RECOMMENDED BETS
2pts win Nathaniel in 16.35 Ascot at best-morning price.
0.5pts e.w Van Der Art in 15.55 Ascot at 40/1 (General).
0.5pts e.w Van Ellis in 15.55 Ascot at 20/1 (General).
5pts win Carlton House in 15.20 Ascot at 4/5 (William Hill).
What a fine renewal of the Betfair-sponsored King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot it is this Saturday, with the winners of some of the biggest races on the planet taking each other on.
We've an Arc winner, last year's King George hero, also a Melbourne Cup winner and a Breeders' Cup victor as well, so it's really a fantastic race we can look forward to.
My idea of the winner is recent Coral-Eclipse hero NATHANIEL, who overcame a long absence at Sandown a couple of weeks ago, fending off Farhh in the closing stages in tenacious fashion.
Ten furlongs is probably on the short side for him so he did very well to win, and last year's King George winner, who beat Workforce and St Nicholas Abbey in decisive fashion, can confirm the form against the Ballydoyle colt.
The ground, as it was last year, is on the soft side and that will suit John Gosden's horse too.
The big question is whether he has recovered from the Eclipse which was only two weeks ago, but I don't think Gosden would be running him unless he was absolutely sure he was really firing.
I think he's an admirable horse, the sort of horse that can go on and win the Arc and he can take this prestigious midsummer prize on his way.
There's some tough opposition, though, and last year's third St Nicholas Abbey is in good form coming into the race after he won the Coronation Cup at Epsom last time out.
He won the Breeders' Cup Turf last November beating another of Saturday's rivals, Sea Moon, who has a couple of lengths to find on Aidan O'Brien's horse on that running.
St Nicholas Abbey is a main contender again but he does have those four lengths to make up on Nathaniel from their running in this race last year.
Sea Moon was impressive in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, beating Dunaden by three and a quarter lengths and he really came away well in the closing stages.
He looks the type who is going to be a really formidable force as a four-year-old and he looks the main threat to Nathaniel in this field.
Sir Michael Stoute's charge really came on for his reappearance run when winning at Royal Ascot and he should confirm the places with Dunaden who looks as though he wants a little bit further.
Danedream, last year's brilliant Arc winner is a fascinating rival though she hasn't really fired so far this season, despite winning at Baden-Baden on her reappearance.
She was last of four next time at Saint-Cloud with the slow pace given as an excuse for her run and connections are happy with her, saying she is back to the sort of form that saw her win the Arc.
If she is, she's a danger to all.
There's a Japanese runner, Deep Brillante, who is a Group One winner in Japan. A slight question mark about him is whether he will last home in soft ground over a stiff mile and a half.
He's quite a free runner and was only just holding on in the Japanese Derby on firm ground over a mile and a half.
In conclusion, I'll be going for Nathaniel to follow up last year's win.
There's all sorts of horses with chances in the Betfair Summer Double International Stakes and the two interesting runners for me are three-year-olds towards the bottom of the weights.
The filly right at the bottom, VAN DER ART, is a very consistent type trained by Alan Jarvis and Simon Pearce takes off three pounds.
She's consequently running off a very light weight and she's a massive price.
I thought she ran very well last time out at Doncaster and at York before that over Saturday's distance, seven furlongs, and I can see her being thereabouts.
The other one is VAN ELLIS, trained by Mark Johnston, who appreciated returning to seven furlongs last time out when winning at Chester, for which he gets just a 3lb-penalty.
He's potentially well handicapped and a small each-way on him and Van Der Art at decent prices will hopefully yield a return.
It's a very difficult race though and I would much sooner increase stakes and have a more confident bet on CARLTON HOUSE in the Summer Mile a little bit earlier on.
I love it when a high-class horse drops in class and distance and that's excatly the situation we have here.
The Queen's horse was second last time out behind So You Think in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot and the third-placed horse, Farhh, franked that form significantly when finishing runner-up to Nathaniel in the Eclipse.
I think Carlton House will have ample speed to cope with the stiff mile at Ascot and he looks head and shoulders above the opposition to be honest.
I feel sure Sir Michael Stoute's horse will be much too good and if you can get any odds-against that will be definitely worth a bet.
