Nathaniel to go back to back in Ascot feature

Get set for a vintage renewal of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, with three of the field boasting a Timeform rating of 130 or higher and the class line-up including the most recent winners of the Prix de l`Arc de Triomphe, Eclipse, Coronation Cup, Breeders` Cup Turf, Hong Kong Vase, St Leger and the race itself.

While the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes may not attract the best three-year-old middle-distance runners these days - this year`s only runner in that age group is highly rated Japanese Derby winner Deep Brillante - the quality of the older horses more than makes up for it.

Bookmakers are having a hard time settling upon a favourite for the Group One race, with defending champion Nathaniel, fast-improving Sea Moon and easy Coronation Cup winner St Nicholas Abbey competing for the betting honour.

Nathaniel was two and three quarter lengths too good for Workforce in last year`s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, with St Nicholas Abbey a further one and a quarter lengths back in third. The John Gosden-trained four-year-old son of Galileo was impressive on his 2012 debut, running on gamely to win the Eclipse by half a length from Farhh. One would expect him to improve on that run, not least because he will be stepping up in distance from 10 to 12 furlongs.

Sea Moon is a two-time Group Two winner who, if you believe his Timeform rating, is a Group One winner in all but name. The four-year-old son of Beat Hollow beat Melbourne Cup winner Dunaden by three and a quarter lengths in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot and his trainer, Sir Henry Cecil, is expecting even greater things from his charge.

St Nicholas Abbey has won half of his 14 career races, starring in his two-year-old and four-year-old campaigns to win, among other races, the 2009 Royal Post Trophy, 2011 and 2012 Coronation Cup and the 2011 Breeders` Cup Turf. After failing to win either of his first two starts this year, the five-year-old son of Montjeu bounced back to form in the Coronation Cup, cruising home four and a half lengths in front of Melbourne Cup runner-up Red Cadeaux.

The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is not just about those three horses. Dunaden will have his backers, as will Prix de l`Arc de Triomphe winner Danedream. Strictly speaking, Danedream is the highest rated runner in the race but she is around the 9-1 mark because most punters think that her Longchamp triumph was a fluke. Since winning what is, arguably, Europe`s premier race, Peter Schiergen`s four-year-old daughter of Lomitas has won only one of her three starts, finishing fourth of four most recently.

Nathaniel is the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes bet, with his starting price likely to be in the 5-2 to 3-1 range. He beat St Nicholas Abbey fair and square in last year`s edition and there are several lines of form that rate Sea Moon pretty much identical to Aidan O`Brien horse.

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20/07/2012     © Frixo 2024