So You Think On Course To Dominate Europe

With the UK Flat Racing season now in full swing, attention is quickly turning to Royal Ascot later this month and the Group One Prince of Wales Stakes looks a mouth watering prospect and is sure to be one of the highlights of the five day meeting which runs between 14th and 19th June.

As it stands, Arc de Triomphe winner, Workforce, will take on the fast emerging Australian superstar, So You Think, over the one mile and two furlong. Add to the mix multiple Group One winner Canford Cliffs, last year’s winner, Byword, Prix Ganay winner, Planteur and Sheema Classic winner, Rewilding then the race really looks one to savour.

Workforce looked impressive when winning the Group Two Brigadier Gerard Stakes last week on his seasonal debut at Sandown but whether his trainer, Sir Michael Stoute, decides to take on So You Think over ten furlongs is open to doubt, with the general feeling that he favours the slightly longer 12 furlong trip. If this proves to be the case, then So You Think should take all the beating in the Price of Wales. Workforce meanwhile looks set to benefit considerably for his first run of the season and should improve once again when next seen out.

The five year old So You Think, who is under the stewardship of Aidan O’Brien at Ballydoyle while in Europe looked awesome when winning the Group One Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh last weekend, where he beat the very useful Campanologist by over four lengths. It was his second win in two starts in Ireland and it seems that he is just beginning to confirm his superstar status. His former Australian trainer, Bart Cummings, a legend of course down under who holds the record  of most wins in the Melbourne Cup, has been sounding off about the lack of true competition for So You Think in Europe. He believes that the European horses are inferior to those in Australia suggesting very strongly that So You Think will remain unbeaten whilst he is racing here.

There is little doubt that Ballydoyle would like to aim him at the ‘Arc’ ultimately with perhaps a run in the Breeder’s Cup Classic to finish off the season and possibly his career before heading to stud. This means that he is likely to take on all-comers, including Workforce at Royal Ascot or perhaps in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

When or whatever the race it looks like Workforce and So You Think will set up a rivalry of huge proportions at some stage this season and whether it's sooner or later, the debate about which is the better of the two older middle distance runners will be decided one way or another.    

sha-tin.com