Colin Keane has never won any kind of Ascot race but aims to break that stat in style on board Westover in perhaps the track’s biggest contest of all, Saturday’s King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Although Ireland’s champion jockey is winless in 46 previous Ascot rides, he is favourite to put that right in British racing’s traditional midsummer highlight.
Keane does warm up for the King George with a handicap mount, Chief Of Chiefs, but last month’s Irish Derby winner is inevitably the focus of his attention.
Along with the filly Emily Upjohn, Westover flies the flag for the classic crop against four older Group One-winning stars including last year’s runner-up Mishriff, the German Arc hero Torquator Tasso and Aidan O’Brien’s outsider, Broome.
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It is the sort of generational clash the King George was designed for and which has resulted in as illustrious a roll of honour as any big race in Europe.
The supreme Nijinsky was one of Lester Piggott’s seven winners while Frankie Dettori equalled that tally with the third leg of Enable’s unique hat-trick in 2020.
In contrast, Keane has never even ridden in the race. But having proven himself at the top of the tree in Ireland, with three championships and three classics under his belt, the 27-year-old has a rarefied international shop-window to advertise his abilities.
A year ago, Adayar completed the Derby-King George double to interrupt the modern trend of older horses emerging on top.
Enable’s exploits skew the stats a little but the black and white reality remains about the older brigade having succeeded seven times in the last 10 years.
There were just a pair of three year old victories in the decade before that so there is little doubt where the balance of generational power has been in the race.
The intended appearance of this year’s Epsom winner Desert Crown looked to set to continue momentum of the best middle distance three year old’s taking in the King George. His defection is a blow but, in form terms, Westover still looks a worthy flagbearer for the classic age group.
The Ralph Beckett-trained colt was unlucky to not finish runner-up to Desert Crown at Epsom but proved himself rapidly progressive with a wide-margin success at the Curragh.
Keane replaced the unfortunate Rob Hornby on that occasion and justified the faith of owners Juddmonte by steering Westover to a seven-length defeat of Piz Badile.
The latter let the form down with a bang when subsequently last in the Grand Prix de Paris. Nevertheless, bookmakers have been keen to keep both Westover and Emily John on their side this week.
Having to concede 11lbs to a real top-drawer three year old colt has always proven difficult for older horses in this race.
The concession of a stone to a truly top class three year old filly looked all but impossible when Enable (2017) and Taghrooda (2014) scored. That pair were produced by the John Gosden team who pitch Emily UpJohn into the fray this time.
The daughter of Sea The Stars looked another potential superstar before the Epsom Oaks and even after it despite defeat. A stumble leaving the gates left her with an uphill task all the way that she only just failed to overcome.
Forced to miss last week’s Irish Oaks through travel problems to the Curragh, this is a second preference option that could hardly be more formidable.
Both Emily Upjohn and Westover are still relatively unproven and as benchmarks go they don’t come much more reliable than Mishriff.
An illustrious career suggests the former French Derby, Saudi Cup, Sheema Classica and Juddmonte hero is perhaps best at just shy of a mile and a half. However, in a race where Ryan Moore could enjoy a solo from the front on Broome, Mishriff will have the plus of obvious tactical speed.
Should Westover still prove too good, his claims to be Europe’s leading middle-distance three year old will be hard to knock, especially with Desert Crown’s absence set to extend to the autumn after confirmation he misses York’s Juddmonte next month.
Ahead of next week’s Galway festival action, and Sunday’s All-Ireland football final, domestic weekend racing action is confined to Gowran on Saturday.
With Colin Keane at Ascot, Gary Carroll comes in for the spin on Ger Lyons’s Janoobi in a nine furlong conditions race at the Co Kilkenny track. Janoobi won the second of this two starts for Lyons at Cork in May when successful at odds of 1-8.
He lines up here off an official rating of 90 that in theory leaves him with something to find with some rivals although they may not be as open to progression as the Lyons hope.
