Saturday 27th July 2019
Author: Jordan Yates
Image: Jordan Yates
Keeneland Stakes (Group 3)
A warm welcome to this week’s Saturday Preview where the King George takes centre stage at Ascot. I’ll be taking a look at all of the day’s feature races and I’m starting off with the opener at Ascot which is the 1.50 Group 3 Keeneland Stakes. I’ll keep this one short and sweet as I think this race revolves solely around one horse and this is SUMMER ROMANCE for Charlie Appleby and Godolphin. She was mightily impressive when keeping her 100% record intact the last day at Newmarket and is now seen as a serious classic contender for next year. To keep that reputation alive she’ll be needing to win this particular affair well also, and I think she’ll do just that under James Doyle.
WIN: SUMMER ROMANCE (10/11)
York Stakes (Group 3)
The next race I’m taking a look at is the York Stakes which takes places at 3.15 on the Knavesmire and it’s Sir Michael Stoute’s Regal Reality who heads affairs. He sets a very solid standard on his third place effort in the Eclipse and Group 3 victory on penultimate start and looks the one they all have to beat here. I’m going to try and take him on though and I’ve done that with BANGKOK for Andrew Balding and Silvestre De Sousa. He improved to win both of his first two starts of the season before pulling too hard in the Derby. He bounced back to the form the last day in a Royal Ascot Group 2 when second to Japan and if turning up in that form here he could well play a part at the business end.
EACH WAY: BANGKOK (6/1)
King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Group 1)
Next up it’s the big one the King George itself which is set to take place at 3.40 at Ascot. A race with a rich history and top class back catalogue of winners and I think it’s going to be the 2017 winner that will take the spoils again this year and that’s of course John Gosden’s super filly ENABLE. She probably wasn’t at her best the last day in the Eclipse yet still won it in pretty comfortable fashion and added an eighth Group 1 success to her ever growing impressive CV. It’s likely she’ll be a lot more tuned up for this as well on the back of that outing and I find it very hard to envisage her getting beat. Crystal Ocean and Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck look the biggest threats but if you want one at a big price in the line up I think DEFOE is overpriced at 20/1 for Roger Varian. He won his first Group 1 on his penultimate start at Epsom and then followed up with a Group 2 success at Royal Ascot. He’s in the form of his life at the moment and if carrying on that momentum here I think he’s every chance of grabbing a place here.
WIN: ENABLE (8/13)
EACH WAY: DEFOE (20/1)
Everything Racing 