Big guns hold sway for QEII

JUST seven runners will take to the track in Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot – but the anticipated match between Henrythenavigator and Tamayuz is still on.

Bookmakers have been divided over which of the pair to make favourite, with Aidan O’Brien’s Henrythenavigator losing his glittering winning streak in the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp.

He was beaten into fifth behind Goldikova, trained like Tamayuz by Freddie Head.

Henrytheavigator and Tamayuz are closely linked by form through John Gosden’s probable third favourite Raven’s Pass, who curtailed a run of second places behind the pair with an easy victory in the Celebration Mile at Goodwood.

O’Brien and Head are also responsible for Honoured Guest and Racinger respectively, while there is further French interest through Windsor Forest Stakes winner Sabana Perdida.

The out-of-form Winker Watson completes the septet.

Coral are siding with Henrythenavigator after firming up Saturday's market.

The Berkshire firm make him the 11-8 favourite from 6-4, with Tamayuz at 13-8 and Raven’s Pass on 100-30.

“All the market support has been for Henrythenaviagtor this week and he looks certain to start favourite for Saturday’s race,” said the firm’s representative David Stevens.

“Hopefully, with connections of both the market principals running pacemakers, we will see a truly-run race with no hard-luck stories for punters.”

Queen Elizabeth II Stakes

Coral bet: 11-8 Henrythenavigator, 13-8 Tamayuz, 100-30 Raven’s Pass, 25-1 Sabana Perdida, 40-1 Winker Watson, 50-1 Racinger, 150-1 Honoured Guest.

Meanwhile Duke Of Marmalade will not be in action at Great Leighs this weekend after his name was absent from the declarations for Saturday’s New Holland Thoroughbred Open Classic.

Trainer Aidan O’Brien gave consideration to running his five-time Group One winner on the Essex Polytrack in preparation for an assault on the Breeders’ Cup Classic later in the year.

Duke Of Marmalade is now expected to run in a similar event at Dundalk next Friday – although O’Brien has not completely ruled him out of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Great Leighs’ inaugural Thoroughbred Open meeting took a further blow with O’Brien taking out the unbeaten Rip Van Winkle from the New Holland Thoroughbred Open Juvenile.