Betfair Media Release

 

for immediate release, Thursday, July 25, 2013

 

Cirrus Des Aigles heads superb cast for King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Sponsored By Betfair)

 

Another Ascot victory would be Very Nice for de Mieulle

 

Cirrus Des Aigles faces seven rivals as he bids to cement his reputation as the highest-rated horse in the world with victory in the �1,065,000 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (sponsored by Betfair) at Ascot this Saturday, July 27.

 

The seven-year-old, trained in Chantilly by Corine Barande-Barbe, has three Group One wins to his name including a three quarters of a length success in the QIPCO Champions Stakes at Ascot in October, 2011.

 

He returned to the Berkshire course to finish second to the brilliant Frankel in the same contest last year and is reported to have improved substantially since his seasonal return in the Group One Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on June 23.

 

On that occasion, Cirrus Des Aigles could only come home fifth behind the Andreas Wohler-trained Novellist, who is bidding to give Germany a second consecutive victory in the Ascot showpiece following Danedream's thrilling win 12 months ago.

 

Betfair Sportsbook has Cirrus Des Aigles as 13/8 favourite for Saturday's tremendous mile and a half contest, with Novelllist a 9/2 chance.

 

Very Nice Name also travels over from France for Qatar-based trainer Alban de Mieulle, who also has a training establishment in Chantilly. The four-year-old completed a five-timer in Qatar over the winter and announced himself on the world stage with a running-on third in the Group One Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan, Dubai, on March 30. He is a 16/1 chance with Betfair Sportsbook.

 

De Mieulle is no stranger to big-race glory at Ascot's summer highlight, having won the Group One President Of The UAE Cup for purebred Arabians on King George Day in 2010. The handler also purchased Dunaden from a Strasbourg claimer and trained the future three-time Group One winner before he joined his current connections.

 

De Mieulle commented: "Very Nice Name will leave Chantilly this evening and should arrive in Britain on Friday morning.

 

"He had a very hard winter with five races in Qatar and so he had a break after he ran in Dubai and we brought him over to Chantilly in May.

  

"The plan had been to run in the Grand Prix de Chantilly but he was cast in his box a week before the race so we decided to come straight to Ascot. He had a racecourse gallop two weeks ago at Chantilly and he looks good at the moment.

 

"I think the ground will be OK for him. It was pretty quick when he ran in Dubai and he has run well on a softer surface in France, so the ground is not a big issue for us.

 

"He surprised everybody in the Sheema Classic but it is difficult to gauge the quality of horse in Qatar. We tend to see a lot of horses arrive out there who have Group form in Europe, but quite often they are tired after a long season in the northern hemisphere.

 

"It will be an interesting challenge and we plan to finish in the first five. We hoped that he would be in the first five at Meydan, so we were obviously very pleased with his run there.

 

"He beat Dunaden in the Sheema Classic and Dunaden is not a bad horse. It's hard to compare the two - Dunaden has gone on to big race wins around the world - but I think that Very Nice Name has a better turn of foot."

 

Jim Bolger has already tasted Group One success at Ascot this year with Dawn Approach in the St James's Palace Stakes at the Royal meeting. The Irish handler sends over another Classic-winning three-year-old in Trading Leather (9/2), who took the Irish Derby on June 29 in impressive fashion.

 

Hillstar (7/1) will also be aiming to strike for the Classic generation, having been supplemented at a cost of �75,000 on Monday. The son of Danehill Dancer, bidding to give trainer Sir Michael Stoute a record sixth victory in the race, readily scored in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot.

 

The most recent three-year-old winner of the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (sponsored by Betfair), Nathaniel (2011), was also supplemented for the July highlight on the back of impressive victory in the "Ascot Derby".

 

Ektihaam (8/1) makes a third successive appearance at Ascot. Roger Varian's charge easily won the Listed Buckhounds Stakes in May and slipped up when leading the field in the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes on June 22.

