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A VERITABLE 500lb Gorilla of a race, the 2017 running of the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes is a stunner, featuring a clash of both the ages and sexes, in a contest jammed full of quality contenders.
Run at 3.35pm on Saturday afternoon, many observers are expecting this to be little more than a procession for the Cheshire, Epsom & Irish Oaks winner, Enable, as she takes on both the boys and the older horses for the first time.
This'll be tougher though, even though recent history tells us that we only have to go back to 2014 to find Taghrooda popping up as a winning three-year-old filly.
Of the more senior brigade, it's understandable that Jack Hobbs has attracted market support after the rain that arrived in midweek to turn the ground Good to Soft, something which suits him but not necessarily Highland Reel, who tends to see his form slump when the word ‘soft' features anywhere in the going description.
Many will be hoping for a bold show for the Argentine visitor, Sixties Song, with trainer Alfredo Gaitan enlisting the help of star jock Gerald Mosse on his 66/1 outsider.
Personally, I've a hunch Enable might not turn out to be the only member of the Classic generation who runs a cracker in this, with her sole fellow member of her age group showing up in the shape of Royal Ascot winner, Benbatl.
With his stable slap bang in form (four from 12 runners in the past 14 days) and experience clearly improving this young horse with every run, it's worth recalling this'll be just Benbatl's sixth career start.
A staying on fifth in the Derby, he was game as a pebble when winning a Group 3 at Royal Ascot last time out, and this step back up in trip will hold no fears.
Also sent off favourite for the Dante not so long ago (when second), he gets a seriously generous weight allowance from all his older rivals, and could well have been ignored at around the 20/1 mark.
My other fancy at the Berkshire track on a quality day's sport comes in the Porsche Handicap over a mile at 2.25pm – Ryan Moore takes over on hat-trick chaser Century Dream – a horse who is unbeaten when racing at around the mile distance – and who is also two from two since his trainer elected to fit him with a hood and tongue tie combo.
A very impressive fourth over a quarter of a mile further in the London Gold Cup at Newbury in May, he has been impressive when winning both starts since, and with the best jock in the business now doing the steering he could very well go in again.
Good luck!
Recommendations
- 2.25 – Porsche Handicap – Century Dream (win) 4/1 (Unibet)
- 3.35 – King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes – Benbatl (each way) 16/1 (Unibet)
