Dylan Thomas is poetry in motion

July 26, 2007 - James Goodall

Poetry in motion: Back Dylan Thomas at 3/1

Back Dylan Thomas at 3/1 (Credit: Thowra UK)

The King George VI Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on July 28, is the first opportunity that the Classic generation have to tackle their elders over 12 furlongs at the highest level. Godolphin have a cracking record in the race having won it four times in the last decade, but they have precious little in the way of suitable candidates so it's unlikely that the boys in blue will enhance their record this season.

Everything revolved around Authorized, the emphatic Derby winner who failed to land the odds in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown last time out, but since the three-year-olds withdrawl, I am keen to take the field on with Dylan Thomas, who can give Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien his second win in this prestigious event, which he first won with Galileo in 2001. The colt has been beaten the last twice, but lost little caste on either occasion and, with conditions likely to be ideal, the 3/1 on offer could turn out to be pretty good value.

It was a major shock when the son of Danehill was beaten at odds of 1-2 by Notnowcato in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at The Curragh and he never looked like overhauling Manduro in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot last time. But both of those races were over a mile and a quarter and while he's effective at that trip, he is a better horse over 12 furlongs.

Indeed, after finishing a close-up third in the 2006 Derby at Epsom, Dylan Thomas went to The Curragh for the Irish equivalent and turned that contest into a veritable procession. He suffered a reverse on either side of winning the Irish Champion Stakes subsequently during that campaign, but efforts so far this term indicate that he's trained on very well.

O'Brien is responsible for the next two in the betting, Soldier Of Fortune and Scorpion. The former destroyed his rivals when careering away for a nine-length victory in the Irish Derby on July 1, a display which marks him out as a three-year-old out of the top drawer. However, the testing conditions appeared to be the catalyst to that much-improved display, and he won't encounter anywhere near as much cut in the ground at Ascot.

Consequently, I'm not sure he'll go to post, a remark which also applies to stablemate Scorpion, whose best efforts have come when there's plenty of juice in the ground. Conversely, the horse he was pipped by in the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot, Maraahel, is versatile with regard to underfoot conditions and the evergreen six-year-old should give a good account of himself.

Leading French filly of last season, Mandesha, didn't quicken as one would have expected when produced to challenge Mountain High in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud last month, eventually going down by a length and a half to that enterprisingly-ridden rival.

Sir Michael Stoute has also entered Ask in addition to Maraahel, and the son of Sadler's Wells looked like an improved performer when readily beating Scorpion on the Ormonde at Chester. Stoute isn't one to overface his horses but, along with the gallant globe-trotter Youmzain, I suspect that his chance is limited to each-way claims at best, given the class of Dylan Thomas.

Verdict: 2pts Dylan Thomas @ 3/1 (Paddy Power)

Posted: July 16, 2007

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