Universal gets a shot at King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes – Horseracing news
Universal has been listed as one of the candidates to run in the Betfair-sponsored King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (British Champions Series) (Group 1) at Ascot in England on Saturday, July 27, 2013.
His trainer Mark Johnston revealed, “He’s got to have earned his shot at a Group 1 from that and the King George was always on the radar as it’s a long wait to the Irish St Leger. I know he’s still got a huge amount to find but it can be an under-supported
race given its huge value and he deserves his chance. Who says he couldn’t improve?”
The four-year-old colt ran to an impressive victory in his most recent outing in the Princes of Wales’s Stakes, which was declared as his best ever performance. He was rated as the favourite to prevail in that event and did not disappoint his fans. The ground
was really quick, so there was no stopping the favourite challenger.
He was impressive right from the start of the race, as he did not allow his rivals to pressurise him. Although some people might have doubted his stamina to some extent, he did not run out of gas towards the end of the race and kept on going strongly until
he crossed the finish line.
Talking about that spectacular run, Johnston said, “I thought the Princess of Wales’s was comfortably the horse’s best performance. They were waiting there for him but it was just great the way they came off the bridle one by one without Joe Fanning even
moving.”
Universal has got a pretty decent record in the sport and he has done enough for his camp to prove that he has the ability to fight for victories at the highest level. He has taken part in some important events this year and has been successful in them.
Out of his 18 appearances, he has won seven times, which clearly shows what he is capable of achieving.
Other than that, the Irish challenger has finished as a runner up on a couple of occasions and secured the third spot on the same number of times.
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