Queen Be

QUEEN BE 
With no Kingman (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) or Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and even some of the other leading milers in the mix for today's G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. sponsored by Qipco, Ascot's premier mile contest is up for grabs, and significantly Sir Michael Stoute has opted to chance his star filly Integral (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}). Cheveley Park Stud's distaffers have a history of beating the colts in this territory, and the 4-year-old has looked all season to be another to follow suit as she has established herself at the top of the tree among her sex. A series of traded blows with the Andre Fabre-trained fillies Miss France (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) and Esoterique (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) was punctuated by a knock-out blow delivered to the cross-channel raiders in the G1 Sun Chariot S. over this trip at Newmarket last time Oct. 4. That was the homebred's second top-level success gained by the use of forcing tactics by Ryan Moore, having taken the G1 Falmouth S. by the scruff of the neck on the rain-soaked July Course there July 11, and that tactical versatility should boost her chances here. “She appeared to take the race very well after winning the Sun Chariot last time, both in terms of weight loss and demeanor–but Group 1 races do leave their scars, so we will know on Saturday if 14 days has been enough,” Stoute told PA Sport. “The Sun Chariot was only Integral's fifth race of the season and we have nothing to lose.” 
Representing the form of the Sept. 14 G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp are the winner Charm Spirit (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and third Night of Thunder (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who had been fifth and first, respectively, when trading at 33-1 and 40-1 in the G1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket May 3. The latter inflicted the sole defeat on Kingman on that occasion and is reunited with Richard Hughes, who partnered Toronado (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) to split the pair in the Moulin. “The ground will be soft at best and we have to make the most of it, but Night of Thunder reveled in those conditions last year so we have no worries on that score with him,” conditioner Richard Hannon said. “The cards did not fall his way in the Moulin at Longchamp last time, but he still ran a blinder and he worked as well earlier in the week as he did before the Guineas, so we think he is right back on his A-game.” Charm Spirit, who had previously won the G1 Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly July 14 on very soft ground, has proven since his Guineas eclipse that he belongs among the elite of Europe's milers without being in the same category as Kingman. Trainer Freddy Head is confident he will hold his own here. “He has improved a lot since he last came to England,” he told PA Sport. “The ground at Ascot will not bother him–he will go on anything.” 
Gary Douglas and Pat Breslin's Custom Cut (Ire) (Notnowcato {GB}) is one of the season's most improved performers and underlined that with an impressive 2 1/2-length defeat of Captain Cat (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) in the G2 Joel S. at Newmarket Sept. 26, having won the G3 Desmond S. at Leopardstown Aug. 14 and G3 Strensall S. at York Aug. 23. “He's a good little horse and all ground seems to come alike to him,” trainer David O'Meara told PA Sport. “It was good ground when he won the Joel Stakes and soft-to-heavy when he went to Leopardstown and won the Desmond. A few of the other horses in the race might not bring their A-game on that sort of ground, so it should increase his chances, hopefully.”