Highland Reel a big drifter but O'Brien insists all is well

Highland Reel: should be able to adapt to the easier ground

Highland Reel took a significant walk in the market on Wednesday for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes – but Aidan O'Brien has allayed fears he could miss Saturday's race and believes he can adapt to going that will probably be softer than he is used to racing on.

The multiple Group 1 winner drifted to 5-1 with Paddy Power – who cut Enable to even-money – and 9-2 with bet365, from odds of 5-2 and 9-4, as bookmakers reported "one-way traffic" for the filly Enable.

Of Highland Reel's nine victories, six were achieved on good to firm ground or faster. He has never won in conditions softer than good, in which he has been beaten in the Sheema Classic, Irish Champion Stakes and Hong Kong Vase, although he went down by just a head on good to soft to Dartmouth in last year's Hardwicke Stakes.

The going at Ascot on Wednesday was good to soft, and although the outlook to Saturday remains unsettled it was of no immediate concern to O'Brien, who is also set to run Highland Reel's brother Idaho, winner of this year's Hardwicke.

"All is well with Highland Reel and Idaho," he said. "The better the ground, the more it will suit both of them. But whereas they wouldn't want really testing ground – very few of our horses do – we think they'll be quite adaptable if it is a bit on the easy side.

"The King George is always a very good race and that will again be the case on Saturday.

"Enable has been very impressive winning the Oaks and the Irish Oaks. We've had fillies take her on three times this year – at Chester, Epsom and the Curragh – and we've been very impressed by her each time. She's obviously a very high-class filly."

After a couple of dry days at Ascot there was more rain on Wednesday that threatened to push the official going back to soft on parts of the course.

Clerk of the course Chris Stickels said: "We've had 3mm of rain up to 4pm. I'm going to leave it as good to soft this evening, but it wouldn't take much more for the round course to go soft in places again.

"I don't think we're going to see much more rain today but we're forecast possible showers tomorrow, Friday and Saturday. It's an unsettled, changeable forecast."

The combination of the weather and confirmation that Enable would take her chance proved key factors in the refashioning of the markets for the Qipco-sponsored Group 1.

Enable is now 6-5 (from 7-4) with William Hill, who also cut Jack Hobbs to 5-1 from 11-2 and My Dream Boat to 20-1 from 40-1. Highland Reel was out to 4-1 from 9-4.

Hills spokesman Rupert Adams said: "Enable has been very well backed all day. In effect it has been a double whammy with confirmation that she will run and rain on course putting people off Highland Reel.”

Highland Reel is 7-2 (from 7-4) with Ladbrokes, whose head of PR Nicola McGeady said: "As far as punters are concerned there's only one horse to be with in the King George and that's Enable. The interest in Highland Reel has become non-existent, with ground concerns being a factor."

Trainer John Gosden had raised the exciting prospect of the three-year-old taking on her elders at the start of the week, and on Wednesday morning Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Khalid Abdullah, said: "John Gosden is pleased with Enable this morning and she's an intended runner at Ascot."

Enable's weight allowance means she will be in receipt of a stone from Highland Reel should both line up, and Gosden was the last trainer to win the race with a three-year-old filly when Taghrooda triumphed in 2014.

Enable is one of three three-year-olds engaged in the King George, Benbatl also being a likely runner. Trainer Saeed Bin Suroor said soft conditions would suit the winner of last month's Hampton Court Stakes.

"Benbatl worked on the Limekilns on Monday and he worked really well," the Godolphin trainer said. "It's so far, so good and he's ready to go – we're just waiting for the green light from the boss.

"It's a top-quality race obviously, but he deserves his chance after winning at Royal Ascot. The more rain the better."

The search for a jockey for Argentinian runner Sixties Song ended on Wednesday when Gerald Mosse was booked for the colt.

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