Both favourites in the two major races at Ascot tomorrow are going to take a lot of beating if running up to their best form. At the odds on offer, however, neither makes any appeal as a good bet but it is no easy task finding a horse to beat them.
The French raider Calandagan will try to win the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (3.35 p.m.) for a second successive year. He needed to be both talented and courageous to wear down the Andrew Balding-trained Kalpana in this race 12 months ago and he will be in his element on the fast ground tomorrow.
However, odds of no bigger than 13-8 look skinny enough given the quality of the opposition in this nine-runner Grade 1 contest over a mile and a half. Kalpana reopposes again tomorrow and this year’s race is unquestionably tougher to win than last year’s running.
Odds of no bigger than 13-8 look skinny enough given the quality of the opposition in this contest
Jockey Ryan Moore has opted to ride Benvenuto Cellini rather than take the mount on one of trainer Aidan O’Brien’s other three runners, while the Japanese-trained raider Masquerade Ball will also have his supporters given his lofty international rating.
