QEII - Ascot

Not sure you can say common sense should prevail when he has 2 weeks between each run and he put in a big effort yesterday to win the way he did. Wouldn't touch him ante-post personally until confirmed a runner, regardless of the weather. Night of Thunder also handles the soft ground really well too and is the fresher horses.

Integral had a 2 month break before winning on Saturday and connections are now considering her for the race.

Prob waiting for Ladbrokes to tell us all that Oz is going for the QEII

Toronado is going to be 2lb better off with Charm Spirit and Night of Thunder from their runs last time out. Toro has won on Good to Soft twice (maiden and Sussex Stakes) but has never tried it softer. Herbert states he'll run unless it's really bad ground. Given his record at Ascot he could go off Favourite?

do you know if the Hannons are sending Toormore as well as NoT and Toronado, sint?

Looking at the entries I'm struggling to get excited by the race to be honest, Integral would be an interesting runner I suppose.

I struggle to see more than half of the entries having any impact at all.

Interesting. Someone on twitter is suggest Hughes may ride NOT.

"Ryan (Moore) told me that he felt he would definitely have won had he not got shuffled back at a crucial stage,

From R Hannon's website .. now I'm no genius like Ryan Moore - but watching the race I fail to see how he was so inconvenienced apart from being a bit slowly away ...

Can anyone shed some light on this please .. ?

This looks the most competitive race of the meeting,a cracker,Integral is improving and hard to overlook,NOT looks on the way back with hold up tactics,they look close together,it will be interesting too see how many drop out,not a betting race for me.

Harry Herbert said it the other day on C4 racing Geoff.


Anyone else see it?

Custom Cut is one of 13 horses in contention for the Qipco-sponsored prize, with Joel Stakes runner-up Captain Cat set to renew rivalry with O'Meara's ace after he, too, was added to the field.

Despite last year's winner Olympic Glory now retired to stud, trainer Richard Hannon is still triple-handed at this stage with Toronado, Toormore and Night Of Thunder.

Kingsbarns could be a fascinating runner see Ladbrokes already shortest priced by miles on him. Always got to take note. Still a doubt whether he runs though. They must be desperate to win a big one with him though.

yep I don't think they'd run him on Soft/Heavy tbh.

RICHARD HANNON on Tuesday reduced his Queen Elizabeth II Stakes hand to two, diverting Toronado to the Breeders' Cup Mile and leaving Richard Hughes to jump aboard the 2,000 Guineas winner Night Of Thunder on Qipco British Champions Day on Saturday.

RELATED LINKS
QEII Stakes card
Hannon hopes Ryan Moore, who rode Night Of Thunder when he was a neck behind Hughes on Toronado in the Moulin last month, will be free to ride his other contender, Toormore.
The absence of the Group 1-winning Toronado is another blow to British Champions Day, which the bulk of this season's top performers in Europe will miss.

Hannon, speaking at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sales, said: "Hughesie rides Night Of Thunder with Toronado going for the Breeders' Cup Mile. I hope Ryan Moore is available for Toormore, I don't know for sure."

Hughes dismissed any ground concerns for the Classic winner, the only horse to beat Kingman in his career, pointing out: "Night Of Thunder will be fine on the ground. He won on unraceable ground as a two-year-old and it was soft when he won a Listed race at Doncaster last year."

Top Notch Tonto is bidding to go one better than last year and hopes are rising with the prospect of similar soft ground to a year ago when only Hannon's Olympic Glory could pass him in the straight.

The four-year-old went into last year's race, finishing in front of Kingsbarns and favourite Dawn Approach, on the back of two wins and has been winless since but trainer Brian Ellison saw positives in his last two runs on faster ground.

Ellison said: "Everything has gone fine - his last two runs have been much more like it. I think he has come back to form and we know he goes on the track and on the soft ground."

Lightning Moon, second favourite for the Qipco British Champions Sprint, is only 50-50 to make the line-up after an unsatisfactory blood test.

Trainer Ed Walker said that a decision regarding the unbeaten colt's participation in Saturday's showpiece would be made once the colt has cantered and been tested again on Thursday morning.

Me neither. Just seen it on RP website. I have now backed NOT at 3/1 ew. I know it is not an eachway price but I wouldn't feel confident backing him to win as both Charm Spirit and Integral have winning form on Soft too so will take the lesser loss if he places.

good point. Integral is in-training next season and maybe they would not want to give her a tough race against colts on bad ground.

No great surprise that Toro is out of Sats race
Should have took a bit of the 3s about N of T yest .

Think (& hope) its 3s the field come sat morn for this, & it should be imo.
Granted a gd pace i would fancy N of T to get the better of the Fr colt, but not by a lot sint.
Just fancy this stiffer mile of Ascot`s to swing the balance, we shall see.
But its not a two horse race by any means, Integral is a class act (tho heavy would be a concern & another quickish run) after her Sun Chariot win.
Custom Cut is much improved this season, Top Notch T does go well in heavy ground (2nd last yr in this race) So an open race that should be 3s the field imo.
On the balance of things in my book i just favour N of T atm.

The one thing I would be absolutely confident about in this race is that NOT will beat Charm Spirit by a comfortable margin. I suppose that means he will win the race then, as the male elders don't look like elite group 1 performers and Integral had a hard race two weeks ago. NOT's prep could hardly have gone much better on a track diametrically opposed to his needs. Charm Spirit is a typical French miler/Moulin winner - skimming around bends and quickening up in a short straight. I can see a virtual rerun of last year's renewal with NOT, like Olympic Glory, powering clear in the final furlong. The Guineas form was absolutely genuine, and this is his first chance since then to show his forte - a gruelling straight mile slog.

I think Night of Thunder's the NAP of the entire weekend. Would be shocked to seem him beat in these conditions.

Let's hope it is one for the good guys! Integral is the one I fear most!