-
Four rides for Ryan Moore on King George VI & Queen Elizabeth day
-
Simmering the form horse on Royal Ascot run and has a very good chance
-
Quick ground a bonus for Auguste Rodin who is the one to beat
Ryan Moore Superboost
Betfair Ambassador Ryan Moore rides the strong favourite Auguste Rodin in today's feature race, the Group 1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at 15:40.
A six-time Group 1 winner including the Epsom Derby and Breeders' Cup Turf, Auguste Rodin has won three anf finished second once in four of his last five starts and if you fancy him to finish in the first two again today you can back him at the super-boosted price of 11/102.11 (from 2/51.40) by clicking on the odds below to go directly to the pre-loaded betslip.
Back Auguste Rodin to finish Top 2 in 15:40 Ascot
13:15 - Our Terms
I rode in the Newmarket maiden he made his debut in, finishing just ahead of him in third, and he looked to shape well enough. This well-bred Wootton Bassett colt - his dam, who I rode, won the Queen Mary here - clearly has his chance on that initial showing.
13:50 - Simmering
She may be a maiden but she is probably the form horse here on her second in the Albany, splitting Fairy Godmother and Heavens Gate. In fact, you would have to give her a very good chance, for all we are dealing with fillies who all have the potential to improve. But so does my filly too after just two starts.
14:25 - Thornbrook
I haven't ridden her before but she has shown a level of form which entitles her to be competitive here. She ran a much better race at Leopardstown last time and she finished a close third in this race last season.
15:40 - Auguste Rodin
I am looking forward to riding him. This is a horse who has won six Group 1s already and he is simply a top-class colt who anyone would clearly love to own, train or ride. He was back to near his brilliant best when winnng the Prince Of Wales's Stakes for me last time, the step back up to 1m4f won't be an issue, and the expected quick ground is a bonus.
He looks a very justified favourite to me but I fully respect the claims of Rebel's Romance in particular. His Sheema Classic win puts him hot on the heels of my colt form-wise - they are officially rated the same horse - and this globe-trotter is actually unbeaten in five outings domestically.
He is a very accomplished horse and a serious threat, but so too are the likes of fellow Group 1 winners Luxembourg, Bluestocking and Dubai Honour. It is a race with Group 1 depth but my colt is the one to beat.
Timeform Verdict
Auguste Rodin - 15:40 Ascot
Timeform top-rated Auguste Rodin has blotted his copybook a few times in his career - including in this race 12 months ago - but the fact of the matter is he's a six-time Group or Grade 1 winner, and he was arguably back to his best on the figures when winning the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot last time.
He appeared to react well to more prominent riding tactics on that occasion, always doing enough once hitting the front, and leaving the impression he could yet have an even bigger effort in him when the time presents itself.
Expect him to be sitting close to his two stablemates under Ryan Moore and, given he will have no problem moving back up to a mile and a half, he will take the beating if in similar form.