1m4f (1m3f211y) King George V Stakes (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (3yo 0-105)
So many promising three-year-old middle distance horses race in the King George V Stakes handicap. It’s very hard to call, but a cracking betting heat.
Sometimes in a handicap you just have to go with a horse who has the standout form and at the top of the handicap, I don’t think anything can trump the London Gold Cup win of BERTINELLI. Sure that race was a bit of a bunch finish, but it really has a habit of throwing up a smart horse. He’s a superbly bred colt out of a Galileo-sired Oaks winner in Together Forever and is having his first trip over 1m 4f with all his previous four starts coming over 1m 2f against a number of now Group level performers.
Bertinelli has been campaigned in an intriguing way by O’Brien and looks like he is desperate for this step up in trip, as are a few of these, but the pedigree suggests he can improve significantly from his mark of 104. It’s always tempting to try and find something lurking at the bottom of the weights in a handicap of this nature, but when the class of oppositon is high and the ground is quick, then topweights can be a route to success. And there have been plenty of winners of this in the past who have won off what could be deemed to be a relatively “high mark” on paper.
The other angle I’m going to take on this one is with one who could be potentially very well-handicapped, DAVIDEO. Another out of the Galileo bloodline, who won impressively on his seasonal debut albeit its unclear how good that maiden formline is. However the 4.5 length second has since come out and won.
Davideo has just had the three career starts for in-form Ralph Beckett improving hugely from a no-show on his first attempt to finishing 2nd to Mostabshir (6th in a Group 1 here on Tuesday) in an all-weather race at Kempton. Davideo also had Wonder Legend in behind who he reopposes on better terms.
Davideo’s success at Newmarket over 1m 2f last time out showed him to be potentially quite smart as he powered away from his rivals and the step up to 1m 4f should see further improvement from another big, scopey type.
1pt win Bertinelli @15/2, 15:05 Royal Ascot, Thursday
1pt win Davideo @8/1, 15:05 Royal Ascot, Thursday