By Tony Calvin - 21 July 2025
We are light on numbers yet again for a middle-distance Group 1 but, unlike a rather underwhelming Irish Oaks, Saturday’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot has proper top-class depth.
The unsponsored £1.5m King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, by the way.
Yet more worrying times, perhaps.
Anyway, we are down to eight in the race, from 17 on Monday morning, and there has to be a fair chance that Green Impact, a 33s chance, will go to York on Saturday to contest an easier Group 2 over an extended 1m2f, a trip that possibly suits him better after his sixth in the Irish Derby.
Aidan O’Brien has been propping up many of the Group 1s this season (on occasions guaranteeing a minimum of seven runners that suits the Worldpool so well) so it will be interesting to see how many of his four he runs.
You’d think Continuous (well he definitely is) is in as a pacemaker for Jan Brueghel and both will definitely go, if fit and well, but the participation of his 3yos Lambourn and Whirl are up in the air.
I didn’t look at horseracing once last week (bar podcast preparation on Sunday) so I may have missed the news there, but they are being priced up as though they will not run.
Lambourn and Whirl are currently chalked up at 12s and 16s respectively, and they are basically double that in an illiquid exchange market.
A bit of googling tells me that it seems Lambourn may be aimed at the Great Voltigeur at York next month instead, with Whirl going for the Nassau next week.
So it looks like five may be the magic number, then, but according to Oddschecker, five firms are betting 1/5 1,2,3, which would seem rather odd.
Anyway, Jan Brueghel vies for favourtism with Calandagan around the 2s mark, with Kalpana at [9/2] and Rebel’s Romance at [13/2], with Continuous at [100/1].
I don’t think many people are going to have too much of an issue with those prices, all of which are the best around (Calandagan is actually best at [15/8], to be accurate).
One to revisit after the final field is known.
All the weekend double entries are correct, as of 10am on Tuesday (Thursday’s runners), and the going details are bang up to date, too.
A big five-day entry of 20 for this 6f Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes for 2yo fillies (though the maximum field is actually 28) and not a lot covers a fair few in this, form-wise.
Cactus (due to run at Naas on Wednesday) and the doubly-entered Golden Palace are two to steer clear of for now, but I think this a race to leave alone, full stop, until it takes its final shape on Thursday morning.
I probably should say Newmarket winner Dance To The Music shades the betting in most lists at [4/1], just ahead of Albany runner-up Awaken at [9/2].
There are 38 in the 100k Sky Bet Dash at the moment, for a maximum of 22 on the day.
I’d doubt that I will be playing on Saturday, so I am definitely not doing so now.
It is 6s the field in this 1m Group 3 Valiant Stakes, and some firms have five horses at [13/2] and shorter in this 19-strong contest.
Imperial Quarter and Victory Queen have other options this week, while Royal Dress, Saqqara Sands and Cheshire Dancer are also in at Goodwood next week.
I’d probably lean more towards Chantilly Lace at the moment (one of four Ralph Beckett horses in here) after good Group 1 efforts in the Guineas and the Coronation Stakes, but 6s is no bargain, as it stands.
Everything looks set for Almaqam to win this Group 2, but [11/8] fully factors that in.
I’ll see what opposition Saturday brings, as the official ratings tell you he has a harder task than that price suggests.
An increasingly disappointing aspect of this season (and previous ones) is these hugely valuable handicaps – in this case, a 150k one – not even filling at the five-day stage. We have 26 entries for a race that could have taken 29 on Saturday.
Aalto and Akkadian Thunder are [6/1] joint favourites, with the former 5lb well-in after his heartbreaking nose second to More Thunder in the Bunbury Cup. He was beaten just over 2 lengths when in midfield in this race last season.
If he gets a decent draw on Saturday, then I doubt that 6s will be there, but we can wait.
The Jump Jockeys’ Nunthorpe.
Nuff said.
Bullet Point is another understandably short-priced favourite at 4s in this 1m handicap.
William Haggas was gutted when his horse ran into My Cloud in the Hunt Cup – the winner was on the other side of the track – and I suspect he still feels he has a well-handicapped horse on his hands. He went up 3lb for that Ascot second but the lightly-raced 4yo has a very likeable profile.
However, if there is a bet in the race at this stage, then it is surely Cosi Bello at a general 16s (available in nine places as this goes live – I double-checked afterwards too and it was still there in all nine spots).
