Strongly run race key to Rewilding’s King George chance
Godolphin’s racing manager feels that if the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes winner can get into a nice rhythm early on in the piece, then he can use his serious turn of foot to great advantage.
With that in mind, fellow Mahmood Al Zarooni inmate and Arlington Million winner Debussy is likely to be declared as a pacemaker.
Having already won the Sheema Classic out in Dubai in March, Rewilding got the better of Aidan O‘Brien’s So You Think in a titanic battle at Ascot and goes in search of further glory in the 12-furlong heat, which forms part of the Qipco British Champions Series.
“The key to him is that he needs to get into a rhythm. He has such a good turn of foot and that is why we‘ll probably be running a pacemaker,” said Crisford.
“He loves quickening up off a fast pace, it‘s no good to him if they crawl and then sprint. He hates a slow-run race.
“We were not surprised at all that he had the pace to win the Prince Of Wales’s over 10 furlongs. What really helped him that day was that it was a very strongly run 10 furlongs. That meant he could get into his rhythm early and even though he had about eight lengths to make up, he could use his turn of foot.
“We ran him at Ascot as the timing was better than the Coronation Cup. We do like to give him a good gap between his races, although he recovers much quicker now.
“He has grown up and strengthened this year, but he is still light-framed compared to something like Workforce, who is a much bigger specimen.”
With rain continuing to fall around Ascot, Workforce’s position at the head of the betting is getting stronger by the day.
Coral make him their 11-8 favourite from 7-4 with St Nicholas Abbey out to 9-4 from 15-8. Rewilding is next at 11-4. The three-year-old Nathaniel has also been trimmed from 15-2 into 13-2.
King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes: Coral bet- 11-8 Workforce, 9-4 St Nicholas Abbey, 11-4 Rewilding, 13-2 Nathaniel, 20-1 Seville, 25-1 Midday, 100-1 Debussy.
