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RAB HAVLIN was last night praying for the heavens to open at Ascot so he can get the dream ride on Cracksman in today’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
The horse needs the ground to ease to take his chance in the Group One contest and a decision on his participation is expected to be made this morning.
The forecast overnight rain did not hit the Berkshire track in the early hours of yesterday, although the chance of thundery showers today are still possible.
Decision
Owner Anthony Oppenheimer said yesterday: “Whether he’ll run or not is hard to say at this point.
“I don’t think any decision will be made until early tomorrow morning.”
Three years ago Oppenheimer and trainer John Gosden were praying for the rain to stay away at Ascot with Golden Horn but soft ground ruled the Derby hero out of the Ascot showpiece.
If he runs, Cracksman will bid to redeem his reputation after a surprisingly below-par run at Royal Ascot in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. Before that he only scrambled home in the Coronation Cup.
Havlin will take over from the suspended Frankie Dettori if Cracksman gets the green light.
It is a wonderful opportunity for the 44-year-old Scot, who has long been one of the unsung heroes of Gosden’s mighty Clarehaven yard in Newmarket.
Havlin rides Cracksman in most of his home work and believes that the four-year-old is ready to bounce back to his best.
Havlin said: “I’ll be turning up at Ascot with my umbrella and raincoat on – even it’s 90 degrees.
“It will have to be on the easy side for him to run and, if it is, then the Cracksman we all know from the end of last year and at the start of this would eat them alive.
“It’s lovely that Mr (Anthony) Oppenheimer and the boss have got the confidence in me to put me up on a big day on a fancied horse.”