Bosra Sham backed for Ascot race

BOSRA SHAM was well backed yesterday to win the battle of the Guineas winners in Saturday's Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot…

BOSRA SHAM was well backed yesterday to win the battle of the Guineas winners in Saturday's Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot The Henry Cecil trained 1,000 Guineas scorer was promoted to 9 to 4 joint favourite (from 3-1) for the £250,000 added contest by William Hill.

She shares market leadership with Saeed bin Suroor's 2,000 Guineas winner Mark Of Esteem for a race in which victory for either could decide the outcome of the trainers' title in Britain.

There were no surprise withdrawals from the race yesterday but Elie Lellouche left in Coronation Stakes winner Shake The Yoke, who had been thought a probable absentee.

Lellouche announced that he will only consider running the filly if Ashkalani does not take part. Otherwise he will aim her at a race in Keeneland next month.

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Charnwood Forest, second to First Island in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, is the only one of the nine acceptors not to have scored at the highest level.

Each of the remaining eight has won a Group One contest over a mile this year, with Ashkalani successful in both the French 2,000 Guineas and the Prix du Moulin.

"It would be unbelievable if we could get nine runners to post with eight Group One winners - that really would be the mile championship of Europe," said Ascot's clerk of the course, Nick Cheyne.