Events / Graham Cunningham / 25 September 2009 /

Saturday could be the day when Godolphin prove they are firmly back in the big time. Or it could be the day when arch rivals Coolmore claim the Group 1 glory yet again - the clash between Rip Van Winkle and Delegator is the highlight of a stellar Saturday at Ascot. Racing UK analyst Graham Cunningham casts his eye over the best action.

Stamina the key as Rip bids to subdue Delegator and co in the QEII

The script for the QEII Stakes at 4.15 looks clear enough.

Put simply, it looks highly likely that Murtagh will set the pace on Rip Van Winkle. And if that's the case then messrs Moore, Hills and Dettori will settle in behind in the hope that Zacinto, Aqlaam and Delegator can pounce on him late.

I'm full of admiration for the way Aqlaam [12.0] has progressed into a Group 1 miler this season, but he was put firmly in his place by Goldikova at Deauville and seems likely to come up short again here.

Zacinto [32.0] is a lightly raced improver with a very bright future in good company, but Delegator jumped right by him late on in Goodwood's Celebration Mile and looks highly likely to confirm the form.

The question is, can Delegator's [4.1] potent turn of foot remain intact after Rip Van Winkle [1.88] has dragged him through the sort of punishing mid race fractions which drew the sting from top notchers like Paco Boy and Ghanaati in Goodwood's Sussex Stakes?

On balance, I doubt it. Rip Van Winkle's Goodwood win and his fine second to the mighty Sea The Stars in the Coral-Eclipse set the bar very high indeed here and a repeat of that level of form will make him mighty hard to beat.

Ascot supporting card looks to tough to call

If the QEII looks relatively straightforward to assess, the other feature events on the Ascot card look as clear as mud.

Godolphin go head to head with Coolmore again when Long Lashes runs against You'll Be Mine in the Fillies' Mile at 3:05.

Long Lashes is almost certainly vastly better than she showed when sinking in deep ground at the Curragh in the Moyglare, while You'll Be Mine had to be driven out to win a Leopardstown maiden but was firmly on top close home and is bred to be very good indeed.

Choosing between the pair involves too much speculation for my liking, while the Royal Lodge Stakes at 2:30 is another difficult puzzle with very little between at least six horses on recent form and the best policy is probably to look to Haydock for a couple of safer bets in the maidens at 4:5 and 4:40.

Dunlop, Jarvis and Barron the men to follow on another Haydock Saturday

John Dunlop won the 4:05 twelve months ago with Fallen In Love and can repeat the dose with Zahoo.

This Nayef filly has shown ample promise in two starts thus far and put in some strong late work at Goodwood on her latest appearance. She holds Dancing Queen and Anaya on that evidence and fully deserves to be a hot favourite to make it third time lucky.

On paper, the 4:40 could develop into a straight match between Start Right and Super Collider. Start Right has earned an official mark of 80 after a solid effort in a decent Doncaster nursery and is highly likely to run to that figure again.

But the Michael Jarvis- trained Super Collider is potentially better than en 80-rated horse. He showed plenty of promise despite being forced wide on his latest start at Thirsk and gets the vote to go one better here for a combination with a fine Haydock record.

Lastly, a quick word on Haydock's featured sprint handicap at 3.35. Any number of horses can be given a chance on their best form and the presence of a clutch of front runners suggests the pace could be frenetic.

However, there will be very few in this field capable of leading Jaconet. David Barron's mare showed blinding speed to beat the track record at Lingfield two starts ago and led the Portland field a merry dance for a long wat at Donny on Leger day.

She's still fairly treated from a mark just 2lb higher than her Lingfield romp and I suspect I will be sniffing out the best early price with a view to trading out at around [4.0] in running when she shows that brazen speed again.

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