Duke bids to be king - Henry for Sussex; O'Brien's plans for Ascot big guns.Byline: By Tony O'Hehir DUKE OF MARMALADE, one of four Group 1 winners for Aidan O'Brien at Royal Ascot last week, is to be stepped up to a mile and a half for the first time in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Henrythenavigator, winner of the St James's Palace Stakes, will head to Goodwood for the Sussex Stakes. O'Brien last night outlined plans for his stars, and confirmed that Prince of Wales's Stakes winner Duke Of Marmalade, along with his Hardwicke Stakes winner Macarthur, are being viewed as King George contenders. The trainer, who sent out six winners in all at Royal Ascot, said: "We've all discussed things and, while plans can always change, we've come up with a list of the races for our Ascot winners, and we're looking at Duke Of Marmalade and Macarthur going for the King George." O'Brien, who won the King George with Galileo in 2001 and Dylan Thomas last year, is responsible for this season's ante-post favourite, Soldier Of Fortune, but the trainer stressed Ballydoyle are looking only one race ahead for their top performers. He said: "Soldier Of Fortune may go to France on Sunday for the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and, for now, we are looking no further than that race for him. We will see how he gets on there before looking any further ahead." Punters considering an ante-post wager on the King George, at Ascot on July 26, will have to make up their own minds about whether Ballydoyle would pitch Soldier Of Fortune in against Duke Of Marmalade. O'Brien said after Duke Of Marmalade's victory that Henrythenavigator's running plans would be considered in light of his stablemate's, and to that end O'Brien last night indicated a preference to keep Henrythenavigator over 1m for now. The dual 2,000 Guineas hero, who completed a hat-trick of Group 1 wins in the St James's Palace, is earmarked for the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on July 30. Yeats, who became only the second horse to win a third Ascot Gold Cup The Ascot Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Kingdom for four-year-old and above thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 2 miles 4 furlongs (4,023 metres) at Ascot Racecourse in June. on Thursday, will also be Goodwood-bound. The Goodwood Cup, which he won in 2006, is his next likely target. O'Brien said: "The current plan is to send Yeats and Honolulu, who won the Queen Alexandra Stakes, for the same Goodwood race." Mount Nelson, beaten a length and a half into fifth behind stablemate Noun 1. stablemate - a horse stabled with another or one of several horses owned by the same person stable companion Equus caballus, horse - solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times Haradasun in the Queen Anne Stakes The Queen Anne Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Kingdom for four-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1 mile at Ascot Racecourse during the Royal Ascot meeting in June. , has the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown a week on Saturday as his next likely target. "The horses seem to have come out of Royal Ascot well," added O'Brien. Moonstone moonstone, an orthoclase feldspar, found in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Madagascar (and formerly in the St. Gotthard district of Switzerland). In spite of its pronounced cleavage, it is widely used as a gem. , who finished second to Look Here in the Oaks at Epsom, will be aimed at the Darley Irish Oaks at the Curragh This article is about the plain in County Kildare. For the racecourse on the plain, see Curragh Racecourse. For the willow scrub habitat known as curragh on the Isle of Man, see Curragh (habitat). For the Irish boat, see Currach. on July 13. More immediately, O'Brien expects to run five in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby on Sunday. He said: "We're looking at running Washington Irving, Alessandro Volta, Hindu Kush, Frozen Fire and Bashkirov." Washington Irving finished fifth and Alessandro Volta sixth in the Derby, in which Frozen Fire was 11th. Hindu Kush won the Listed Silver Stakes at the Curragh on his most recent start, while Bashkirov won a maiden at Down Royal on Saturday. Sail is likely to head O'Brien's challenge for the Group 1 Audi Pretty Polly Stakes Pretty Polly Stakes may refer to:
CAPTION(S): Duke Of Marmalade: the hero of the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot last week is being lined up for a tilt at the King George; Aidan O'Brien: mapped out targets for Ascot stars |
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