Racing
Ascot tipping preview: Japan set for King George glory
It’s King George day at Ascot and Alex Davies has his eye set on the Boosted £10,000 Place 6 pool. Read on for his Ascot tipping preview.
Ascot tipping Preview
12:40 – Maiden Stakes
Not much to go on in the opening leg of the Ascot tipping preview. Out of those who have racecourse experience, MAYAS shaped reasonably enough behind Cobh on debut at Haydock, who looks a bright prospect for Clive Cox. He may be able to put that experience to good use but there is a whole host of newcomers with interesting pedigrees.
None more so than MOHAWK KING. A Siyouni colt out of Marsh Hawk, he looks well bred for the job and trainer Richard Hannon is enjoying a bright spell at present, most notably saddling the Super Sprint and Robert Papin winners last Sunday.
Selections: MAYAS, MOHAWK KING
13:15 – Fillies’ Novices Stakes
Another guessing game here with only one runner in the field with previous racecourse experience.
ISLE OF MAY did shape nicely behind She’s So Nice on debut at Newmarket two weeks ago, staying on well in the final furlong. The step up in trip should suit on that evidence and Dettori is booked here and she should be on the premises again.
ZABEEL QUEEN has a beautiful pedigree, being a Frankel filly out of Dubai Queen. Roger Varian is capable of readying a first-time out winner and she could make a smart impression on debut.
Selections: ISLE OF MAY, ZABEEL QUEEN
13:50 – Pat Eddery Stakes
I was impressed with TWAASOL in the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom on Derby Day last month. He was asked to knuckle down and dig deep in the final 3f by Martin Harley and he responded nicely and picked up like a smart one. The extra furlong should be beneficial here and in time you would expect him to see out the mile. Trainer Owen Burrows is in good form at the minute, notably saddling Tabdeed to win the Hackwood Stakes at Newbury last Sunday and TWAASOL should help continue the purple patch for the stable.
SAINT LAWRENCE ran well for a long way in the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket and will appreciate the step down in grade. It is likely he bumped into a very good one in Masters of the Seas that day and although TWAASOL also looks very smart, he should be able to give him something to think about. He travelled well at Newmarket and looks another who will appreciate the 7f.
Selections: TWAASOL, SAINT LAWRENCE
14:25 – Moet International Stakes (Handicap)
As always, an incredibly tricky puzzle to solve in the Ascot tipping preview leg four.
SPANISH CITY is a cliff horse of mine and I was again impressed with the way he travelled into the race in the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket last time out. He didn’t get the clearest of passages at the business end of the race but plugged on to be beaten only four-and-a-quarter lengths by Motakhayyel.
Ascot is a track he loves; his mark is unchanged for that Newmarket run and jockey Ray Dawson takes off a handy 5lb so I can see him running another good race for trainer Roger Varian.
CLIFFS OF CAPRI ran a fine race Buckingham Palace Handicap during the Royal meeting and a mere 1lb rise for that is very generous. Ground versatile, he should again enjoy the hustle and bustle of a big field handicap. He should be able to capitalise on a good draw on the stands side as he did last time and could be a hard horse to pass.
I’m also willing to give KEYSER SOZE another chance. He was a creditable fifth in the Bunbury Cup and Cieron Fallon has been replaced with Angus Villiers, meaning he has effectively been dropped another 2lb with the jockey’s claim. He should again run a solid race.
Selections: SPANISH CITY, CLIFFS OF CAPRI, KEYSER SOZE
15:00 – ‘Nifty Fifty’ Handicap
JOHAN may have found the Autumn Stakes too hot at Newmarket last October, but he bounced back when claiming a handicap at Newbury on his seasonal reappearance.
The aforementioned Autumn Stakes looks an incredibly hot race in hindsight, with Molatham winning the Jersey Stakes and Al Suhail claiming the Sir Henry Cecil Stakes this year. Cherokee Trail was also placed at Royal Ascot and the winner Military March fourth in the 2000 Guineas.
It was quite clearly no disgrace for JOHAN to finish sixth, and he will find this company much more to his liking. TSAR rates a credible threat but after a successful reappearance I expect JOHAN to be too strong for the field.
Selection: JOHAN
15:35 – King George
Just four go to post for arguably the biggest race of the summer, but the lack of runners does not make this any less interesting.
The superstar of racing ENABLE made a perfectly reasonable return to the track last month when finishing behind Ghayyaith in the Coral Eclipse, with trainer John Gosden keen to stress beforehand that she would need the run and would improve hugely for it. Her entire season is being built around the first Sunday in October in Paris, but she is bidding to become the first ever three-time winner of this vintage race and the word is that the sparkle is returning.
However, I believe that JAPAN could spoil the party on Saturday. A strapping colt, he takes time to get fully wound up during the season and on his third run of the campaign, I think he will be back to full fitness here. Half a length behind ENABLE in the Eclipse, the step back up to a mile-and-a-half will be far more adequate for him and the quick ground will not pose too much of a problem (he won the Juddmonte International last season on good ground). He has two stablemates to set a good gallop and I think he is up to winning this.
I also think he will be bang there in the Arc and as Ryan Moore said, there is still a lot more to come from this horse.
ANTHONY VAN DYCK and SOVEREIGN complete the line-up for trainer Aidan O’Brien. SOVEREIGN was a shock winner of the Irish Derby last season when getting his own way up front and made a perfectly reasonable return to action in the Vintage Crop Stakes at the Curragh four weeks ago. It is assumed he will be in here again to set an honest gallop but Dettori, Moore and Murphy will be very wary of allowing him too much rope after that Classic victory.
ANTHONY VAN DYCK has been disappointing since his Epsom Derby win also but the return to a quicker surface should suit and he did stay on well behind Ghayyaith in the Coronation Cup in June. However, he would need to step up considerably to trouble the front two and you would be disappointed if he was good enough to win this. So Japan remains the only selection to round off the Ascot tipping preview.
Selection: JAPAN
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