There's a mouthwatering renewal of the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes in prospect at Ascot next Saturday.
It features a rematch between Jan Brueghel and Calandagan who fought out the finish to the Betfred Coronation Cup at Epsom last month.
Fought was the key word as the Ballydoyle colt dug deep to fend off his strong-travelling French rival by half-a-length.
Calandagan has since run out a smooth winner of the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and has a good record at Ascot having been a brilliant winner of the King Edward VII at the meeting last season before chasing home Anmaat in deep autumn ground in the QIPCO Champion Stakes.
So who comes out on top this time? We asked our racing team.
Matt Brocklebank - Jan Brueghel
I realise Calandagan appeared to have his swagger back when winning in France last time but I’m struggling to envisage a scenario in which the Coronation Cup form isn’t upheld at Ascot. Jan Brueghel won all four starts last year, culminating in the St Leger defeat of Illinois, but there was still a hint of the unknown about him prior to last month’s Epsom win. That really rubberstamped his spot in the upper echelons of the older middle-distance horses and, to me, he only looks to be going one way.
Ben Linfoot - Calandagan
The bookies are struggling to split these two and you can see why. Jan Brueghel had Calandagan’s measure by half a length at Epsom but he received a great ride from Ryan Moore and the French horse didn’t seem in love with the track. There was also a hint of a tail flash from Calandagan and, after a fourth straight second, his attitude was rightly questioned in the aftermath, but I do subscribe to the theory that he might just outpoint Jan Brueghel in the natural ability stakes. He's had a smooth success at Saint-Cloud subsequently, his good Ascot form could be a factor, too, and while other lines of evidence may be worth pursuing in the King George, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Coronation Cup form reversed.
David Ord - Jan Brueghel
I do fully appreciate that Ascot plays to Calandagan's strengths but this whole head-to-head boils down to whether he can sweep past his rival this time. At Epsom the O'Brien team got their tactics right, Jan Brueghel tracking pacemaker Continuous, going on two out and drawing his opponent's sting. Aidan O'Brien said afterwards they wanted the French raider "on his knees" and in a fight and they got just that. It will be the same scenario again in Berkshire, shortly after turning in Jan Brueghel will set sail and it's a case of how quickly Calandagan can come at him this time. He needs to settle it in three or four strides and I'm with the hare over the hound again this time. If they have to get down and dirty in that final furlong, there's only one winner for me.
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