Ascot set to water ahead of Diamond fixture

Officials at Ascot are set to recommence watering the track ahead of the three-day King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes meeting, which gets under way on Friday, after forecast showers failed to materialise.

Clerk of the course Nick Cheyne said on Sunday: ‘‘We missed all the rain on Saturday and we are good to firm at the moment.

‘‘There’s an odd shower forecast today and it’s a bit overcast here and we are going back in starting watering Monday morning.

‘‘We watered last week but stopped over the weekend because of some showers around and if we miss all those then we go in watering first thing.’’

Godolphin’s big guns continue to dominate the betting for Saturday’s feature race that carries £750,000 in prize money.

Sakhee, winner of last year’s Juddmonte International and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe-Lucien Barriere, is as low as 5-4 favourite with William Hill for Saturday’s Ascot showpiece and is 13-8 with Coral.

He has however not raced since disappointing in the Dubai World Cup at Nad Al Sheba in March, but has pleased connections in his recent work.

His stablemate Grandera is 15-8 with both firms after impressing with wins in the Singapore Airlines International Cup at Kranji in May and the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot last month.

Marcus Tregoning has his fingers crossed for a dry week ahead of Nayef’s bid and he admitted that the colt’s tilt at the race has taken on extra significance with the death of owner Hamdan Al Maktoum’s stallion Nashwan on Friday.

Victory would make Nayef the natural replacement at Shadwell Stud for his dual Classic-winning half-brother as he is the last male offspring of top broodmare Height Of Fashion - also the dam of high-class sire Unfuwain who himself died relatively recently.

‘‘Nayef is the last colt out of the mare,’’ confirmed Tregoning.

‘‘The mare has got lots of daughters but Nayef is an important horse and hopefully he will perform really well on Saturday.

‘‘We are keeping an eye on the weather but I think the forecast from midweek is pretty good so hopefully he will run.’’

Tregoning reckons firmish ground suits Nayef, much as it did his late sibling who won the King George in 1989.

‘‘He is beautifully-actioned - he has a very similar action to Nashwan,’’ the trainer said.

‘‘He is in very good form so I am hopeful for a big run.’’

Nayef finished fourth to Grandera in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes last time out.