Worthy King George VI Winner
Favourite Dylan Thomas IRE (Danehill USA) romped off to win the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Group 1) Class 1, l m 4 f, mid-distance European turf championship for colts and fillies of three and over by four lengths. No fillies or mares competed.
He proved himself such a worthy winner that he earned quotes of 7.1 for the Fall counterpart of the King George--the Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp putting him fifth favourite for the October race.
Further, the Racing Post Handicapper raised his rating from 128 to 130 as an improved personal best. The British Horseracing Board, which tends to be more conservative in its handicaps, rated him at 126. Both agree it was a decent if not top-class performance.
Personally, I would have kept him on 128 as his win owed much to the brilliant team tactics planned by Ballydoyle/Coolmore's trainer Aiden O'Brien and executed by Dylan's jockey Johnny Murtagh in tandem with Michael Kinane on Scorpion IRE (Montjeu IRE).
Coolmore's retained jockey Kieren Fallon said "The pace was the key to him.....Johnny gave him a great ride, kicked on, and he won very impressively, like a very good horse."
Murtagh said that Dylan chose the time to move at 2 f out when Scorpion was challenged and he chose not to disappoint his horse by holding him back any longer.
By keeping both horses in the race, O'Brien had a good-to-fast ground horse in Dylan Thomas and a soft-ground specialist in Scorpion which allowed him to use the best skills of both on ground changing from rain-fed soft to wind-drying fast due to the beautiful weekend weather.
Mick Kinane on Scorpion led the race as moderate pacemaker on the soft ground of Ascot's Round Course until he reached the Straight Course where the ground became good. The final 2 f were riding very fast. From then on Scorpion started fading backwards.
Maraahel IRE (Alzao USA) and Prince Flori GER (Lando GER) tracked Scorpion's shadow throughout the race until the 2 f point when they struggled to pass him as he faded. It was too much for Prince Flori who was easily passed as well and ended up dead last.
Dylan Thomas made his move shooting past the engaged threesome which prompted Youmzain IRE (Sinndar IRE) to chase Dylan from the rear. A bit late for him and Laverock IRE (Octagonal NZ) who finally got off the inside rail.
Sergeant Cecil (King's Signet USA) did nothing much during the race disappointing his many fans again.
The only three-year-old entrant, Yellowstone IRE (Rock of Gibraltar IRE), was withdrawn to race at Glorious Goodwood on Tuesday.
A side thought: can we ever know what the outcome of the race would have been if a tough eyeballer like Maraahel or Youmzain had engaged Dylan? Neither Dylan nor Scorpion cope well with dominant horses.
Neither opponent had a chance to run Dylan down. One was engaged with Scorpion and the other started too late.
Of the two, only Youmzain showed the speed which might have taken Dylan out. He will be aimed at the Arc as well, the Breeders Cup and Hong Kong Cup by his happy trainer Mick Channon. His pre-race confidence was justified. Grateful winners accosted him and he said "He certainly was worth an each-way bet."
Youmzain came second by 4 lengths followed by Maraahel at 3-1/2 lengths and Laverock by another 1/2 length.
Murtagh's timing or his horse's timing were flawless.
Scorpion's pace, Dylan's best ground and team tactics or team planning won the race so handily. They used the best qualities of both to benefit the one in good weather and would probably done the same for Scorpion if it were bad weather.
That being said, Dylan Thomas won the King George VI at the top of the medium-level or bottom of the top-level horses who have competed in this prestigious race.
The trophy was presented to Dylan's connections by the pretty and jolly HRH Princess Royal, Princess Anne, on behalf of her mother. She was accompanied by the Duke of Devonshire of the Ascot Authority.
She chatted at length with Johnny Murtagh which is no surprise. She herself is an Olympic Gold Medalist in Eventing and her daughter, Zara Phillips, is both an Olympic Individual and Team Gold Medalist in Eventing.
I would doubt that she pressed Murtagh or Dylan's other connections about the degraded quality of the King George VI and Ascot's flaws as did the press.
Every member of Dylan's party was asked, embarrassingly, about the quality of the race participants. They, including the owners John Magnier and Michael Tabor, answered patiently and graciously.
No one else thought their horse won a poor race or demeaned his success.
Commendation to the Racing Post Chatroom reader who condemned the endless criticism of Ascot.
Could we in the press call time--and let the Ascot Authority get on with sorting things out so that attendance does not drop any further?
For information on Ascot races, www.ascot.co.uk
For information on Goodwood, www.goodwoodracecourse.co.uk
For information on the Arc, www.france-galop.com
For Racing Post Ratings, www.racingpost.co.uk
For Daily Racing Form, www.drf.com
He proved himself such a worthy winner that he earned quotes of 7.1 for the Fall counterpart of the King George--the Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp putting him fifth favourite for the October race.
