Qipco King George shaping up; Makfi calls on Mary
Eighteen horses remain in Britain's mid-summer highlight for middle-distance horses, after impressive Royal Ascot winner Eagle Top (pictured under William Buick), trained by John Gosden, was added to the list of contenders. His owner, Lady Bamford, paid a £75,000 late-entry fee to put the colt into the race, and he is set to line-up alongside another fascinating contender, his stablemate Taghrooda.
She won the Investec Oaks at Epsom on her latest start, and could become a rare three-year-old filly who wins the famous race.
Another horse who ran well at Epsom, Investec Derby third Romsdal - he finished one place ahead of Qatar Racing's Arod in that Classic - could also line up for Gosden's yard.
The Sir Michael Stoute-trained Telescope streaked home in Royal Ascot's Gr.2 Hardwicke Stakes and is likely to start favourite, while other interesting contenders include the Eclipse Stakes one-two of Mukhadram and Trading Leather.
Makfi, Qatar Bloodstock's exciting first-season sire, has enjoyed further success with his offspring in the past week, and could be in line for a first Stakes winner in Britain on Thursday. His daughter Mary McPhee is a likely runner in the Listed Irish Champions Weekend EBF Stallions Star Stakes at Sandown (3.05).
A winner at Warwick last time in the colours of Jeremy Gompertz, Sir Peter Vela and Qatar Racing, the Charlie Hills-trained filly is one of 15 who could run on Thursday. Hills (pictured below) is confident the step up to seven furlongs will suit Mary McPhee.
Her sire's other recent winners have been Cornwallville, who landed this third French race on Thursday, and Publilia, who skated up at Hamilton on Friday.
She could form part of a valuable double for Qatar Racing 8 to Follow contestantMagdalena Gut. Of the top seven stables only Gut's includes Mary McPhee, and she can also call upon another Hills-trained filly, Kiyoshi, who holds a Listed-race entry in the Woodford Stud Valiant Stakes (3.55) at Ascot on Friday.
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