 

Universal (16/1) was third in the Hardwicke Stakes but the Mark Johnston-trained colt returns to Ascot following a career-best victory in the Group Two Princess Of Wales's Stakes at Newmarket's July Meeting.

 

The field is completed by Ed Dunlop's globe-trotting Red Cadeaux (33/1), who has accrued more than �3 million in prize money, including victory in the Hong Kong Vase and seconds in both the Melbourne Cup and Dubai World Cup.

 

Latest Betfair Sportsbook odds: 13/8 Cirrus Des Aigles; 9/2 Novellist, Trading Leather; 7/1 Hillstar; 8/1 Ektihaam; 16/1 Universal, Very Nice Name; 33/1 Red Cadeaux

EW Terms: 1/4 Odds | 3 Places

 

Betfair spokesman Barry Orr said: "Cirrus Des Aigles has been very well supported since the defection of St Nicholas Abbey but we feel he is readily opposable at such short odds and are happy to hold his current price of 13/8 for our customers.

 

"There is fantastic value in the field for each way punters with the bookmakers dreaded 'dead 8' lining up and the appropriately named 'Very Nice Name' should prove a topical tip with the recent arrival of a Royal baby, named after his great great grandfather whom this race commemorates."

 

Cirrus Des Aigles has 11lb and more in hand of his rivals according to Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings and, as such, they fully expect the French raider to land Ascot's summer showpiece.

 

Timeform Flat Handicapper, Adam Barnes, commented: "Cirrus Des Aigles, with a Timeform master figure of 135, is currently the highest-rated racehorse in the world and we expect him to justify that status on Saturday.

 

"Under a variety of conditions, he has regularly proven himself capable of running to a higher level than is required to win an average King George and, with an injury ruling out St Nicholas Abbey, this looks a fairly weak renewal.

 

"Admittedly, Cirrus Des Aigles was below form when only fifth behind Novellist - who reopposes this weekend - on his seasonal reappearance in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud last month, but there's every reason to think he'll leave that effort behind on Saturday.

 

"Cirrus Des Aigles has a history of improving for his first run back from a break and, bearing in mind his trainer has long had the King George in mind for her stable star, he can be expected to improve significantly for that outing.

 

"It would be a surprise if he couldn't reverse form with Novellist and none of the others appeal as capable of stepping up to the high standard set by Cirrus Des Aigles. Overall, it's hard to see why he's still trading at around 6/4."

 

Timeform Weight-Adjusted Ratings

142 CIRRUS DES AIGLES

131 EKTIHAAM

130 UNIVERSAL

130 RED CADEAUX       

130 NOVELLIST

129 TRADING LEATHER

129 VERY NICE NAME

125 HILLSTAR      

 

Saturday's card also features the �100,000 Cash Out Multiples Only On Betfair International Heritage Handicap (3.15pm), with a maximum field of 29 set to line-up in the seven-furlong contest.

 

Haydock handicap winner Ashaadd and Queensberry Rules, who was third in the Britannia Stakes, head Betfair Sportsbook's market at 9/1 closely followed by last year's scorer Field Of Dream, who is a 10/1 chance.

 

Actress and model Elizabeth Hurley will judge the best turned out prize for the Cash Out Multiples Only On Betfair International Handicap and present the trophy to the winning connections.

 

Latest Betfair Sportsbook odds:

9/1 Ashaadd, Queensberry Rules; 10/1 Field Of Dream; 12/1 Hawkeyethenoo, Lightning Cloud, Prince Of Johanne; 16/1 Bertiewhittle, Es Que Love, Loving Spirit; 20/1 Don't Call Me, Excellent Guest; 25/1 Boots And Spurs, Compton, Galician; 33/1 Dubawi Sound, Ducal, Glen Moss, Head Of Steam, Justonefortheroad; 40/1 Common Touch, Hefner, Palace Moon, Rebellious Guest

EW Terms: 1/4 Odds | 5 Places