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Posts Tagged ‘field’

Harbinger put up a devastating performance to run right away with the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

Olivier Peslier looked to be going best as he sat in fourth place as they turned into the straight in the Group One contest, and the response was electrifying when he asked for an effort.

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained colt (4-1) brushed Derby winners Cape Blanco and Workforce aside as he powered an amazing 11 lengths clear, with Cape Blanco finishing second and Youmzain third.

Stablemates Workforce and Harbinger feature among eight possible runners in a mouth-watering renewal of the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday.

Workforce was a hugely impressive winner of the Investec Derby at Epsom on his latest appearance and bids to become the first three-year-old since Alamshar in 2003 to win Ascot’s mid-summer showpiece.

Fellow Sir Michael Stoute inmate Harbinger arrives on the back of a runaway success in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot and will be ridden by Olivier Peslier, with stable jockey Ryan Moore siding with the Epsom hero.

Stoute trained Conduit, Tartan Bearer and Ask to a one-two-three in the race 12 months ago and is an outside bet to repeat the feat having also left in Confront, although he is likely to take up a pacemaking role.

Aidan O’Brien has saddled Galileo (2001), Dylan Thomas (2007) and Duke Of Marmalade (2008) to King George success and his main candidate this time would appear to be Irish Derby winner Cape Blanco.

Epsom runner-up At First Sight could join him on the trip from Ballydoyle for the Betfair-sponsored event.

John Gosden’s three-time Group One winner Dar Re Mi will bid to become the first filly or mare to win the race since Time Charter in 1983, a statistic which also faces French raider Daryakana. Youmzain completes the field as he continues to search for first British Group One win.

Daryakana, unraced at two, was unbeaten in five starts last year and although she has failed to strike in two starts since the turn of the year, her trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre feels she is now in peak condition.

He said: “It is going to be a very good race but the filly is going well. This will be her third run of the year and she is perfect. I think she will improve through the year. She didn’t have a good race at Saint-Cloud last time as there was no pace and it was not easy for her.”

Tom Queally will ride dual 1000 Guineas winner Special Duty for Criquette Head-Maarek in the Etihad Airways Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket on Wednesday.

Queally – fresh from Group One success on the Henry Cecil-trained Twice Over in the Eclipse at the weekend – comes in for the ride after Christophe Lemaire suffered a leg fracture in a fall at Compiegne on Monday afternoon.

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Khalid Abdullah, told Press Association Sport: “Tom Queally will ride Special Duty in the Falmouth on Wednesday. It looks a hot race, but she’s in grand form and we’re looking forward to it.”

A high-class field of eight will go to post for the opening day highlight of the July meeting.

Group One winners dominate the field, with Special Duty aiming for a hat-trick after being awarded her two Classic victories in the stewards’ room.

Aidan O’Brien’s Lillie Langtry is looking to follow up her impressive win in the Coronation Stakes, while Lahaleeb will be having her first start for Gerard Butler since being bought by current connections for £1million guineas.

Adding further strength in depth is Sir Michael Stoute’s Strawberrydaiquiri, a gutsy winner of the Windsor Forest at Royal Ascot.

Just touched off in the same race was James Fanshawe’s Spacious and the pair will clash again, with Kieren Fallon taking over in the saddle as Johnny Murtagh is on board Lillie Langtry.

Mick Channon’s luckless Music Show has run well in all the top races so far this season but only has a victory in the Nell Gwyn to show for her efforts, while Mark Johnston’s Rainfall is the most unexposed horse in the field, winning the Jersey Stakes against the colts on only her third start.

The field is completed by Jim Bolger’s Gile Ne Greine, third in the Guineas at Newmarket and second in the Coronation Stakes last time out.

Michael Jarvis admits it is highly unlikely his exciting prospect Opinion Poll will line up in Saturday’s John Smith’s Northumberland Plate at Newcastle.

The four-year-old has hit the target twice in Listed company this season and was due to carry top-weight in this weekend’s feature contest.

He also has an entry in the At The Races Curragh Cup, but Jarvis is not willing to risk his charge on unsuitably fast ground and said: “He probably isn’t going to run anywhere unless the weather changes in the next 24 hours, which looks highly unlikely.”

The trainer continued: “It’s just down to the ground and this horse is well worth waiting for. We’re not halfway through the year yet and there are plenty of races for him, so we’re in no great rush. The rain will come eventually – it always does.”

Jane Chapple-Hyam has two possibles in Macarthur and Tyrrells Wood, although the former seems more likely to take his chance at present.

Both were in action at Royal Ascot last week with Macarthur unplaced in the Duke of Edinburgh Handicap and Tyrrells Wood down the field in the Ascot Stakes.

“I haven’t made my mind up yet, although I’m swinging towards running Macarthur and we’ve got to make a decision about Tyrrells Wood,” said the Newmarket trainer.

“I haven’t put a saddle on Macarthur since Ascot, he’s been turned out in the field to try to freshen him up. I’ll weigh him and see if he’s put the weight back on and make a decision. At this stage I’m targeting him for there.”