Saturday is De Beers Diamond Day, the sparkling jewel in Ascot’s summer season and one of the highlights in the international sporting and social calendar.
The feature race, the £650,000 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes is the centrepiece of the afternoon, the top rated race in UK and the only British leg of the World Racing Championships. The race, now in its 55th year, provides a fascinating clash of the very best middle distance horses. Godolphin’s record in this race is second to none over the past decade, winning on five occasions with Lammtarra in 1995, Swain in1997 & 1998, Daylami in 1999 and Doyen last year as well as finishing runner-up five times. Doyen’s performance in the race in 2004 was rated best turf performance in the world last year, read more about this on page xxx.
The King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes is the third leg of the 2005 World Racing Championships. The first race in the Championships to be run on European soil in 2005, its result could well have a significant bearing on the current Championship leaderboard, as the best mile and a half horses around bid for Europe’s middle distance summer crown.
The winner of the ‘King George’ will join the current joint leaders by earning 12 points. The Hong Kong based Vengeance of Rain and Mummify from Australia, who won the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup in Hong Kong in April and the Singapore Airlines International Cup at Kranji in May, lead the series after their respective victories.
Azamour, winner at Royal Ascot last month in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes is the hot favourite to give John Oxx his second victory in Ascot’s richest and most prestigious race. 2004 Irish Derby winner, Grey Swallow is also in the line up and is second favourite.
Local trainer, Andrew Balding runs Pheonix Reach, a win would add a further twelve points to his tally of eight in the World Racing Championships (WRC). Currently lying in third place, the points come courtesy of his fifth place finish in Hong Kong, and his runner up spot behind Mummify in Singapore. Phoenix Reach will be seeking to take the outright lead in the Championships.
The French trained horse, Bago is entered and the Coronation Cup winner, Yeats and Oaks winner, Eswarah should also be noted, particularly the filly who has scored three out of three so far this season.
( Close window )