O`Brien fields two for Ascot highlights

Aidan O`Brien, who already has 16 Group One wins to his name this season, will be double-handed in both of the feature events at Ascot on Saturday.

He will saddle Bach and Hawkeye, the choice of stable jockey Michael Kinane, in the Stg£300,000 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, for which 11 horses stood their ground at today`s declaration stage.

And the Ballydoyle maestro will field once-raced maiden Maryinsky, as well as Moon Safari, in the £200,000 Meon Valley Stud Fillies` Mile on the same card at the Berkshire track.

The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes will see a rematch of the Sussex Stakes from Goodwood, as the first and second, Godolphin`s Noverre and Sir Michael Stoute`s No Excuse Needed, reoppose.

That duo head the Tote`s betting on the contest at 15-8 and 9-2 respectively.

Noverre will bid to give Sheikh Mohammed`s team a second victory in the one-mile race, following Mark Of Esteem (1996) and Dubai Millennium (1999).

Summoner has also been left in by Godolphin and is likely to act as pacemaker for his stablemate.

'Hawkeye is very well and came out of his last run fine,' said O`Brien today of a colt who finished a creditable third in the Prix du Moulin on his latest start.

'He`s been progressing all season and his run in France, his first in a Group One, showed he is still improving.'

Bach (Jamie Spencer) has been an admirable performer all season with third-placed finishes in the Coral Eurobet Eclipse Stakes and Ireland The Food Island Irish Champion Stakes to his name.

'He`s obviously a very consistent horse but he seems better for this run than he`s ever been this season,' O`Brien added. 'Obviously he`s gone forward too.'

Extra spice is added to the event by the presence of Germany`s Proudwings and France`s Vahorimix.

Andre Fabre`s Vahorimix was awarded the French 2000 Guineas following the disqualification of Noverre after a banned sustenance was found in a sample given by the winner.

And, amazingly, Vahorimix picked up another Group One prize when the Ralf Suerland-trained Proudwings was disqualified from first place in the Prix Jacques le Marois after causing interference.

More foreign flavour is added by Singapore raider Bocelli, who finished a fair fourth in a Listed event at Newbury last week on his first start in Britain.

The field is completed by John Gosden`s Valentino, the John Dunlop-trained Olden Times, who only runs if no further rain, and Richard Hannon`s Sagitta 2000 Guineas runner-up Tamburlaine.

Gosden saddled Observatory to beat O`Brien`s Giant`s Causeway in the corresponding contest last season.

O`Brien`s duo will face six rivals in the fillies` event including the exciting Gossamer and Half Glance, both leading fancies for the Sagitta 1000 Guineas.

Half Glance will bid to give the Warren Place handler his first Group One prize of the season.

But she will face a stern test against Luca Cumani`s Gossamer, who is unbeaten in two starts and has been installed as 5-4 favourite with the Tote for Saturday`s race.

A sister to the stable`s Breeders` Cup Mile winner Barathea, Gossamer was impressive when trotting up by seven lengths in the Touchdown In Malaysia Prestige Stakes at Goodwood on her latest start.

Half Glance also has an unblemished record and took a Group Three event on her latest outing, the Rothmans Royals May Hill Stakes at Doncaster.

But O`Brien will be out to shake up the big two and Maryinsky, a half-sister to the stable`s Royal Lodge Stakes runner-up Turnberry Isle, will be the mount of Kinane.

'Maryinsky is a half-sister to Turnberry Isle and we`ve always liked her,' said O`Brien. 'She ran a lovely race on her debut and Fran Berry thought she was a very nice filly in the making.'

Moon Safari (Johnny Murtagh) won a Tipperary maiden in August but finished down the field in the Moyglare Stud Stakes.

O`Brien added: 'Better ground will be a help to her and the extra furlong looks in her favour as well.'

Ed Dunlop`s Fraulein steps up from a win in a conditions race at Newbury last time, where she got home by a short-head from the previously unbeaten Distant Valley over seven furlongs.

'Obviously it`s a very tough race - both Luca and Henry`s fillies look very, very good,' said Dunlop`s racing secretary Peter Shoemark.

'But she`s done nothing wrong and I think it was possibly quite a good race she won at Newbury. There were good reports about the second and third and they pulled a long way clear.

'Dropping back to seven there wouldn`t have been entirely suitable for her. She won over a mile on heavy the time before.

'She`s a staying filly in the making and maybe she showed her class to get her through.

'We`re there with a fighting chance - she`s a nice filly.'

The field is completed by Marcus Tregoning`s Esloob, who landed a Newmarket maiden on her sole start, Eric Alston`s Reef Sis, and Gosden`s Sundari.

Sundari, winner of a conditions event at Sandown earlier this month, represents the stable responsible for last year`s winner Crystal Music.

Some rain hit the track overnight with a resultant slight ease in the ground, as clerk of the course Nick Cheyne explained.

'Our ground is now good, good to firm in places. It`s been dry here today after 5mm of rain last night,' he said. 'The forecast is good, to be dry tomorrow really.

'We were forecast rain today but we didn`t get it although there is a chance we could get one later.

'It basically then looks warm and dry Friday. Then overnight Friday and Saturday could become unsettled and there could be outbreaks of rain by dawn Saturday. But I don`t think anything dramatic.

'Then on Sunday there might be a bit more heavy rain in the middle of the day. But tomorrow looks fine.

'Our penetrometer is decent and gives3.5 at the moment.'

QEII, Tote betting: 15-8 Noverre, 9-2 No Excuse Needed, 5-1 Proudwings, 6-1 Hawkeye, Vahorimix, 14-1 Bach, Olden Times, 20-1 Bocelli, 25-1 Tamburlaine, Valentino, 50-1 Summoner.

Fillies` Mile, Tote betting: 5-4 Gossamer, 15-8 Half Glance, 13-2 Sundari, 11-1 Maryinsky, Fraulein, 12-1 Esloob, 33 Moon Safari, 100-1 Reef Sis.