Soldier may next do battle in King George

/ Editor / 02 July 2007 / Leave a Comment

Following his scintillating nine-length victory in Sunday's Budweiser Irish Derby, Aidan O' Brien's Soldier of Fortune is a possible contender for the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot on July 28.

The son of Galileo led home a remarkable 1-2-3 for the Ballydoyle handler but runner-up Alexander Of Hales and favourite Eagle Mountain were barely on the radar.

O'Brien will now weigh up the options for his latest classic winner, who had previously finished fifth in the Epsom Derby.

"The King George is a definite possibility, but there are other horses in there like Dylan Thomas and Scorpion. We will sit down and have a meeting during the week and everything will be decided" O'Brien exclaimed.

The winning trainer continued: "He is a very exciting horse, he is very special. He travels great and quickens well, and I think he will come on again for this."

Soldier of Fortune, matched at a high of 44 in Betfair's ante-post market for the race, is now available at 9.4. Authorized remains the hot favourite at 2.34, ahead of Dylan Thomas at 6.6, Scorpion at 10.5, Manduro at 12, Maraahel at 15 and it's 16.5 bar.