Auguste Rodin looks like having to overcome the greatest test of his career to date if he is to join an elite group of legendary names in Saturday’s King George VI & Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes.
As well as top older horses Emily Upjohn, Pyledriver, and perhaps last year’s Derby hero Desert Crown, Aidan O’Brien’s star could also have to tackle less-than-ideal soft ground conditions.
Continued ante-post support for Hukum over the weekend underlines an unsettled weather outlook that might turn already good-to-soft ground even more testing at Ascot.
There was market confidence too behind the English three-year-old King Of Steel, who got to within half a length of Auguste Rodin at Epsom last month.
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He has since won over the Ascot mile and a half in the King Edward VII Stakes and was disputing favouritism with his Irish rival for British racing’s midsummer feature event on Sunday.
Current wet weather is anything but summery and, although a gruelling stamina test helped O’Brien secure another classic in Saturday’s Irish Oaks with Savethelastdance, it is far from a perfect scenario for Auguste Rodin.
“It definitely wouldn’t be ideal,” O’Brien admitted on Sunday as he readies his team in advance of Monday’s five-day confirmation stage for Ascot.
Luxembourg and Point Lonsdale are other Ballydoyle horses in the King George mix, although the focus is inevitably on the three-year-old star.
[ More to come from Auguste Rodin after he completes Epsom-Curragh Derby doubleOpens in new window ]
With Derby victories at Epsom and the Curragh already under his belt, Auguste Rodin has a superb Group One hat-trick in his sights that only seven horses have achieved before.
Nijinsky in 1970 was the first to add the King George to dual-Derby success and the last was the first of four O’Brien trained King George winners, Galileo, 22 years ago.
The hat-trick feat was also pulled off by legendary names Generous (1991), Shergar (1981), Troy (1979), The Minstrel (1977) and Grundy in what was termed the “race of the century” in 1975.
When asked recently about a potential Arc attempt in the autumn for Auguste Rodin, O’Brien commented: “Obviously the Arc is there but he’s a beautifully moving horse and you wouldn’t want to be running him in soft ground or bad ground.”
Encouragement that the Ascot surface may not become too much of an issue came from King Of Steel’s trainer Roger Varian.
On Sunday he expressed satisfaction with his horse’s preparation and ability to act on any going.
“He’s done all we have asked of him, and we are looking forward to it. He handled soft ground last season and while he hasn’t really been tested on it since he has been with us, there is no reason to think he won’t handle it,” Varian said.
“The forecast is a bit unsettled, but I don’t think rain will be an inconvenience to him – he’s a big individual and he should get through it. Ascot always produce nice ground and we don’t have any worries, really,” he added.
Hukum, winner of last year’s Coronation Cup, was cut to 9-2 for the King George, and a spokesman for one firm commented: “It’s not impossible to envisage him shortening further in the coming days, and even challenging for big race favouritism.”
The complexion of the race, including whether Desert Crown will be in the mix, is likely to become clearer after Monday’s acceptance stage.
What isn’t in any doubt is the big race run of form being enjoyed by the Ballydoyle team after Savethelastdance pulled out an unlikely latest classic victory for them in Saturday’s Irish Oaks.
The odds-on favourite hit 999-1 “in running” after she looked to have lost all chance outside the furlong pole, only to conjure a remarkable late rally under Ryan Moore.
[ Ryan Moore leaves it late to pull victory from jaws of defeat on SavethelastdanceOpens in new window ]
It continued a hot streak at the top level for O’Brien and Moore, who have combined for seven top-flight winners in all this summer.
Both predicted better to come for Savethelastdance, the latest Group One winner for her late sire Galileo, with O’Brien indicating a tilt at next month’s Yorkshire Oaks could be on her radar.
“She could go on to York for the fillies race, she could go to the Leger, she could go to the Arc, heavy ground, soft ground; she’ll sharpen up for today,” he said.
The bookmaker response was to hand Savethelastdance 7-1 quotes for more potential classic success in the Leger at Doncaster in September.
There were 25-1 quotes for next year’s Guineas and Derby after O’Brien unveiled another hugely promising two-year-old on Saturday in Henry Longfellow.
The son of Dubawi and the seven-time Group One winner Minding made a winning debut that put him alongside both City Of Troy and River Tiber in the Ballydoyle juvenile pecking order.
“He had been working well, he just came on the scene lately. For the last three weeks, week after week he was working well. He’s an exciting type of horse,” O’Brien said.
