i have a feeling they will try to win a top class 10f race for Soldier Of Fortune's CV.. I still think of him as rather "slow", a very good horse but someone who takes a while to get going and would struggle in a genuine G1 10f race..

I agree, there is no doubt that a Gr1 win over 10 would do wonders for his future, but like you, I don't think he has the tactical speed to cope with the drop in trip. If anything, he'd appreciate further.

On June 10th Soldier of Fortune was favored for both this race and the Arc! Now he runs 2nd to Youmzain in France and he's not a horse that can win a G1? You guys are tough over there!

in fairness he was probably the Arc fav by default, he is a proper G1 horse i just think hes vulnerable over 10f, i dont think he has that much speed..

We never said he wasn't capable of winning a Gr1 in general, but neither me or brock can see him winning a genuine Gr1 over 10 furlongs. He lacks the speed and the gears in my opinion.

But Literato has been pretty dreadful since joining Godolphin. He will probably need lots of rain to even give him a run at the weekend.

Damn!
It was such a good theory.

There's a chance he goes to the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis Bayerisches Zuchtrennen the following day instead...

Ask has been drifting all day, while Papal Bull has been getting backed. This sort of move would suggest that either Ask isn't going to run, or that Papal Bull is going to be the stable first string.

From Racing Post......



OLIVIER PESLIER has been booked to partner Papal Bull in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, quashing speculation Ryan Moore would ride him instead of Ask, who was the subject of a big drift on the betting exchanges.

Papal Bull and Ask swapped positions in the ante-post market on Tuesday, with Papal Bull becoming the shorter-priced of the Sir Michael Stoute-trained duo, while Ask was available at 27-1 on Betfair on Tuesday morning, before coming back to 18-1 at 7.10pm.

Coral halved Papal Bull's odds to 7-1, after claiming to have laid him to lose a six-figure sum in a matter of hours.

“Every shrewdie on our books has been backing Papal Bull today and with Ask drifting like a barge on the exchanges, and with the ground at Ascot riding fast, you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to suspect that Ryan Moore is going to ride Papal Bull, and Ask is going to miss the race,” said Coral spokesman Simon Clare.

However, Gary Patchett, a spokesman for the Papal Bull Syndicate, revealed that Stoute had booked Peslier, while Simon Christian, who represents Ask's owner, Patrick Fahey, said: “Ask is a runner until we know otherwise. If there was something amiss, I'm sure we would have been told.”


Peslier has a fine international major-race pedigree but has yet to win the King George, coming closest when second on Derby winner High-Rise in 1998.

He has had only two rides in Britain for Stoute in the last five seasons but his link-up with Papal Bull has delighted connections.

Patchett added: “When Sir Michael told us who he had booked we were thrilled. We were so excited we made a point of asking Sir Michael that if plans for his other horse changed, we would like things to stay the way they are, and he said he couldn't see that being a problem.”

Confirming riding arrangements, Stoute expressed a hope that the ground is not as firm as it was when Ask finished fifth in the Prince of Wales's Stakes.

He said: “Oliver Peslier will ride Papal Bull and Ryan will ride Ask. Obviously we don't want the ground as firm as it was at Royal Ascot for Ask, although he ran there.

“I'll have to check with Chris Stickels, but we're hoping to run. We'll see what happens later in the week.”

8 left.....


Saturday July 26 2008
Ascot 16:20

King George Vi And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (group 1)£850000.00 added, 3yo plus, 1m 4f, Class 1, £482545.00 penalty 8 runnersGoing: Good to Firm


Colours: Show Hide 14:00 14:35 15:05 15:40 16:20 16:55 17:30
No. Form Horse Age Wt Trainer Jockey OR NagMe Bet
1 (3) 4/112-15 Ask 38 5 9-7 Sir Michael Stoute R L Moore 119 SP SP SP
2 (4) 423-111 Duke Of Marmalade (IRE) 38 4 9-7 A P O'Brien J Murtagh 126 SP SP SP
3 (7) 411-061 Lucarno (USA) 16 4 9-7 J H M Gosden J Fortune 116 SP SP SP
4 (6) 36-7131 Macarthur 35 4 9-7 A P O'Brien J A Heffernan 119 SP SP SP
5 (8) 1137-42 Papal Bull 16 5 9-7 Sir Michael Stoute O Peslier 120 SP SP SP
6 (2) 0-03683 Petara Bay (IRE) 16 4 9-7 T G Mills Jim Crowley 105 SP SP SP
7 (5) 0223-30 Red Rock Canyon (IRE) 38 4 9-7 A P O'Brien C O'Donoghue 115 SP SP SP
8 (1) 242-521 Youmzain (IRE) 27 5 9-7 M R Channon R Hughes 125 SP SP SP


Betting Forecast: 10/11 Duke Of Marmalade (IRE), 3/1 Youmzain (IRE), 8/1 Ask, 8/1 Lucarno (USA), 12/1 Papal Bull, 16/1 Macarthur, 66/1 Petara Bay (IRE), 200/1 Red Rock Canyon (IRE)Live racecards, results and betting

really think the Duke will win it here but Youmzain has the best 12f form by a mile.. I do prefer to back Youmzain off a disappointing effort at like 50-1 than off a career best, BUT, maybe they have found the key to him, they ran him closer to the pace last time, so I think i may have to be on him here..

He has the best 12 furlong form by far, but is this really going to turn out like a true 12 furlong race? I have my doubts. In my opinion, Youmzain is on a hiding to nothing here. If the pace is slow, he is going to sit and suffer and won't have the turn of foot to go with the Duke, and as a horse who can't be in front for too long, he can't set his own pace to make sure it's a proper gallop.

The Ballydoyle camp are no mugs and Red Rock Canyon is likely to set a moderate pace allowing Duke Of Marmalade to quicken. If this does happen, I can see him winning by at least four or five as the others struggle to quicken with him.

Come home safe, kids.

... and TVG cuts to commercials. Brilliant.

Off slooooww...

Jesus! The Duke wins, Papal fought hard...

wow, the duke just beat the PApal Bull.. miles clear of Youmzain who had loads of trouble..

Ask 5th Brock?