RACING NEWS ROUND-UP:RIP VAN WINKLE may be the proven Queen Elizabeth II Stakes article, but bookmakers reckon Aidan O'Brien's four-year-old will be up against it at Ascot on Saturday facing the Classic stars Canford Cliffs and Makfi.
O’Brien, who has six of the 14 entries remaining in the mile Group One highlight, made a surprise move by including the Irish Derby and Irish Champion Stakes winner Cape Blanco among the sextet at yesterday’s forfeit stage.
However, the Ballydoyle trainer confirmed Rip Van Winkle, winner of last year’s QEII, is likely to be joined only by Beethoven on the big day.
“It’s still the plan for Rip and Beethoven to run. The other horse has been left in only as a precaution in case something happens,” O’Brien said.
Rip Van Winkle is attempting back-to-back QEII victories but he has been relegated to third favouritism by most firms, with Paddy Power making the Irish Guineas winner Canford Cliffs their 5 to 4 favourite ahead of the French star Makfi at 11 to 4.
Canford Cliffs represents the Richard Hannon team, but victory for Rip Van Winkle or Beethoven could see O’Brien reassert his claims to be champion trainer in both Britain and Ireland this year.
Almost €3 million clear of his nearest rival at home, with a prizemoney total of over €4.2 million, O’Brien also remains in the running for a fifth British title, although he remains a 5 to 1 outsider for that title against Hannon and Michael Stoute.
O’Brien is over €470,000 behind Hannon with a tally of €2.85 million in Britain already in 2010, but he is heavily represented among entries for Saturday’s lucrative card.
As well as Rip Van Winkle in the QEII, he has the option of running the Moyglare winner Misty For Me in the Group One Meon Valley Stud Fillies Mile, for which Together and Wild Wind have also been left in.
O’Brien also has four entries for the Group Two Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes, including the dual-nursery winner Treasure Beach, who ran at Listowel last week. Joshua Tree ran at the Listowel Festival in 2009 before landing the Royal Lodge.
Canford Cliffs beat Rip Van Winkle by a neck in the Sussex Stakes during the summer but will be hoping to take a decisive lead in his record with Makfi, who beat him in the Newmarket 2,000 Guineas. He subsequently got his revenge in the St James’s Palace Stakes.
Makfi’s trainer Mikel Delzangles said: “It is very exciting coming up against Canford Cliffs again. It should be a good match. I’m not worried it has been dry at Ascot recently. It was fast ground when he won the Guineas.”
Seventeen remain in Saturday’s Group Three feature at Gowran, the Cordell Lavarack/Lanwades Studs Stakes, including the Mark Johnston-trained Bikini Babe.
The Montjeu filly, eighth to Snow Fairy in the Epsom Oaks and runner-up in a Deauville Group Three in July, is the sole British possible for a race won by Michael Stoute’s Ave in 2009.
She’s Our Mark is a course and distance winner from last year and is likely to line up for the nine-furlong event on the back of an unlucky second to Eleanora Duse in the Blandford Stakes earlier in the month.
Another Group Three winner in contention to run at Gowran is Joanna Morgan’s Obama Rules.
The current manager of Tipperary racecourse, Peter Roe, will take over as acting manager at Fairyhouse next month until next summer. The Fairyhouse boss Caroline Gray is taking maternity leave. Nessa Joyce, currently operations executive at Leopardstown, will fill in for Roe at Tipperary in that period.
QUEEN ELIZABETH II STAKES(Paddy Power): 5-4 Canford Cliffs, 11-4 Makfi, 100-30 Rip Van Winkle, 16 Poet's Voice, Steinbeck, 20 Hearts Of Fire, 25 Bar.
