King Geoff and Queen Beth’s Emerald Stakes
The feature race in Surrey this Saturday is the King Geoff and Queen Beth’s Emerald Stakes (G1) at a mile and a half. The race is open to three-year-olds and up and has a total purse being offered of $2,000,000. Despite the rain earlier in the week that has left us with a course rated as good, the race has attracted a full field of fourteen runners. Let’s take a look through the contender’s for this year’s race.
- Mightive Said Yeah (IRE) – vegasone – A. Rolling – 8/1
Bred in Ireland the light grey five-year-old gelding is by Dark Angel (IRE). Most recently racing in late May here in Surrey, the gelding crossed the wire sixth in The Coronation Pilsner (G1) at a mile and a half. The gelding struck out on the lead early out of the gates, but by the time the field reached the stretch the gelding started to fade and would drop back to sixth at the wire. The most recent win for the gelding came in February during the John Scott Appreciation Stakes (G1) over the same distance in Australia. The gelding did manage to take the field from gate to wire in this race, winning by three-quarters of the length. This Saturday, he will again be a likely pacesetter early in the race.
2. Path Of Time (GB) – asrfrankel – N. Labreche – 10/1
Making his sixteenth career start on Saturday, the son of Frankel most recently started last month in Japan during the Kakrarzuka Kinen Cup (G1) at a mile and three-eighths. The four-year-old bay colt settled into sixth out of the gate in the ten-horse field and quickly began to challenge other runners. In the final furlongs he had moved up into second when he crossed the wire off the pace by just a length and setting a speed figure of one hundred fourteen. The most recent win for the horse was in late February in New Zealand during the New Zealand Darby (G1) at a mile and a half. Running in a similar fashion, the colt was fifth out of the gate and took over the lead in the stretch to win by two lengths.
3. Ikem Ekwonu (IRE) – barcelona1 – D. Matas – 8/1
In the third slot will be the oldest horse to go to the starting gate on Saturday. The six-year-old son of Galileo (IRE) has made eighteen career starts, finishing on the board in twelve of those starts. The most recent start for the Irish-bred horse was in Brazil for The Grand Brazilian (G1) at a mile and a half. Out of the gate in seventh the horse was asked to advance at about the three-quarter point of the race. He would come up just short to finish second while setting a speed figure of one hundred sixteen. The most recent win for the bay horse was in December of last year during a listed stakes race at thirteen furlongs in Australia. Facing only six other contenders, the horse was one of the last out of the gate as he was held back in sixth early. By the midway point of the race the horse had taken the lead and then went on to win by a daylight margin of nine lengths.
4. Kawasaki Approach (GB) – amir1743 – M. Arkey – 21/1
Going off as one of our longer shots on the board for Saturday, the son of New Approach (IRE) is a group winner but is still looking for his first Group I win. His most recent race, and most recent attempt at Group I glory, came in May during the Tattersalls Gold (G1) in Ireland at a mile and five-sixteenths. The four-year-old chestnut colt was out of the gate a beat late and settling into ninth. Ninth is where he would be crossing the wire, setting a speed figure of one hundred three over the yielding course. His most recent win came this past April during the Great Beer Cup (G3) in New Zealand over a mile and three-eighths. Seventh out of the gate in this race, he started to contend for position midway through the race before eventually going on to win by three-quarters of a length.
5. Indeed Baaeed (GB) – uscsteve10 – D. Givins – 16/1
The scratchbred son of Baaeed, this four-year-old bay colt has made sixteen career starts, winning six times. The most recent start for the colt was last month during The Gold Class (G1) over two miles at Berkshire. Well off the pace in eleventh out of the gate, the colt would start to advance midway through the race but would only cross the wire in seventh, setting a speed figure of one hundred three. His most recent win however would come in his start prior in early May. This start was in the Yorkshire Plate (G2) at a mile and three-quarters here in Surrey. More forwardly placed towards the middle of the pack in seventh out of the gate in this spot, the colt had worked his way up to fifth at the midway point of the race. He would challenge the front runners down the stretch and go on to win by two lengths while setting a speed figure of one hundred thirteen.
6. Strategy Official (GB) – asrfrankel3 – D. Evans – 29/1
The second of three horses in this weekend’s field to be sired by Frankel (GB), this four-year-old bay colt will also be going off as the morning line longshot. Lightly raced with fourteen career starts, the colt has won three times. His most recent start was last month in Italy for the Milan Grand Prix (G1) over the same distance as he will be traversing on Saturday. Out of the gate in eighth, he maintained this position for most of the race up until the stretch where he faded badly to cross the wire in eleventh with a speed figure of ninety-nine. His most recent win came in September of last year in France over a yielding course of a mile and three-quarters for The Hanging Chad (G2). The colt was the last out of the gate in sixth early. He trailed the field until asked to start picking up the pace midway through the race and would go on to win his second consecutive group victory by half a length. His only other group win was in The Great Volt (G2) here in Surrey also last year. Both of these races were run over off going.
7. Branded Gcliffo (ENG) – givenshared2 –Q. Cassell – 11/1
Lightly raced at fourteen career starts, this four-year-old colt became a Group winner with his most recent start. The son of top sire Dubawi (IRE) has won six of these fourteen starts. His most recent race was in Italy early last month during The Milan Grand Prix (G1) at a mile and half. He broke sharply out of the gate and for the briefest of moments was in second before taking command of the pace. He would lead the field the rest of the way to the wire, winning by three-quarters of a length and setting a speed figure of one hundred sixteen, which was also a lifetime best. While that was the only group race of the three, the colt is coming into Saturday’s race off three consecutive wins, including a listed stakes and allowance race in addition to his group victory.