Further, the Racing Post Handicapper raised his rating from 128 to 130 as an improved personal best. The British Horseracing Board, which tends to be more conservative in its handicaps, rated him at 126. Both agree it was a decent if not top-class performance.
Personally, I would have kept him on 128 as his win owed much to the brilliant team tactics planned by Ballydoyle/Coolmore's trainer Aiden O'Brien and executed by Dylan's jockey Johnny Murtagh in tandem with Michael Kinane on Scorpion IRE (Montjeu IRE).
Coolmore's retained jockey Kieren Fallon said "The pace was the key to him.....Johnny gave him a great ride, kicked on, and he won very impressively, like a very good horse."
Murtagh said that Dylan chose the time to move at 2 f out when Scorpion was challenged and he chose not to disappoint his horse by holding him back any longer.
By keeping both horses in the race, O'Brien had a good-to-fast ground horse in Dylan Thomas and a soft-ground specialist in Scorpion which allowed him to use the best skills of both on ground changing from rain-fed soft to wind-drying fast due to the beautiful weekend weather.
Mick Kinane on Scorpion led the race as moderate pacemaker on the soft ground of Ascot's Round Course until he reached the Straight Course where the ground became good. The final 2 f were riding very fast. From then on Scorpion started fading backwards.
Maraahel IRE (Alzao USA) and Prince Flori GER (Lando GER) tracked Scorpion's shadow throughout the race until the 2 f point when they struggled to pass him as he faded. It was too much for Prince Flori who was easily passed as well and ended up dead last.
Dylan Thomas made his move shooting past the engaged threesome which prompted Youmzain IRE (Sinndar IRE) to chase Dylan from the rear. A bit late for him and Laverock IRE (Octagonal NZ) who finally got off the inside rail.
Sergeant Cecil (King's Signet USA) did nothing much during the race disappointing his many fans again.
The only three-year-old entrant, Yellowstone IRE (Rock of Gibraltar IRE), was withdrawn to race at Glorious Goodwood on Tuesday.
A side thought: can we ever know what the outcome of the race would have been if a tough eyeballer like Maraahel or Youmzain had engaged Dylan? Neither Dylan nor Scorpion cope well with dominant horses.
Neither opponent had a chance to run Dylan down. One was engaged with Scorpion and the other started too late.
Of the two, only Youmzain showed the speed which might have taken Dylan out. He will be aimed at the Arc as well, the Breeders Cup and Hong Kong Cup by his happy trainer Mick Channon. His pre-race confidence was justified. Grateful winners accosted him and he said "He certainly was worth an each-way bet."
Youmzain came second by 4 lengths followed by Maraahel at 3-1/2 lengths and Laverock by another 1/2 length.
Murtagh's timing or his horse's timing were flawless.
Scorpion's pace, Dylan's best ground and team tactics or team planning won the race so handily. They used the best qualities of both to benefit the one in good weather and would probably done the same for Scorpion if it were bad weather.
That being said, Dylan Thomas won the King George VI at the top of the medium-level or bottom of the top-level horses who have competed in this prestigious race.
The trophy was presented to Dylan's connections by the pretty and jolly HRH Princess Royal, Princess Anne, on behalf of her mother. She was accompanied by the Duke of Devonshire of the Ascot Authority.
She chatted at length with Johnny Murtagh which is no surprise. She herself is an Olympic Gold Medalist in Eventing and her daughter, Zara Phillips, is both an Olympic Individual and Team Gold Medalist in Eventing.
I would doubt that she pressed Murtagh or Dylan's other connections about the degraded quality of the King George VI and Ascot's flaws as did the press.
Every member of Dylan's party was asked, embarrassingly, about the quality of the race participants. They, including the owners John Magnier and Michael Tabor, answered patiently and graciously.
No one else thought their horse won a poor race or demeaned his success.
Commendation to the Racing Post Chatroom reader who condemned the endless criticism of Ascot.
Could we in the press call time--and let the Ascot Authority get on with sorting things out so that attendance does not drop any further?
For information on Ascot races, www.ascot.co.uk
For information on Goodwood, www.goodwoodracecourse.co.uk
For information on the Arc, www.france-galop.com
For Racing Post Ratings, www.racingpost.co.uk
For Daily Racing Form, www.drf.com
Posted by susan trevelyan-syke at 7/29/2007 6:36 PM 
Categories: Ascot's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2007
Categories: Ascot's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2007
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