Key race - King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes

[jtw1]

Lots of opinions on this G1 on other threads so have those opinions / tips / news on here and see what happens.

		Form	Horse	Age	Wt	Trainer	Jockey	OR	NagMe	Bet
		116-060	Confront 22	5	9-7	Sir Michael Stoute	R Mullen	114		SP SP SP
		103-111	Harbinger 35	4	9-7	Sir Michael Stoute	O Peslier	120		SP SP SP
		320-042	Youmzain (IRE) 27	7	9-7	M R Channon	R Hughes	121		SP SP SP
		1553-14	Dar Re Mi 21	5	9-4	J H M Gosden	William Buick	120		SP SP SP
		1111-33	Daryakana (FR) 27	4	9-4	A de Royer-Dupre	G Mosse	-		SP SP SP
		1-23245	At First Sight (IRE) 27	3	8-9	A P O'Brien		118		SP SP SP
		111-101	Cape Blanco (IRE) 27	3	8-9	A P O'Brien		115		SP SP SP
		1-21	Workforce 49	3	8-9	Sir Michael Stoute	R L Moore	128

The first thing that strikes me is the prospect of 2 pacemakers in the shape of CONFRONT from the Stoute yard and AT FIRST SIGHT from O'Briens. Will either try to take each other on or will one settle behind the other ?? Neither should win but one might just hold on for 3rd !! YOUMZAIN is now a professional loser and if did lay horses this would be certainly be my main one for the race . As good as HARBINGER has been to me this season i can't see him finishing ahead of WORKFORCE simply down to the fact that Ryan Moore has chosen to ride the Derby winner instead of this G2/3 horse. Of course the question asked here is whether the stable is out of form with only 2 wins from over 30 runners and a strike rate of only 9% for July , or has it just been a simple case of bad luck for the past couple of weeks ?? It's enough to put me off taking the short-odds available on WORKFORCE . You have to go back to 1983 to find the last female winner of the race [ 4 have ran in the last 10 years , all single figure odds but all were unplaced] so DAR RA MI and the French trained DARYAKANA have a bit of mountain to climb . Which leaves me looking at a possible bet on CAPE BLANCO , the last two 3 y-old winners had won the Irish Derby before running here and this years renewal was run in a very fast time , 3.32 secs below standard. Murtagh is , of course , suspended but Heffernan [ i assume he will ride ] is a very capable replacement.

[jtw1]

Re: Key race - King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes Sporting Life - Colm O'Donoghue is relishing the chance to ride Cape Blanco in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. The mount on the Aidan O'Brien's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby winner became available when regular partner Johnny Murtagh picked up a six-day suspension at Newmarket's July meeting. Like Seamie Heffernan, O'Donoghue is a regular partner of second and third strings for O'Brien in the big races, and hit the Group One target last season on the stable's Jan Vermeer in the Criterium International at Saint-Cloud. Impressive in the Dante Stakes at York when beating subsequent runaway Epsom Derby hero Workforce, Cape Blanco disappointed in the French Derby before bouncing back at the Curragh. The pair face a rematch, with Workforce the evens favourite and Cape Blanco available at 13-2 in a place. A delighted O'Donoghue said: "I'm very much looking forward to the riding the horse at the weekend. "He's in very, very good form and I'd like to thank Aidan and the owners for the opportunity." Olivier Peslier is in confident mood ahead of his ride aboard Harbinger. The French pilot received the call up after champion jockey Ryan Moore decided to stay loyal to record-breaking Derby winner Workforce. Both are trained by Sir Michael Stoute, who saddled an unprecedented one-two-three in the famous race 12 months ago with Conduit, Tartan Bearer and the Peslier-ridden Ask. Peslier has a good record at the Berkshire venue with big-race wins on Goldikova, Vision D'Etat, Equiano and Ouija Board in recent years. "I've had good success for Sir Michael Stoute in the past and I think this year we have a good chance too," said Peslier. "I think he is the best horse this year and he is doing very well. I rode him on Saturday morning and he is very well. "He gave me a good feel. I think he can go either way in the race, he's an easy horse to ride. "I think he's my best ever chance of winning the race. Last time he won very well at Ascot (in the Hardwicke Stakes) so he knows the track and I think he has a good chance." Peslier has a good gauge on the form of the French challenger Daryakana, who has finished behind the Peslier-ridden Plumania twice this season. "Daryakana will run very well. Last time at Saint-Cloud she finished very well in third. I won the race and Youmzain finished second but I think she was a bit unlucky as there wasn't much pace. "I think Youmzain could run well because the race at Saint-Cloud was not run at a fast pace which he prefers. "Workforce is a very nice horse and he won well (at Epsom) but this is tough competition. The King George is a very good race, it's like the Arc de Triomphe, all the best horses run in it."