RACING: ST NICHOLAS Abbey is ante-post favourite to continue Ireland's recent run-of-success in Saturday's King George VI Queen Elizabeth Stakes but will have to overcome a 2012 Derby winner to win at Ascot.
Deep Brillante, winner in May of the Japanese Derby, is the sole three-year-old star likely to line up in a King George otherwise dominated by the older-horse brigade.
Last year’s winner Nathaniel brought to an end a run of seven victories in a row for older horses and the Eclipse hero is among the leading contenders in the betting along with other four-year-old stars like the Arc winner Danedream, Sea Moon and last year’s French Derby hero Reliable Man.
St Nicholas Abbey though is a general 9 to 4 favourite for the traditional mid-summer highlight in which he finished third last year.
That was a rare reverse for Irish horses in the last 11 years with Aidan O’Brien scoring with Galileo (2001), Dylan Thomas (2007) and Duke Of Marmalade (2008). They added to a brace of King George victories for John Oxx with Alamshar (2003) and Azamour (2005).
Deep Brillante introduces a fascinating international element to this King George and the son of Japanese superstar Deep Impact has been boarded at Clive Brittain’s yard in Newmarket by trainer Yoshito Yahagi.
It is six years since another Japanese star Heart’s Cry finished a close third to Hurricane Run in the mile and a half highlight.
St Nicholas Abbey will line up with the Ballydoyle yard in fine Group One form having notched up a 10th top-flight victory of the year in Saturday’s Grand Prix de Paris with Imperial Monarch.
However, later that night, another widely expected top class victory failed to happen as Treasure Beach didn’t fire at all in Belmont’s $600,000 Man O’War Stakes and could finish only fifth behind Point Of Entry.
Treasure Beach raced at the rear of the field off a slow early pace but found nothing when pulled wide early in the straight by Jamie Spencer.
“He was moving fine, he just didn’t do anything,” Spencer told local reporters in New York.
“I asked him to go three out and try and go around one, and he couldn’t even get by that one horse in front. You could blame the pace. It was quite a bit steady but he was quite rank early so I had to get him back,” the Irishman added.
Co Dublin trainer Ado McGuinness introduced an ultra-promising two-year-old in Viztoria who scored a 33 to 1 success on her Naas debut and she could be supplemented into the Group Two Debutante Stakes at the Curragh for her next start.
“We’re going to try to get some black type for her and we’re probably going to supplement her for the Debutante,” said McGuinness yesterday. “If we went she would be stepping up to seven furlongs but that shouldn’t be a problem. She’s an easy-going filly and has always shown me a lot.”
He added: “I probably underestimated myself going into the race the other day because of the horses we were taking on, but she is a very good filly. Ian Brennan who rode her the other day has loved her since the first day he rode her at work.
“The other day was her first day galloping on grass, so I think she’ll improve a bit. She looked a stakes filly the other night, so we’ll give her a go at that level and see how we get on.”
SLADE IS GRITTY
Slade Power could be bound for the Sprint Cup at Haydock after producing a gritty display in testing conditions to lift the Belgrave Stakes at Fairyhouse yesterday. Edward Lynam’s three-year-old got the better of the much more experienced five-year-old Arctic to land the spoils in determined fashion.
Wayne Lordan produced Slade Power to make his challenge and the 11 to 4 shot responded gamely to win by half a length with Santo Padre third. Lynam said: “He has a bit of class about him. I think he’ll be very good. I didn’t know his ground and I had to find out. I think he handled it.”
