Card: http://www.racingpost.com/horses2/cards/card.sd?race_id=528247&r_date=2011-06-14 The Queen Anne is the race I'm most looking forward to next week at Royal Ascot with the clash between French wonder mare Goldikova and the young pretender, Canford Cliffs. Much as I love Goldikova, I think Canford can beat her next Tuesday. I thought there was plenty to like about his Lockinge win despite the fact that some people panned it. As a 4YO who seems to have matured physically and strengthened up since last season, he should be at the height of his powers next Tuesday taking on a 6yo mare who will hardly have improved much since last season when she beat Paco Boy by a neck in last year's renewal. I believe Canford Cliffs is a better horse than Paco Boy and given the fact that he's won nicely at the past two Royal Meetings, I'll be backing him to come out on top on Tuesday. Who will you be backing? Goldikova or Canford Cliffs?
Its a great spectacle,not a race i would bet on.Head says CC,heart wants Goldy. Whatever the result its going to be a very close run thing.
Goldi is my favourite horse in training and close to being my favourite of all time, but I also like Canford and think he will have her measure next Tuesday. It will go against the grain but I think I will be backing Canford. I may look around for the best odds available and if possible back both if it guarantees a profit..........surely nothing else can win? It would be hard to take if I didn't back Goldi and she done the business for the 15th time (Yes 15th) in a Group 1.
I see So You Think is still in the race. Probably won't run, but I'd back him to beat both, even at a mile.
Il probably back Cape Blanco at 10/1, I know he's unproven over a mile, but he has proven top class over further, and AOB wouldn't run him over a mile if he didn't think he had the pace
I think i would favour Canford Cliffs. Goldi was only just able to beat Paco Boy last year and i think Canford Cliffs is a more formidable opponent. I am quite sure that the Hannon team will have their charge tuned to the minute but Goldikova may be just short of top form considering that her main target for the year will undoubtedly be a 4th Breeders Cup Mile. Surely a dutching win bet on the two guarantees a profit, even if only small. Nothing else can win can they?!
Zenyatta, backing Canford Cliffs and Goldikova to win the Queen Anne Stakes comes out as a combined bet at odds of 1/6. Whilst we all expect one or the other to win the race, there must surely be a better nailed-on certainty running at Royal Ascot at more rewarding odds than 1/6. Will Frankel be that short in the St James’s Palace Stakes? There are already a lot of races that I will just be watching and I have mentioned two of them above.
I think that's fair value Quarter Moon. It surely looks impossible for any other horse to get involved. Whether there are better value options eslewhere is a different question but that is not to say that that bet is not value.
Any takers? This is not a hypothetical question and will help me to decide which horse I will plump for. Thanks, Ron
Sea The Stars was not a miler and for that reason i would favour both Canford Cliffs and Goldikova over him at a mile. Obviously over further it would be a different kettle of fish but at a mile it is still CC for me.
He did win the Guineas but he was still not a miler. He was good enough to defeat his own generation over a mile at that stage of the season but i think he would struggle against two top class horses like CC and Goldikova at that distance. He beat a decent enough field (Delgator 2nd, Rip Van Winkle 4th, Mastercraftsman 5th) in a quick time but i still have my doubts as to how he would cope against the best at a mile. I may well be doing him a disservice because there is little evidence to go on and therefore you have to rely on gut instinct. And mine is that for all his brilliance over further he would find it tough against the likes of CC and Goldikova. Not for a minute am i suggesting that he couldn't win an average Group 1 over a mile but i think we are all agreed that the Queen Anne looks far from average. It is impossible to draw certain conclusions and from the very limited evidence available various different conclusions could be reached. After all Sea The Stars beat Rip Van Winkle 2 and a 1/2 lengths in the Guineas and CC only beat RVW 1/4 length in the Sussex last year. As i said much of it is just pure conjecture and speculation.
It's a tough one to call, but I think the ground will be the deciding factor. If we don't get any rain, then CC is probably the one to be on, but if it's a wet Royal Ascot, and that is what they are forecasting, I would go for Goldikova.
Depends what odds he was Ron! He wasn't a miler because he was stepped up in trip for the Derby and wasn't going to go back once he got 12f. Hypothetically had he gone for the St James Palace in 2009 is there any reason to think Mastercraftsman and Delegator would have reversed the Guineas form? Against Canford Cliffs & Goldikova he'd be facing two better horses IMO so I'd have to see what the odds were but the key thing in his arsenal was that turn of foot so I wouldn't have immediately written him off. Been a big supporter of Canford Cliffs since his 2yo season when there were doubts around about him getting a mile. If the Lockinge has brought him on then he'll be difficult to beat...providing Richard Hughes doesn't give him too much to do! Paco Boy was closing last season, again a race I thought he was left too much to do, and I'd say Canford Cliffs is better than him so I'm leaning towards him at the moment. However when do you write Goldikova off? Can understand them running Cape Blanco - I've no doubt had So You Think not emerged then he'd have gone for the Prince Of Wales. AOB wouldn't run him if he didn't have the pace - he's said recently he came close to running in the Guineas last season. However I just get the impression its a case of finding a race for him away from the other Ballydoyle big guns? Just can't see him troubling Canford Cliffs or Goldikova.
I think I am right in saying that Sea The Stars only race over a mile was the 2000 Guineas, so there is not really anything to base a solid opinion on and he earned all his best ratings at ten furlongs and beyond. By a wet Royal Ascot, I assume that the implication is soft ground. Whilst Goldikova has won on softish ground she does not favour it, so the argument really amounts to Canford Cliffs being disadvantaged by it. I am sure that we do not want either of them to win by some sort of default so hopefully the ground is plain Good.
Yeah - no freak rainstorms or it p**sing it down all week! Just good racing ground so no-one has any excuses!
How about instead of adding Sea The Stars, Makfi was added into the mix, that would be an interesting one. Does anyone know if he has been retired to stud?
Your nothing if not persistant Shergs....same old horses trotted out time and again, you certainly have your favourites, I would have thought a pro like yourself would know better and not let sentiment play a part. No doubt you'd be touting Dick Turpin if he was running or do you now accept that Canford Cliffs is superior? Surprised you didn't take the opportunity to have a dig at the great Goldi as per usual
My money will be on Goldikova... There is a reason why CC and Goldi haven't met before. Just even from watching the video of Hannon's interview about his chances against Goldi. Goldi always seems to do/have enough and you can't argue with the G1 records. Goldi will go out with a bang this season. Look how he turned over DT who was suppose to like cut in the ground according to Hannon.