And, with just 21 entries and 1/4 the odds 1,2,3,4, he could well be an each-way proposition too, if you are so inclined.
He was in a 50k 7f handicap at Yarmouth on Thursday (Charlie Fellowes is one of the Racing League managers) but he presumably comes here now, and he is clearly open to a lot of improvement after three starts, the first two of which saw him successful at Chelmsford and Kempton (recorded a decent time when winning a novice under a 7lb penalty at the latter track).
Fellowes has had a season to forget so far but he had his first 2025 winner on turf at Epsom five days ago and Cosi Bello’s narrow second at Chester last time has worked out well enough so far to suggest he can be competitive here off a 2lb higher mark.
James Doyle has been booked, and hopefully that signals that the intention is to run (I wouldn’t be chuffed to discover if he did not run at Yarmouth as he had picked up an injury…)
If he does, then a top-four spot, at the least, looks attainable.
He does have his stamina to prove (and his trainer thinks he won’t stay further than this mile), but there is plenty in his pedigree to suggest he has a fair chance of seeing this out well enough.
Only three of his rivals are entered elsewhere in the coming days, but 10 of them are in at Goodwood next week.
Cosi Bello at 16s each way, four places, quarter the odds. Available with nine firms.
Thursday morning course update: Dry for the past 24 hours to 8am on Thursday. 17mm rain recorded over the past 7 days to Thursday. A light shower is possible today, Friday is forecast to be dry and warm. Saturday is forecast to be generally dry, an afternoon shower is possible. For live weather station and Going info please go to www.ascot.com/thegoing
Going: Good to soft
Going stick: 5.9 (Thursday 8.45am)
Moisture meter reading: 38%
Thursday morning course update: An overcast, damp early Thursday morning with 0.2mm in light drizzle. 0.4mm in light showers Wednesday making 56.2mm in the last 7 days. Met Office forecast: Thursday is mainly dry but overcast with occasional sunny spells in afternoon, 22 degrees. Dry and bright with sunny intervals and a westerly breeze on Friday and Saturday, 23 degrees. Live links to our weather station and the Met Office are available at www.yorkracecourse.co.uk by clicking for the full going report on the home page.
1.40pm Ascot: Cactus due to run at Naas on Wednesday, Golden Palace
2pm York: Zoum Zoum, Alaskan Gold , Alfa Whiteburd (due to run on Friday), Alzahir, Arctic Thunder, Art Power, Brooklyn Nine Nine (confirmed to run on Thursday) , Cover Up, Jungle Drums, Ormolulu (due to run on Friday), Rare Change, Solar Aclaim (confirmed to run on Thursday)
(Aleezdancer, Circe, Dark Thirty, Elmonjed, Indian Run, Jordan Electrics, Jubilee Dancer, Korker, Mister Sketch, Sergeant Wilko, Space Cowboy, Strike Red, and The X O are also in at Goodwood next week)
2.20pm Ascot: Imperial Quarter (due to run on Friday), Victory Queen (due to run on Friday),
(Royal Dress, Saqqara Sands and Cheshire Dancer are also in at Goodwood next week)
2.40pm York: Green Impact
3pm Ascot: Zoum Zoum, Classic, Racingbreaks Ryder (confirmed to run on Thursday)
(City House, Billyjoh, Two Tribes, Cerulean Bay, Array, Galeron, Oliver Show, Kodi Lion, Pals Battalion, are also in at Goodwood next week)
3.20pm York: Another Bear, Arnhem (8th of 10 on Tuesday), Bona Fortuna, Copper Knight, Ecclesiastical, Emperor Caradoc (due to run on Friday), , Looking For Lynda, Moon Flight, Muscika, Nazron (confirmed to run on Thursday) , Never Dark (last of 10 on Tuesday), Night On Earth, Protest Rally, Rosenpur, Soul Seeker, Stash The Cash
3.35pm Ascot: Classic, Duke’s Command
(Bopedro, Cogitate, Fearnot, Hickory, Greek Order, Tarkhan, Teroomm, Theoryofeverything, Tribal Chief and Whitcombe Rockstar are also in at Goodwood next week)
4.10pm Ascot: Green Impact (Continuous and Jan Brueghel are in Goodwood Cup next Tuesday; while Whirl is in Nassau next week, too)
1.15pm Cheltenham – 16/1 It’s Easy is perhaps too big but this is difficult We…
1.15pm Cheltenham – 33/1 Stoner’s could be an each-way choice My first instinct here was…
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