BetUK Blog

An enthralling showdown between the two stables that have dominated Europe’s Group 1 races this season looks set to go ahead at Ascot on Saturday. Aidan O’Brien and French trainer Freddie Head confirmed on Monday that top-flight milers Henrythenavigator and Tamayuz will lock horns in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes – setting up one of the clashes of the season. BetUK goes 13-8 the pair.

Winner of the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh, and of the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, Henrythenavigator’s run of Group 1 victories came to a halt at Longchamp this month when he could finish only fifth behind Tamayuz’s stablemate, Goldikova, in the Prix du Moulin.

Soft ground was put forward as the main reason for Henrythenavigator’s defeat and earlier this week O’Brien said: “Henry is in good form and we’ve been happy with him since he came back from Longchamp. We’re hoping to have the nice type of ground he likes on Saturday. He just wasn’t able to perform to his best on the soft ground in the Moulin.”

Henrythenavigator heads a list of five O’Brien-trained acceptors, with Astronomer Royal, US Ranger, Honoured Guest and Minneapolis other options for Ballydoyle.

To bet on the race with BetUK click here.

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