King George Stakes Preview: Houtzen carries each-way hopes

Stradivarius lit up a wet and windy opening day of the meeting when winning his third successive Goodwood Cup, and it really is impossible not to marvel at the remarkable CV that he has compiled, with eight successive wins to his name and the potential to land another WH Stayers’ Million if making it nine in next month’s Lonsdale Cup at York.

Whereas John Gosden’s charge has conquered every challenge put in front of him over the last 18 months or so, another hat-trick hopeful, Battaash, has seemingly needed a very specific set of circumstances to perform to his best – specifically the downhill five-furlong track at Goodwood.

Indeed, Friday's King George Stakes is the race in which he has produced his best effort in each of the last two seasons – including when defying his Group 1 penalty to win by four lengths from Take Cover 12 months ago – and, though only second (beaten a length and a quarter by Blue Point) in the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot last time, he possibly paid for delivering his challenge sooner than ideal at a track that plainly doesn’t suit him nearly so well.

Put simply, this is a home game for Battaash and one that he really should win, 11 lb clear of the field on weight-adjusted ratings and with a level of ability that very few five-furlong sprinters of recent times have been able to match.

He bolted up last year, and he bolts up again this year!

Battaash oozes class in the King George @Goodwood_Races. 🚀 #QGF

Results ➡️ https://t.co/7iJOPsdIyZ pic.twitter.com/1xxGhq8g2W

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 3, 2018

The only other horse currently trading at single-figure odds is the John Quinn-trained El Astronaute. A front-runner who should be suited by this speed-oriented track, he took a few runs to find his stride this year, before proving himself at least as good as ever with wins in a listed race at Cork and a handicap at the Curragh (by a length from an official mark of 106), both in June.

He wasn’t disgraced, either, when three and a half lengths second to Soffia in Sapphire Stakes at the latter course last time, though that wasn’t the first time his limitations at this sort of level have been exposed, and he is isn’t that far ahead – if at all – ahead of the cluster behind Battaash to advise backing him each-way as things stand.

Next in the betting is Big Brothers Pride, one of three in the line-up who are from the classic generation. She looked a smart prospect when last seen winning the Prix Sigy at Chantilly (by four lengths from Happy Odyssey) in April, making all in decisive fashion, and she remains open to more improvement after only three starts, for all that this represents comfortably her stiffest task to date after four months off the track (possibly not been the most straightforward to train).

Fellow three-year-old Rumble Inthejungle had some useful form to his name as a two-year-old, winning the Molecomb Stakes over C&D at this meeting in impressive fashion, before signing off with a respectable third to recent July Cup winner Ten Sovereigns in the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket. Admittedly, he is yet to scale the same heights in two starts this term, but there was more encouragement to be taken from his latest seventh in the Sprint Stakes, and, entitled to strip fitter again here, it would be no surprise to see him outrun big odds in conditions that clearly suited him so well 12 months ago.

Another who looks overpriced at the time of writing is Houtzen. Formerly trained in Australia, she showed smart form to win a Group 3 at Randwick and a listed handicap at Doomben in 2018, with connections subsequently plotting an ambitious tilt at the King’s Stand at Royal Ascot.

Gold Coast mare Houtzen won the Group 3 PJ Bell Stakes on The Championships Day 1 at Royal Randwick in 2018. Tomorrow morning at 12.40am AEST, Houtzen is set to unleash in the Group 1 King's Stand Stakes @Ascot. Good luck to @EdmondsRacing, @KPMcEvoy and all connections! pic.twitter.com/dbG9xZNkGZ

— Australian Turf Club (@atc_races) June 18, 2019

It’s fair to say that things didn’t go to plan for her on that occasion, with a bad stumble at the start putting her immediately on the backfoot, and she can effectively have a line put through that effort (ultimately beaten over eight lengths), after which she joined Martyn Meade. This is said to have been her target since, and with form comparable to the majority of these (bar Battaash), she should give a better account of herself if getting away on terms this time round, with quotes of 33/1 far too big.

The North Yorkshire yards of Tim Easterby and Julie Camacho are set to be represented by Copper Knight and Judicial, respectively.

The former won a handicap at York in May, and didn’t need to improve when also winning a listed race at the same course last time, hitting the front inside the final furlong and always in control thereafter. Clearly thriving at present, he is another who will be suited by the emphasis on speed here, though even his best form leaves him with a bit to find in this company.

Copper Knight is a brilliant performer at @yorkracecourse and wins again on the Knavesmire for David Allan and Tim Easterby in the colours of Middleham Park Racing @MprUpdates

Racecards ➡ https://t.co/5dOarGJ25H
Results ➡ https://t.co/glajGV55GR pic.twitter.com/RsevgxQfXp

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 13, 2019

Judicial, on the other hand, is already a winner in pattern company, having recorded his biggest career success in last year’s renewal of the Sprint Stakes at Sandown. The seven-year-old emerged from a spell in the doldrums with a confidence-boosting success in a minor event at Newmarket (by short head from Encore d’Or) last time, though it should be pointed out that he faced only one rival on that occasion and didn’t need to improve to get his head back in front; he still has a bit to prove in this more competitive environment.

Similar comments apply to Intense Romance, a dual listed winner last term who has been well form in two starts this time round, while Ornate has generally come up short when previously tried in pattern company, for all that it is hard to fault his recent form. Indeed, he recorded a fifth win of the year in a minor event at Beverley last time, having previously shown his appreciation for this sort of test with a determined success in the ‘Dash’ Handicap at Epsom.

The field is completed by the improving Rebecca Rocks, who still needs to take another significant step forward to figure here, and Little Kim, a Group 3-winning juvenile who looks out of her depth on the evidence of three 2019 starts.

Conclusion

This race has a nice each-way shape to it, with the hat-trick-seeking Battaash taking such a big chunk out of the market, and the one who makes most appeal at the current prices is the former Australian-trained mare Houtzen. She possesses plenty of early speed, as she showed when recovering from a tardy start to lead Battaash at Royal Ascot, and this is just the sort of track that should play to her strengths, with the pick of her efforts Down Under on a par with what most of these have achieved. El Astronaute and Rumble Inthejungle look best of the rest.

Recommendation:

Back Houtzen each-way at 33/1 in Friday's King George Stakes at Goodwood