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Sakhee has a round action and I would be concerned if lively ground at Ascot. The noises from Newmarket are okay but not as hot as I would have expected, is he fully wound up for this? Just a hunch, but I can’t help thinking that Godolphin may have the Juddmonte International in three weeks time as his main mid-summer’s target.
(Edited by pixo at 5:41 pm on July 24, 2002)
Only Golan can stop Godolphin. Interesting Meshaheer you don’t find this race very boring despite it’s predictiblity? Up till now races like the Derby, Guineas and St James have been pretty boring for you due to the predictiblity of the race result……………..this not fit in the same catagory??
Aquarelliste for me as there’s no better guide than form and a bad run can be excused, already beat Golan and will carry few of my pounds hopefully to victory.
I bottled out of laying Grandera, he probably is the most likely winner. In saying that though, I still need to be persuaded he should be a 7/4 shot……he’s no Sakhee.
I have put a bit on Sakhee tonight at 4.6/1, I know it sounds a bit silly, but in the unlikely event that he did run, he certainly would not start anywhere near that price, & if he’s declared a non runner I’ll get my money back. I did end up backing Aquarelliste each way at 16/1.
My attempt at the first three are Aquarelliste, Zindabad & Grandera.
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Colin, I’ve done the same. Backed Sakhee at a juicy price on the off-chance he runs and with a refund if he doesn’t. Not convinced the times today indicate lightning ground, although the class of racing wasn’t the highest.
Backed Aquarelliste earlier in the week as a pure value call. Way too big in my book.<br>
If Golan wins it’ll be a dissapointment. A big one.
Firstly, let me say that i think Golan is a good horse. But secondly i’d like to say that in 4 runs over 12f in G1 company he’s been beaten 4 times.
Derby: <br>Golan comfortably beaten 2nd by Galileo (3.5l’s) on g/f ground.
Irish Derby: <br>Golan well beaten 3rd (8l’s) behind Galileo on yielding.
Arc: <br>Golan beaten 7l’s by Sakhee on heavy ground, finishing 4th.
Japan Cup: <br>Golan 6th, beaten 4l’s on fast ground.
So his only win over 12f was a G2 where he beat Anabaa Blue by 3/4l. The latter’s only win since was a beating of St Expedit (dual Ormonde stakes winner).
Yet despite all this, Golan has a real chance of winning a G1…a King George! Sorry, but if he wins then this will have to just another average G1. Golan is good but not nearly as good as Sakhee or Galileo of last year.
Golan’s one G1 win was in the 2000 Guineas, beating Tamburlaine. I think that race has been discussed enough with the general conclusion being that it was tosh for a G1.
Where’s Escorial nowadays? He’s usually on the money with these Group One’s.
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Aquaralliste for me – 9/1 or so still way too big in my book, (I have her at 5/1).
Yeah – where is Esc when we need him?
Now that Sakhee, High Pitched and Millenary are out, my opinion of the race has changed. Golan, Nayef, Aquaralliste and Grandera look candidates for the win. I am going to pass Nayef over though as he was dissapointing his last 2 runs. I am now going to predict:
1) Aquaralliste<br>2) Golan<br>3) Grandera
Good Luck ;) <br>
Great contest today, but I guess once the fuss over Golan’s win dies down, we’ll be back to discussing what a generally poor bunch he beat – still, a good race is a good race, and today’s was a corker.
Exciting finish out there today between two good horses. Golan clearly goes well fresh and Nayef is a tough horse (i, like many, have followed him since his first race so it’s nice to see him doing well).
Rory, it wasn’t a great race in terms of form. But in terms of watchability (is that spelt right? is that a word?) it was good fun. Shame Galileo isn’t still about or that Sakhee couldn’t run (not sure why…the ground didn’t exactly look like it was seriously firm).
Grandera? Well, he didn’t pick up. He was always Godolphin’s second choice (Dettori having said after the Prince Of Wales "fast ground, strong run 10f" or words to that effect). But he did look below form and he was hyper before the race. Zindabad? Ran well again but he must have been affected by trying to stick with the pacemakers.
I’ll be honest now, i’m really looking forward to seeing Hawk Wing again! Perhaps he would have been happy on that ground today. I’m pretty sure he’d have lasted 12f and i’d say he could have beaten that lot. Anyone that read the thread on Hawk Wing a while ago will have seen that – on what he’s done so far – he can hardly be called a great. But his form was good enough to win this i reckon…or at least have been in that battle.
Great performance by Golan to win first time out. I personally didn’t fancy him to win, but he ran a game race to hold off Nayef. Zindabad was today exposed as a cracking Gp 2 horse, but not quite group one class. But he ran with va-va-voom to hold on for third (holding up his Hardwicke form with Storming Home).
It was a good race, but not a vintage one. I never thought for one second that Grandera would stay the 12f on today’s lightning fast ground. He was hating the final 2f and just didn’t get home.
Nayef was the improved horse for me. Ran a blinder.
This was a very exiting race and especially a thrilling finish. With Golan we have a good winner and with Nayef a fine second. Both horses ran their hart out today and showed that they are Group I class when they are ready.
The most important form of the race for me was Zindabad who is a real good Group II horse with the capability to win a Group I when everything is right on the day. I cross my fingers for him and his connections that they will find a nice Group I for him….maybe in Germany, Italy or Canada. And every horse that beats an inform Zindabad by three length should be called a Group I horse.
And one last word….or maybe two.<br>:biggrin: <br>Well done Sir M. Stoute for winning the King George with a horse that has his first race<br>Well done Godolphin for not risking Sakhee on Ground to firm for him.
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Grandera was well beaten but what a terrible ride by Dettori – why did he go so wide? cf. Fallon’s progress up the inner on Golan.
You can’t say that was a terrible ride – in 1999 Frankie hardly went up the rail on Daylami if I remember rightly! Grandera blatantly didn’t stay and he slipped twice coming round the home turn. Frankie has blamed the watering and although it might sound he’s moaning now he’s lost he has a fair point as the ground was reported slippery on top after the first race, and when Willie C walked it his shoes were soaking wet. Why they watered so much last night is beyond me as the forecast said it was not to brighten up till later.
On a more positive note let’s focus on Golan and I was thrilled to see him win!!!!!<br>:clap:
Fantastic win by Golan – all credit to Stoute for a great bit of training, and to the horse for proving his doubters wrong.  Terrific finish and a very good race by Nayef in second.  Both Nayef and Golan looked better in the pre-parade than I have ever seen them before, while Grandera was bucking and leaping about – not the best way of conserving his stamina for an extra furlong.
I can’t wait to watch the replay.
:bounce:  < me after the race! :biggrin:
Yes, an excellent race – congratulations to Golan and his connections on a well-deserved (and poignant) victory. Even if it did cost me a packet!
I did get the impression from the times today that they had probably over-watered the course, but I don’t think this really detracted from what was a fine race, fought out between two genuine group one horses.
Must add that although I am a great Godolphin fan and cheered on Grandera before he slipped and stumbled, it is GREAT to see different faces in the G1 winners enclosure again!
I was cheering on G and N in the final furlong and didn’t mind who was to win, each one would have been a tear jerker of a story.
Brings back the old competitive memories of the Flat that were fast fading……..more please!
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