A Cut Above?

It was in Ascot's G2 Summer Mile 12 months ago that Mutakayyef (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) first established himself as a performer of real substance at this trip and one of the best of Shadwell's current entourage is back again on Saturday for the latest renewal named in honour of Fred Cowley MBE. His latest run when second to Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) in the G1 Queen Anne S. at the Royal meeting here June 20 is up there with any of his recent personal bests and if he is in the same form he is certain to prove too much for his rivals. “He did everything right at Royal Ascot and was beaten by a better horse,” explained Angus Gold, racing manager to owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum. “It is well-documented he doesn't want the soft ground and they had the rain earlier in the week, so I hope it dries up enough. If he runs the same sort of race he ran at Royal Ascot I can't see why he won't take all the beating. He is a very genuine horse and he normally runs his race, so I would like to think he will go close. The [G1] Sussex [S. at Goodwood Aug. 2] is certainly a possible afterwards. We've also got the option of going back up to a mile and a quarter with him, as he ran well at York [when third in the G1 Juddmonte International] last year and I don't think anybody would say he doesn't stay it. I'm sure at some point he will go back to a mile and quarter, but we will see how he gets on Saturday.”

Interestingly, Mutakayyef's trainer William Haggas also saddles Al Shaqab Racing's Hathal (Speightstown), who was restricted to just two starts last term resulting in a win in the G3 Superior Mile at Haydock in September and eighth in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. here the following month. The fact that his handler even ran him in that Champions Day contest suggests he holds him in high regard and it is worth noting that coming into this race last year Mutakayyef was similarly unproven. If Mutakayyef falters, the rock-solid option is Lady O'Reilly's veteran Sovereign Debt (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), revitalised by the new regime at Ruth Carr's stables and successful on her last three outings including the Apr. 28 G2 Sandown Mile and Epsom's G3 Diomed S. over an extended mile last time June 3. He will find shouldering his three-pound penalty more difficult here but in his current form he is worthy of abundant respect until he is subdued. “We have been heading towards this race at Ascot for a while and any rain they get will help,” Carr said. “I do keeping thinking one day we will go to the races and be disappointed, but he has exceeded our expectations. He just keeps stepping up to it.”