Reliable Man to be competitive in King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Ascot
Trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre is pretty hopeful for a great show from Reliable Man in Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Ascot. He believes that stepping up to one and a half miles distance will benefit his charge considerably in
today’s £567,100, Group 1 meeting.
Reliable Man was very unlucky in his last appearance at this venue. In the Group 1 150th Anniversary of Prince of Wales's Stakes, the 4-year-old could not finish among top-3 just by a neck’s distance. On a good surface, he took a steady start, but soon held
up in the last pair.
The dashing runner switched left in the middle stages, and took his speed to a great level. He became third inside the final 100 yards, but since luck was not on his side that day, he missed the third spot by a slight margin.
The trainer explained that Reliable Man ran superbly in the final stages last time, and if he comes up with a similar effort, he will have a great chance today. He said ahead of the race:
"I think it is a tough race, but 12 furlongs is longer and he likes Ascot. He ran very well in the Prince Of Wales's and the extra distance could be better for him."
On the other hand, Deep Impact's Japanese son, Deep Brillante, is coming to this region for the first time after winning the Derby in his homeland. He is the only three-year-old in today’s feature event, and holds a very good chance of carrying forward his
good work. His connections are also expecting the bay colt to make his European debut on a high note.
Racing manager Keita Tanaka stated just before the mega event: "The three-year-old Japanese horses this year are quite competitive and he is one of the best ones among them, so it is quite interesting to see how he goes against the very best horses in this
country. He won a Group Three as a two-year-old last year at Tokyo racetrack in Japan on very heavy ground. He can handle soft ground to heavy ground."
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