Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Betting Tips

The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes rarely fails to deliver a truly glittering spectacle of a race - it's Europe's championship race for horses of all ages over a mile - and this year's renewal at Ascot on Saturday is shaping up to be an exceptionally intriguing renewal. The magnificent 2,000 Guineas hero George Washington is the bookies' unanimous favourite at a best-priced 6/4, and it goes without saying that if the son of Danehill is on song, he will take an awful lot of beating. However, for all the undoubted natural ability that the Aidan O'Brien-trained colt possesses, his quirks make him a risky proposition in my opinion - and I'm certainly reluctant to be backing him at such short odds in what is a high-class renewal of this Group 1 contest. George Washington was returning from three months off following his defeat at the hands of Araafa in the Irish 2,000 Guineas when beaten little over a length into third behind Caradak in the totesport Celebration Mile at Goodwood on August 27, and it's fair to assume that he'll come on for that run. But, despite the theory that he was ill at ease on the track at Goodwood, that still has to go down as a disappointing effort overall in my opinion. For, not only did he decide that he was going to stand in the stalls when his five rivals jumped off, he also took a fierce hold during the race, again demonstrating that his enigmatic tendencies can overshadow his class. Against the level of opposition he will be facing on Saturday, there will be no margin for error. The boys in blue of Godolphin, successful in this race three times in the last decade, look set to run Librettist, the likely mount of Frankie Dettori, Proclamation and Satchem - the last-named being a probable pacemaker. Their other entry at the time of writing, Caradak, looks set to bypass this and wait for the Challenge Stakes at Newmarket. Librettist has gone from strength to strength this season following a two-year absence, winning all five of his races this year and proving himself to be a miler of the highest order in the process, by winning the Jacques le Marois and Prix du Moulin the last twice. Both of those Group 1 races were strongly contested and on both occasions Frankie used the son of Danzig's tactical pace to good effect, riding him positively and drawing the sting out of his rivals' tails by kicking on two furlongs out and keeping his mount up to his work. On the Round Course at Ascot such tactics often pay dividends and, with a good toe form Satchem likely, Librettist looks sure to go very close indeed. However, the forgotten horse - his stablemate Proclamation - is the one I fancy, and at 8/1 with bet 365 he looks drastically overpriced. Jeremy Noseda's Araafa is likely to be ridden similarly to Librettist and there's a chance that both or either jockey might end up committing to early for fear of conceding first run to his rival. If this scenario occurs - and there's a very good chance that it will - this race could be set up for the devastating finishing kick of Proclamation. Although the son of King's Best has been absent since finishing third to Ad Valorem in the Queen Anne Stakes at the Royal meeting, I wouldn't be at all concerned by that, as Saeed bin Suroor has proved time and time again over the years just how adept he is at fine tuning a horses preparation for a big race, and Proclamation will go to post on Saturday ready to do himself justice, if that you can be sure. The selection had been absent for 290 days prior to the Queen Anne and was unsuited by the pedestrian early pace, therefore he deserves plenty of credit for being beaten under two lengths in the end. Indeed, the going was very quick that day too, something which didn't play to his strengths. With the going currently good on the Round Course at Ascot and, if rain doesn't look like arriving, official will probably water the course ahead of the weekend, so it's unlikely that the surface will differ from the current description come Saturday. This factor, in addition to the presence of a pacemaker, means that Proclamation will have everything as he needs it in the QEII. Forget his below par effort in the Haydock Sprint Cup last year - that was essentially an experiment which went wrong. Instead, remember the scintillating turn of foot he displayed when coming from last to first in a matter of strides when landing the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood last season - that was one of the most taking performances I've witness in that race for many a year. If he can reproduce that decisive turn of foot in the QEII, I can't envisage him being beaten. This year's Sussex Stakes hero Court Masterpiece is a credit to his trainer, Ed Dunlop. In May last year the entire was turned over at odds-on in a class 4 conditions race but has subsequently gone on to land three Group races, including two at the highest level, including the aforementioned Glorious Goodwood showpiece. That was a cracking performance from the son of Polish Precedent and it would be dangerous to underestimate him on Saturday. That said, with the runner-up that say, Soviet Song, not looking the force of old this term and Araafa seemingly failing to run his race, it's fair to say that he still has a good deal to prove against the likes of George Washington, Librettist and, above all, Proclamation. Verdict - 1pt Proclamation @ 8/1 (bet365)