Crystal clear who’ll claim Qipco spoils
his record over this course and distance by adding last year’s Diamond Jubilee to his CV in game style.
Better than ever at the age of six, The Tin Man built on some excellent efforts when grittily landing his third Group 1 in last month’s Haydock Sprint Cup.
This top-class sprinter handled soft ground nicely on Merseyside and can enjoy yet another top-level triumph back at his favourite venue.
Fanshawe said: “He’d been placed in the race in the two previous races and both times it was testing ground and we didn’t feel he produced his best.
“So when we got to Haydock we thought ‘here we go again, soft ground, we’ve got no chance’ but I always had at the back of my mind he does come from a soft-ground pedigree.
“It’s easy enough to say now he won the race that he liked the ground but he did. He’s shown he’s effective on all ground.”
It is simply impossible to see past
STRADIVARIUS (1.25) in the Long Distance Cup.
John Gosden’s four-year-old has dominated the staying division once again and bagged his connections a £1million bonus when bolting up in the Lonsdale Cup at York in August.
The soft ground looks a bigger danger than the quality of the opposition but the son of Sea The Stars should have the class to extend his winning streak.
Andre Fabre likes a winner at Ascot and he can bag the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes with KITESURF (2.40).
The four-year-old has done nothing but improve over the past two seasons and recorded another personal best when landing the Prix Vermeille at Longchamp last month.
Proven on soft going, the daughter of Dubawi wasn’t unfancied for the Arc and can bag her second Group 1 against her own gender.
LAURENS (3.15) can beat the boys in a cracking renewal of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
Karl Burke’s front-runner has been one of this season’s true superstars and gallantly bagged her sixth career Group 1 success in the Sun Chariot at Newmarket.
The Siyouni filly is tough as well as classy and can add a few more zeros to her stud value by shutting out some of the finest milers in the business.
CRYSTAL OCEAN (3.50) can turn over hot favourite Cracksman in the Qipco Champion Stakes.
The four-year-old is a typical improver for Sir Michael Stoute and was narrowly denied by talented stablemate Poet’s Word in the King George here in June. The colt is open to plenty more progress for his skilled handler who will have him primed for a big run after chasing home the brilliant
Enable at Kempton.
The Balmoral Handicap is a typical Ascot cavalry charge but I’m rowing in with John Quinn’s SAFE
VOYAGE (4.30).
The gelding has been upwardly mobile this term, hacking up at Haydock in April then shrugging off an 11lb hike in a red-hot handicap at the Galway Festival.
Rested since, the five-year-old had plenty in hand that day and can give his shrewd connections another big payday with more to come over a mile.
Superstar Laurens can strike a blow for the fairer sex by reigning in the QEII at Ascot.