.

 

On reflection, the cover bet for Ulysses should and will most likely be Enable. As you say she could be a superstar and possibly didn't factor in the stone she'll be getting and ease with which she's won her races when assessing the form

 

IF Enable runs I won't be looking any further. She's been my pick for the Arc the second she went past the post at Epsom. If she can't win the KG she can't win the Arc

 

Sixteen declared. Pretty much all the older horses, two three year old colts (Permian and Benbatl) and one three year old filly (Enable).

 

I used to go to a few KG VI & QE Stakes as it was my favourite race of the year. I remember one year in particular when my wife's favourite horse, Dancing Brave had two of his progeny running in it, the unbeaten English and Irish Derby winner Commander In Chief (what a gorgeous specimen he was; he looked like a horse in the wild) and White Muzzle who had won his last 5 races (including the Italian derby). Against him, inter alia, was the 1992 European Horse of the Year, User Friendly and Tenby, unbeaten fav for the Epsom Derby won by CIC. What we didn't factor in was the 5yo winner of the Coronation Cup, Eclipse Stakes and the Hardwicke Stakes, Opera House, who came with a strong run to win by 1.5l from the strong finishing White Muzzle who just edged out CIC by a sh. Amazingly User Friendly was 10l back in 4th. It was some race if not a little disappointing because CIC didn't win, and never ran again.

In saying this, what I have in the back of my mind is that the winner was sired by Sadlers Wells and was trained by Michael Stoute. This year Stoute runs a grandson of Sadlers Wells, by the name of Ulysses who also won the Eclipse on course for this race. Opera House, as a 4yo came 3rd in the Gordon Richards Stakes, 6th in the POW at Ascot and 2nd in the Eclipse before finishing 3rd in the KG &QE and it wasn't until he was 5 that he recorded his first G1 win; that was in the Coronation Cup at Epsom. He followed that up with his Eclipse win before landing the KG &QE

Ulysses, as a 4yo, has won the Gordon Richard Stakes at Sandown, finished 3rd in the POW before winning the Eclipse. It seems Ulysses is doing just a bit better than Opera House did at 4 and Opera House came 3rd in the big one in July. So one can understand any confidence there might be for Ulysses, being trained by the same maestro that did it with Opera House as a 5yo.

One thing is certain, in my mind. If Ulysses doesn't win this year but shows he is up to G1 standard over 12f, he will be the first one on my short list for the 2018 KG & QE

 

Ulysses at 8/1 is an insult, as it proved to be in the eclipse. Can certainly see the parallels here and bookies have underestimated again. Though anyone can see Highland Reel is a far better animal than Cliffs Of Moher, I really fancy Ulysses has improved past that one. Am far more wary of the young hotshot in this race than I was of Barney Roy in the eclipse so will have a little saver.

Assuming they go to post I'd have the revised 1-2-3 as Enable, Ulysses, Highland Reel

 

An Historic performance??

I really have heard it all now

First of all ratings are nothing more than an opinion, and if the guy doing them has rated it as one of the best Eclipses then he's an idiot. This current generation of race horses, young and older horses are up there with the worst we've had in decades.

Secondly Nathaniel was a very good G1 horse, and would beat most of the rubbish we are seeing this season. Let's not forget he beat Workforce and St Nicholas Abbey in a KG, and then the following year was beat in a photo by another Arc Winner in Danedream. He's also the horse who got the closest to Frankel.

His Eclipse was maybe not the strongest renewal but it wasn't bad, Farhh, Twice Over, City Scape and Monterosso where all useful G1 horses.

 

In the King George, St Nic hated the ground, Workforce ran 1m5 and Rewilding broke down. It was a bog when he won the Eclipse as well iirc and Farhh had not peaked yet. He got closest to Frankel in a maiden first time, wouldnt have ever got anywhere near him after that as shown by the Champion Stakes when the ground was for Nathanial and against Frankel, he couldnt even get near Cirrus Des Aigles that day. A high class plodder.

 

Think Neola 12/1 is worth a bet in the Princess Margaret. She shaped well in a hot maiden first time out on fast ground with National Stakes winner and 109 rated Havana Grey getting turned over. Won by 7L over the same c+d next time before running a blinder in the Marygate on soft, only beaten half a length by a filly who broke the Nottingham track record first time out. She had Mistress of Venice 1 1/2L behind who went on to run 4th in the Albany and Cherry Hinton, finishing close to the fav for this race Nyaleti in the latter, and a further 1 3/4L back was Maggies Angel who went on to run 1 1/4L 2nd to Dance Diva(2nd fav here) and then 3rd in the Super Sprint at Newbury. She then ran 5th in the Queen Mary and the winner of that has run well enough in the Robert Papin to think it was a decent enough level.

I think the ground was too fast for her at Ascot, she is by Foxwedge out of soft ground sprinter Effie B who Channon also trained and I think thats probably why they skipped Newmarket with her. The ground will be much more suitable here and all her form suggests she should be bang there providing she handles the extra furlong. Channon has won this race before and usually has a decent runner in it, stable seems to be in good form as well which is a bonus. Im struggling to see why on earth she is 12/1, should be about half the price imo but well see what happens.

Mayyasah was very impressive first time and she could be the best horse in the race, I also think Musical Art is pretty decent and Elthea has potential but over the years, group race experience has proven to be pivotal most of the time.

 

Music to my ears, gives him every possible chance - http://www.racingfixtures.co.uk/cut...213&archive=&template=racingfixturesfrontpage

 

You wanna make your mind up....is it Ulysses or Enable you think will win?

I reckon JACK HOBBS will have the measure of them all on ground that will be just perfect for him.
(yeah I know I should stick to Plumpton bumpers but its only a racing forum and ****ing money roight!)

 

Haha, Enable covering those last 3 furlongs in 33 seconds has poisoned my mind a little! Enable and Ulysses reverse forecast

 

Am on both already, Ulysses bagging me by far the biggest pot but Enable doubling my money staked as got her at 2/1. Any soft in the going and she'll probably go off close to evens. Jack Hobbs by far the biggest danger, he seems to have a special run in him from time to time so could never discount

 

Why do you say that David? She's never raced on ground softer than good

 

Largely because it would be to the detriment of Highland Reel who is the only one who might push her for favouritism. Gosden also seems confident she'll handle or maybe even improve for a bit of cut, breeding suggests that also

 

Has Gosden said that?
That'll do for me

 

The sire didnt mind a bit of cut and the dam was a proper mudlark. Only surprise is that she wasnt born with webbed feet!