King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot

the King George, a Group One event over 1 1/2 miles at 16.50 this afternoon at Ascot, is the biggest race of the English summer, although, to be honest, it has lost a bit of its glamour. Last year Danedream won it for Germany, and it is certainly possible that Novellist (Andreas Wöhler/ Johnny Murtagh) can follow up. His GP de Saint-Cloud victory was certainly impressive, but obviously Cirrus des Aigles (Corinne Barande-Barbe/ Christophe Soumillon), who always needs his first race of the season, will put up a much better performance´this time. On ratings he is by far the best horse in the field, but one has to worry if he is as good at the age of 7 and after all his problems, as he was last year. especially over this trip. Mark Johnston is in red-hiot form and his Universal (Joe Fanning), much improved this season, cannot be left out; his problems is that he a front-runner, and so is Ektihaam (Roger Varian/ Dane O´Neill) so there is danger they will cut each others´ throats. Ektihaam slipped up here last time when in a clear lead, but his previous form looks smart. Very Nice Name (A de Mieulle /Olivier Peslier) is difficult to assess; the best horse in Qatar, he won all their top races before running third in the Sheema Classic. Long gone are the days when this was an automatic port of call for the Derby winner (Miller Reef, Nijinsky etc!), but the two 3yo´s in the field certainly deserve their place in this line-up. Sir Michael Stoute has an excellent record here and would not have supplemented Hillstar (Ryan Moore), easy Royal Ascot winner in a lower grade, without good reason. While Jim Bolger runs Irish Derby winner (Kevin Manning), who seems to thrive on tough races. This is a tricky race, with question marks over all contestants, but if Cirrus de Aigles is in top form he should win; however he is no value at the likely price, and Novellist each-way is a sporting alternative.

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Wind Fire - Queen Catrine - Fig Roll
2. Race: Cape Peron - Tarikhi - Intrigo
3. Race: Ashaadd - Queensberry Rules - Lightning Cloud
4. Race: Cirrus des Aigles - Novellist - Trading Leather
5. Race: Graphic - Apollo D`Negro - Ocean Tempest
6. Race: Emirates Flyer - Washaar - Safety Check
7. Race: Big Thunder - Glenard - Rosaceous