It’s been dominated by Godolphin or Sir Micheal Stoute with seven out of ten over the last ten years. With no representative from the Stoute yard and the boys in blue fielding the favourite then it should be a done deal.
Poet’s Voice is a respected favourite and the form book justifies his market position. Things didn’t go his way in the Dubai World Cup where he never settled for Frankie Dettori and that upped his loosing steak to three. Saeed Bin Suroor has campaigned him beyond a mile and the stretching of stamina is reversed here with the return to the distance where his best successes were achieved. He added the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes nosing out Rip Van Winkle before pocketing this race last year. That’s the form of a solid miler. A pacemaker will be employed in the shape of Emerald Commander. A capable sort himself he has won at this level over a mile on soft ground in Germany.
One three year old run’s. Dubawi Gold got closest to Frankel in the Guineas and at the Curragh second again was the outcome. He hasn’t managed to build on this after below par performances in the Hungerford Stakes and St James Palace Stakes.
Clive Cox’s Beacon Lodge is the main threat to tradition. Arrears of 6 L in the Hungerford brings him into the mix. He been a model of consistency at this level over his career and deserves a day in the sun. On this sort of ground he was too good for Sahpresa in 2009.
Premio Loco has also displayed very consistent form this season and a reproduction of the Lockinge run where a 4 L deficit to Canford Cliffs would put him right there. Set The Trend wasn’t far behind Emerald Commander in Germany last time while Riggins has the benefit of Hayley Turner.
The break since March may mean that the favourite will come on for the run but this doesn’t mean Godolphin will be losers. Their sire Dubawi may strike Gold.