Reel deal looks good for King George double

Expect Highland warrior to step up to plate at Ascot

Teak-tough warrior HIGHLAND

REEL can once again step up to the plate by winning back-to-back renewals of the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

He won last year’s King George and the Breeders’ Cup Turf and has arguably looked better than ever this season.

Travel problems meant he did not arrive at Epsom for the Coronation Cup until late in the day, but he still saw off his opponents with a degree of ease.

He then reverted to a mile and a quarter in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot and was ultimately well on top at the line.

Ground conditions might not be ideal in Berkshire this weekend, and giving a stone to a filly of dual Oaks heroine Enable’s calibre is no easy task.

However, the weight-for-age and sex allowances are there for a reason and she returns to action just a fortnight after her awesome display at the

Curragh, so she has plenty on her plate, too.

DANCE DIVA is fancied to extend her unbeaten record in the Princess Margaret Juddmonte Stakes.

FAWAAREQ is the tentative choice in the fiercely competitive Gigaset International Stakes.

The Owen Burrows-trained fouryear-old completed a hat-trick at Newmarket last July, but was not seen in competitive action again until returning at Haydock in April.

BYRON’S CHOICE looks worth a punt in the opener at Newcastle. SELECTIONS: ASCOT: 1.50 Dance Diva, 2.25 Juanito Chico, 3.00 Fawaareq, 3.35 HIGHLAND REEL (NAP), 4.10 Being There, 4.45 Majestic Moon, 5.20 Barwick. NEWCASTLE: 1.25 Byron’s Choice, 1.55 Banff, 2.30 High On Light, 3.05 Northgate Lad, 3.40 Boundsy, 4.15 Royal Reserve, 4.50 Luv U Always, 5.25 Hadley. DOUBLE: Highland Reel and Dance Diva.