Man O'War Stakes 2011

10.17 Belmont Park

Man O´War Stakes (Grade 1) (3yo+) (Turf) (3yo+) Winner £230,769

Pick: Cape Blanco (win)

Mission Approved: Made Gio Ponti pull out all the stops when allowed to dictate a steady pace in last year’s renewal, and got away with it when gives same amount of rope on seasonal reappearance when pinching the  Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap latest; Can go well again although more on his plate here at weights.

Bearpath: Competitive fourth behind Gio Ponti and Mission Approved in this last year before being unable to run down Telling in the Sword Dancer Invitational; Not done so well at shorter trips since and looks up against it here.

Boisterous: Upped in class but still one to take seriously having won three of his last four starts including the Three Coins Up overnight stakes; Trip could bring improvement and not one to underestimate.

Al Khali: Shaped like the best horse in the race but far when a dreadfully unlucky fourth in Canadian International (behind Windward Islands), failing to get a run on the inside and travelling over the track for the last 2 furlongs; Now not backed that up in four subsequent starts and feeling is that he’s flattered by the effort.

Gio Ponti: Absolutely top class, one of best turf horses in recent US Racing history; Possibly not as good last year as he was in 2009 (in comparison with penultimate year, when he was second only to Zenyatta in Breeders’ Cup Classic); Second to Goldikova in Breeders’ Cup Mile was cracking effort (best in field) & Dubai World Cup (behind Cape Blanco) was far too slowly run for him; Unable to give weight (7lbs) and big start over 10f to Mission Approved but big chance today.

Nownownow: 2007 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winners: Fifth in the Monmouth Stakes last time out and is winless since January 2009.

Cape Blanco: Thoroughly progressive last year, winning Dante and then second in King George, not to mention landing Irish Derby and Irish Champion Stakes (by 5l) (Couldn’t handle soft ground in the Arc but that effort forgiven); creditable fourth in farcically slowly run Dubai World Cup (ahead of Gio Point) but probably didn’t match that form when a well beaten fourth in the Prix Ganay; Worse still when sixth in the Queen Anne last time out but that far too hard at a mile and return to this trip can see him in a better light.

VERDICT: Back at a longer trip on level weights Gio Ponti might be able to reverse form with the cannily ridden Mission Approved from their meeting last time, but both are passed over in favor of CAPE BLANCO, who will take some beating if back to his best. Some confidence is needed but this is the most suitable task he’s had for a while.