Tuesday, 20 July 2010

King George Preview


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."