Juliette's weekly frolic
Prestige races like the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes invariably present problems for punters of my persuasion. You want the class horse to win, for the sake of the sport and the breed, but since he is favourite you've invested in a 50-1 brainwave. Neck and neck inside the final furlong, do you think of racing, or your pocket? Clearly, as I'd like Go see Rhein gold avenge his Derby defeat by Roberto this Saturday, and believe he will, it's best to leave the race alone, but spurred on by the perfect result of '72 — a win for Brigadier Gerard, a second for my 28-1 shot, Parnell — 1 fancy I must plunge the pin in once more. Thanks to the sponsors, the! Ascot Authority and the Levy Board, the 23rd 'King George' will be Britain's first E100,000-added race. Whether the spectacle matches the rewards will largely depend on the Rheingold/Roberto confrontation taking place, for this return match has all the ingredients of the Mill Reef/Brigadier Gerard encounter that never did. The winners of this year's Irish Derby, Weaver's Hall, and of last year's French Derby, Hard to Beat, lend the race an international flavour, but more intriguing still would be the appearance of Irish Oaks winner Dahlia, when you consider that her victim, Mysterious, was favourite, several points clear of either Rheingold or Roberto, for the title of Champion Racehorse 1973.
However my requirements demand an animal whose generous odds are an insult to his achieve ments and here we have Hard To Beat (Prix Lupin, Prix du Jockey Club and Prix Niel) at 16-1 and my old friend, Parnell (two Prix Jean Prats, and a second in the ' King George ' and Washington International) at 12-1. Both have run abysmal races in France recently which explains their current neglect, but Parnell hadn't been out for ten weeks and in any case has a peerless record at Ascot. The lady jockeys have yet to race at Epsom and until they do, De Beers's Cullinan Diamond Race will do very well as their Derby. Kathinka put in a great finishing rattle to take third place in Saturday's Miss Selfridge Stakes — a first ladies race for both horse and rider. With that experience behind them and an extra half mile in front, the combination's worth a few pence on Saturday. All very logical, but the fact that I attended the same academy for young ladies as jockey, Anita Fuglesang, could possibly have influenced my judge ment. . .
Bringing up the rear — I hope not literally — a chestnut filly that 1 can see is going to cost me a lot of money in the months to come. Dad, a 200,000-dollar earner in the States, answers to the name of Gallant Romeo, his daughter, Mlle Juliette made her debut at Windsor on Monday night. I suppose we'd better have a E1 to win on all future runs — it's not often anyone gets the spelling right. Assets: £95.26. Outlay: £2 ew Parnell (12-1, Corals), et to win Kathinka & Reformed Character.
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