Two Group Ones at Ascot

A magnificent days´s racing today with excellent cards, some huge fields and highly competitive racing at 7 British and Irish tracks, but pride of place clearly goes to Ascot, which stages a card as good as any at the Royal meeting. The Group One Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at 17.15 CET looks to be the unofficial mile championship of the season, with the field of 7 headed by the two multiple Group One winners Henrythenavigator (Aidan O´Brien/ Johnny Murtagh) and Tamayuz (Freddie Head/ Davy Bonilla). Both are accompanied by pacemakers, so the pace should be strong and a genuine result is in prospect. The only chance of a local win would appear to be John Gosden´s ultraconsistent Ravens Pass (Jimmy Fortune), but he is held on earlier form by both the principals. Bookies and punters seem unable to decide between the pair, and this is clearly a race to watch rather than bet on, but we have a tiny preference for the French challenger, who seems to have more scope for improvement. He nrythenavigaor, who flopped last time at Longchamp on unsuitably soft ground, has had several very hard races, but on the other hand is clearly a very smart performer from the almost unbeatable O´Brien team.The other Group One on the card is the Fillies Mile at 16.05, in which John Gosden´s Rainbow View (Jimmy Fortune) after winning all her 3 starts in impressive fashion; she is already clear favourite for next season´s 1,000 Guineas. The opposition is headed by two more unbeaten fillies, the Queen´s well-bred Golden Stream (Sir Michael Stoute/ Ryan Moore), and Luca Cumani s Fantasia, whose jockey Frankie Dettori had his best ever day when winning all 7 races at this meeting 12 years ago. The Group Two Royal Lodge Stakes for 2yo colts, also over a mile, is another good race, with Roger Charlton´s supplemented Cityscape (Steve Drowne), most impressive when winning at Salisbury ladt timer, and Mick Channon´s Orizaba (Frankie Dettori), a Goodwood Group Two winner last time over 7 furlongs, likely to be the main protagonists. The big betting race of the day is the 7 furlongs handicap at 16.40 with 29 runners. The original favourite Giganticus (Barry and Michael Hills) is drawn 1, which may not be an advantage, as most of the other likelier candidates are drawn on the far side. The listed race for filies over 7 furlongs at 17.50 should lie between Majestic Roi (Mick Channon/ Darryll Holland) and Crystany (Ed Dunlop/ Ran Moore), while the much-imprived Oat Cuisine (Michael Bell/ Hayley Turner) can complete a four-timer in the opening listed mile handicap for fillies at 14.55.