Bookmaker Reviews

Colm O’Donoghue has come in for the plum ride on Cape Blanco in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

The mount on the Aidan O’Brien-trained Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby winner became available when regular rider 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 at the weekend, with Workforce the evens favourite and Cape Blanco available at 13-2 in a place.