Ascot is the place to be this Saturday, with some fantastic racing on offer, including the Group 1 King George, which looks a mouthwatering clash of Group 1 winners. I have a strong fancy for that race, as well as giving an each-way play in one of the big handicaps on the card.
3:00 Ascot – NORTHERN EXPRESS (11/1 generally)
This is a wide open handicap, and it’s easy to make a case for the majority of the runners in here. However, when the market opened for the race, I couldn’t believe that NORTHERN EXPRESS was available at a double-figure price.
Michael Dods has his string in good form, and his 7YO has seen his handicap mark drop from 106 at the beginning of the season to 100, and it’s worth noting that he won the race last year off a mark of 102. He’s drawn in stall 17, which is arguably a better draw than last year too.
His sole run over C&D this season saw him finish seventh in the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, and he’s since finished a good fourth at Haydock earlier this month. His record in July reads 12414214 (3 wins from 8 races), never finishing outside the top four. With plenty of bookies offering six places, he looks a fantastic each-way play in the race.
4:10 Ascot – CALANDAGAN (7/4 generally)
The King George is looking like an absolute monster of a race this year, with Coronation Cup 1-2 Jan Brueghel and Calandagan heading the betting, with Kalpana and Rebel’s Romance also in the mix. Although he finished behind Jan Brueghel at Epsom, I strongly fancy CALANDAGAN to reverse that form and claim a first British Group 1 in the process.
Trainer Francis Graffard won the race last year with Goliath, and he looks to have a huge chance of winning this years renewal too. Calandagan has an impressive record at Ascot, running out an easy winner of the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot last year, before finishing a ½ length runner-up behind Anmaat in the Champion Stakes.
After his runner-up effort at Epsom earlier this year, he finally gained a deserved Group 1 win in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, finishing over three lengths ahead of last year’s Arc runner-up Aventure in the process. A repeat of that effort could be enough to win this, and the return to Ascot is a major plus to Calandagan’s chances.
A negative for Jan Brueghel’s chances is that Coronation Cup winners are 0-12 in the King George since 2000, with only six horses ever completing the Coronation Cup/King George double in a calendar year. It’s also worth noting that in the five years since 2000 when the first and second in the Coronation Cup have both gone on to contest the King George, the runner-up has won the rematch four times – another positive for Calandagan’s chances!
I think this race is Calandagan’s for the taking, and he rates my strongest fancy of the day.
SATURDAY SELECTIONS
3:00 Ascot – NORTHERN EXPRESS (11/1 generally)
4:10 Ascot – CALANDAGAN (7/4 generally)
*Odds correct at time of posting – 2:30pm Thursday 24th July
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Please note that although Tom has uploaded the tips, he is not our Racing Club Insider – the insider will remain anonymous!
