Racing News: John Oxx believes the bookmakers may have made a rare miscalculation in making Azamour favourite over his great rival Grey Swallow for Saturday's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes.
Remarkably the two star four-year-olds are trained just a matter of miles apart at the Curragh and are dominating the betting for Europe's midsummer highlight at Newbury.
Azamour has finished in front of Grey Swallow on three of the four occasions they have clashed to date and, sure enough, the Oxx horse is a general 2 to 1 favourite for the King George.
However it will be Azamour's first attempt at the mile and a half distance and Oxx is very aware of the task that is being put in front of the Aga Khan owned colt.
"He is a Group One winner at a mile, a double Group One winner at a mile and a quarter and not many horses can win Group One's at all three distances," he said yesterday.
"He is not really bred to go the distance and it has to be a big question mark but we are anxious to try. We feel it is worth a go and we're hopeful. Over a mile and a quarter he has been getting stronger the nearer he gets to the line which is a great thing in a horse.
"I see he is favourite but he has to go and do it. Grey Swallow looked very sharp in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and he looks the one to beat. He would be a worthy favourite in my book with the doubts over our fella's stamina," Oxx added.
Significantly it was Grey Swallow that emerged best of the pair on their last clash in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh but Dermot Weld's horse enjoyed a trouble free run while Azamour certainly didn't.
Since then Azamour has won the Prince Of Wales Stakes at York and Oxx reported:
"He has been in good form since. His work has been fine and we just hope we can get him there in the same shape. We have always had great confidence in the horse. If he gets the trip he will be hard to beat."
Two other Irish trained horses among the 16 left in the King George are the Aidan O'Brien pair, Yeats and Ace, but the Ballydoyle trainer yesterday didn't commit both horses to the race.
"Both of them have been left in but they are not definite for the race. They are possibles but we will have to see how they are nearer to the race. Jockey plans haven't been discussed yet," he said.
O'Brien has also left in Saturday's Curragh winner Oh How Lovely in the Group Three Princess Margaret Stakes and said: "She only ran at the weekend so we will have to see how she is later in the week."
As well as Grey Swallow's King George attempt, Dermot Weld will also be involved in the USA on Saturday night as Merger will try and give the Curragh trainer a third success in the Grade Two American Derby at Arlington Park in Chicago.
The top East Coast jockey Ramon Dominguez will partner Merger who bids to follow in the hoofprints of Pine Dance and Simple Exchange last year.
It's six years since Giants Causeway kicked off his spectacular racing career by winning the six furlong maiden at Naas and this evening's renewal sees Giants Causeway's son Nero try to make it second time lucky in his own fledgling career.
First time out Nero also ran over this course and distance and could only manage a fifth to the progressive Namaya. But there should be significant improvement to come and he can beat off another son of Giants Causeway in Heatseeker.
Aidan O'Brien and Kieren Fallon give Bonanza another spin over the six furlong trip in tonight's handicap and the colt will be hard to beat judged on the improvement he showed here last month.
Euro Flyer could be making the last start of her racing career in the two mile handicap hurdle and looks up to providing the Michael Hourigan yard with a winning send off.
She is in foal to Wizard King and has been in rare form recently including when picking up a 5lb penalty for winning easily at Sligo from Mango Catcher.
