Rain all day at Ascot today...... Darjina not certain to run tomorrow :(

Crap.

I know you don't read the other place..... Gallant picked Cesare over Darjina.

(Okay dear that's your hint to post the rest of it here!). :D

What other place??

4.20 Ascot: Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Group 1, 1m)

The contenders
Saeed Bin Suroor, trainer of Ramonti and Blue Ksar
"Ramonti worked well on Monday and has been cantering since. He is sound and happy. I am looking forward to running him in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
The filly Darjina will be tough to beat. She won from Ramonti last time but I think the stiff mile at Ascot will suit our horse. Blue Ksar is in the race to act as a pacemaker and make sure of a nice pace for Ramonti who prefers good or good to firm ground. We don't want the ground too soft."

James Fanshawe, trainer of Cesare
"He ran very well at Goodwood but he does like Ascot. He has a very good record there and he put up a very quick time when he won a Listed race there in the spring. Johnny Murtagh knows him. The horse has a bit to find but he seems in good form."

Clive Cox, trainer of Dunelight
"The forecast rain would be a big worry but Dunelight couldn't be in better
form and if it remains on the quick side, with his Group placed efforts, I
would be pleased to see him take his chance. Any rainfall would dampen his
chance and could cause us to think again."

Nicolas Clement, trainer of Stormy River
“He enjoyed the track when he ran in the St James's last year. The colt has been working well and I feel he is back to the form that saw him win the Messidor. After the Jacques Le Marois he scoped dirty which explained his poor run that day. We treated him and gave him some time and I am now happy with him. This will be his last race before he goes to stud at the Haras díEtreham.î”

Alain de Royer-Dupre, trainer of Darjina
He said: "If we have rain it is not good for our filly. She travelled over on Friday morning and has arrived OK. She had a good trip over.
“She came out of the Moulin in great form and that's why we decided to go to Ascot. The filly still has her summer coat and is looking beautiful. She has strengthened during the summer and is now really balanced in the way she gallops. Darjina is a serious and very honest filly and always gives her best except when the going is testing. She could stay more than a mile and that is important for this stiff Ascot course.”

Aidan O'Brien, trainer of Duke Of Marmalade and Excellent Art
" Excellent Art is in good form. He has run in three Group 1's this year and has performed well in all of them. We're hoping he will do so again. Duke Of Marmalade, too, has been very consistent. He came out of his Irish Champion Stakes run well. He's in good form and we don't think switching him back to a mile will inconvenience him."

ChrisRichardson, managing director of Cheveley Park Stud, owners of Cesare
"It was no disgrace for Cesare to get beaten by a Group 1-winning filly in Echelon, especially as Echelon was receiving 6lb. It won't be easy, but we've targeted this race for some time and he really enjoys himself at Ascot."

Eoghan O'Neill, trainer of Vital Equine
"He's got to have his ground. He worked fine on Tuesday morning but he's a horse who does not like firm ground."

the race has cut up a bit, but I do think that Ramonti will win..

Vital Equine and Dunelight out because of the soft ground.

Blue Ksar has been doing a rain dance for the last week. He will have a great chance of getting placed now that the ground has turned soft.

I still hope Darjina wins, but i'm not sure all this rain will help her chances. Excellent Art will handle the soft, but the hold up tactics have every chance of going wrong today. Ramonti won't want the ground too soft (he has been beaten everytime the word soft has appeared in the going description).

Stormy River isn't the force of old. Cesare will more than likely hate the ground. So to, Duke Of Marmalade.

Godolphin have had two rabbits win this in the past (can't remember both of their names, but i think summoner was one of them). Blue Ksar winning wouldn't surprise me actually. On his form he isn't good enough to beat the others, but soft ground is vital to him, and he could get an uncontested lead on the pace.

If Jamie Spencer doesn't give Excellent Art too much to do in the closing stages, he is the likely winner, however.

Excellant Art is way too short though.. Id take Duke Of Marmalade as the value pick... Spencer will likely give EA too much to do in the ground.

He is short, but on the other hand, he had CD form and we can be sure he goes on soft ground. Those two things make him a solid favourite in my opinion.

It's not a race i am having a bet in.

I doubt very much if Duke Of Marmalade will like the ground. He hasn't been risked on anything softer than good in his career so far.

It will be very tactical, and we can get strange results at this time of the year. Blue Ksar winning will not surprise me one bit. He goes on the ground. I think he has won all his starts on soft ground and we know he stays further than a mile. If he gets an easy lead and enjoys himself, he could be difficult to peg back.

No more rain so far, but still soft ground.

Darjina takes her chance. Both her and Blue Ksar look stunning in the paddock, Blue Ksar with his characteristic tongue showing from his mouth :p (something like that).

If Darjina doesn't win, i hope it's Blue Ksar...... i don't like any of the other horses in the race really.




Off this race, but the previous race was won by a certain Candidato Roy..... remember him, mmsc? :)

Why don't I remember him?

Oh and is Nannina out?

Ramonti doing a bit of a 'rakti' on the way to the start........ not too bad, but he is stirred up.

He won in Dubai!!

Yes, she was ruled out yesterday.

Are you watching the race??

Oh!:cool:

Blue Ksar was 100/1 this morning. He is only 25/1 now! Which makes me ask the question...... how many of the storm kitty millions are on??? :D

backed Duke as the price looked too good.

Haha... people know how good hre is! :p

Come home safe everyone.

Blue Ksar not being a rabbit?????? very strange. thought he'd have an easy lead

Ramonti just held on.

Spencer gave Excellent Art a shocker, as we predicted.

Darjina last :(

This will be the only time i will say this, so read carfully........ a FANTASTIC ride from Frankie.

Yeah I was wondering what he was doing....

Okay well a nice win by Ramonti.

I'm not disappointed..... even the most brilliant have their days.

Good girl, Darjina.

I'm framing this.

Ramonti 3/1 FAV for the BC Mile.

Yeah but are they really gonna send him?

Two runners... that's what I keep hearing. Hmmm...

Oh and happy retirement to Stormy River.

Personally, no.... i don't think they will. Hearing both Crisford and Saeed speaking before today, they were worried about him already having had a long season. So, judging by their words today, i doubt they will go to the BC with him.

Ramonti was class today. Frankie had him exactly where he should of been. Mick was smart to make it as much a test of stamina as he was closing back at the end. The Duke and EA were separated by pretty much the same distance as earlier on this year.

I think a better ride would have given Excellent Art the race.

Frankie stole the race by kicking early. I think he caught most of the other jocks napping (most of all Spencer), who found himself in no mans land as the pace really quickened.

I'm glad i didn't have a bet. If i had backed Excellent Art i would be steaming with anger at the moment. Why would a jockey use such hold up tactics when it is obvious that horses held up from off the pace just aren't getting there on the soft ground today?

It's hard to say, but overall i have to agree. If Excellent Art hadn't have won with a better ride, there would have only been a nose in it. I do think he would have won.

Great ride from Frankie, and for me to say that really does mean something.

Id have to have a much closer look re spencer, but he really should have been aware that Frankie would want to kick on early and tried to counteract that. Its so common for Spencer to be caught out like this... thats prob why he frustrates so many people!

he did a great job of keeping him in the rear and covered up until quite late.

Ramonti to HONG KONG

Now that's what i was hoping for!