8. Shady Sticks (IRE) – guch23 –J. Sands – 8/1
Winner of an End Of Year award and bringing home over six million in lifetime earnings, the five-year-old gelding is sired by Waldgeist (GB). The most recent start for the chestnut gelding was here in Surrey in late May during the Coronation Pilsner (G1) at a mile and a half. Out of the gate in fourth early, the gelding would get shuffled back to fifth midway through the race and never seemed to fire, coming home to cross the wire in fifth while setting a speed figure of one hundred nine. He would win his prior start, which came in the United States during the San Francisco Captain Handicap (G1) over the same distance. The gelding was much further off the pace at the start here, positioned in ninth out of the gate at the start. He would be asked to move at the midway point in the race and would step it up a notch again in the stretch to go on to win by four and three-quarter lengths.
9. Franks Star Forty (GB) – dkstables49 – F. Gossett – 9/2
Coming into the race off of two consecutive wins, the five-year-old is a son of the great Frankel (GB) and has finished off the board only twice in his career. The bay horse most recently started on the other side of globe in South America in The Grand Brazilian (G1) at a mile and a half. Out of the gate in fifth early in the eight horse field, the horse took over the lead at the midway point of the contest and went on to win by two and a half lengths while setting a speed figure of one hundred eighteen. His prior race was this past March out in Dubai during the Sand Castle Golden Turf Classic (G1) over the same distance. Facing a larger field in this contest, the horse was sixth out of the gate and started picking other contenders off early, though he would not take over the lead until the finial furlongs before going on to win the race by three and a quarter lengths.
10. Irish Breeze (IRE) – beerkeg – R. Hansen – 13/1
The first in our field to not have won a group race yet in his career, the four-year-old bay gelding by Sea The Stars is lightly raced at fifteen starts, finishing on the board in ten of these races. The most recent start for the gelding almost got him the much sought after group win after he closed late to finish second by only the margin of a head in May’s The Coronation Pilsner (G1) here in Surrey at a mile and a half. The gelding stalked the pace early from third, just off the pacesetters, before making a late bid down the stretch to come up just short in second. He would set a speed figure of one hundred fourteen for the race. The most recent win for the gelding came last November during a listed stakes race in South Korea over the same distance. The gelding would be further off the pace in this race, sent out of the gate in seventh early. He would clash with other contenders early, starting to pick them off one by one, before crossing the wire a quarter length in front.
11. Uni Kvasir (FR) – jaka2 – J. Ledwidth – 8/1
Approaching the two-million-dollar mark in career earnings, this will be the first son of Siyouni for Saturday’s race, the second coming just after him in our next slot. The five-year-old bay horse took a step down in class for his most recent start to an allowance race over a mile and a half in Brazil. The horse took the field from gate to wire to win by eleven lengths, much outclassing his competition with a speed figure of one hundred eleven. His most recent group start was also in Brazil during The Grand Brazilian (G1) this past May over the same distance where he would finish fifth.
12. Raise The Titanic (FR) – plano23 – J. Bradley – 7/1
With twenty lifetime starts, the five-year-old gelding is the son of Siyouni. His most recent start came last month in Italy in The Milan Grand Prix (G1) at a mile and a half. Mid-pack in fifth out of the gate, he was asked to challenge the other contenders midway through the race and worked his way up into second. He wasn’t able to get by in the final furlongs and would cross the wire in second while setting a speed figure of one hundred fifteen. His most recent win was in October of last year, also in Italy. This win came in The Jockey’s Weapon (G1) over the same distance. More forwardly placed out of the gate in third early, the colt took the lead at the midway point in the race and went on to win by a length.
13. Black Basilica (IRE) – woettemares – B. Wu – 14/1
The last of only two runners to make our field without having won a prior group start, the four-year-old bay gelding is by St. Mark’s Basilica and out of a group placed dam. The gelding most recently started last month during a listed race over two miles in Australia. Facing a full field, the gelding was sent out of the gate to settle into eighth, though he quickly started gaining ground on the competition and moving up through the field. He would cross the wire in second, just a half-length off the pace, while setting a speed figure of one hundred eight. His most recent group start was in May during The Second Henry (G2) at two miles in Berkshire where he would also finish second. His most recent win goes back to March during an allowance race at a mile and seven-eighths in New Zealand in which he took the field from gate to wire to win impressively and going away by twenty-one and a half lengths.
14. The Dread Knight (ENG) – given007 – O. A. Haack – 13/1
In the far outside post for Saturday and making his fifteenth career start, this son of top sire Dubawi (IRE) is a four-year-old chestnut gelding. The most recent start for the gelding came here in Surrey during the Coronation Pilsner (G1) at a mile and a half. Sent out of the gate in sixth, the gelding wouldn’t find his stride in the race and crossed the wire in seventh while setting a speed figure of one hundred five. His prior start, and most recent win, was in April during Australia’s The 5-Series (G1) over the same distance. The gelding was further off the pace in this spot, tenth out of the gate and not urged to make a run until late in the race. The gelding would go on to win by two and three-quarter lengths while setting a speed figure of one hundred sixteen.
Flrancho’s Picks:
Win: Franks Star Forty (GB)
Place: Raise The Titanic (FR)
Show: Ikem Ekwonu (IRE)