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4:20 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes sponsored by Barclays plc (Group 1) (1) (3yo+)

[off 4:20] £116,000.00, £44,000.00, £22,000.00, £10,000.00, £5,000.00, £3,000.00 1m

Comments In Running OR TS RPR

1 Starcraft (NZ) (2) L M Cumani 5 9-1 C-P Lemaire 7/2 117 — —

2 ¾ Dubawi (IRE) (6) Saeed Bin Suroor 3 8-11 L Dettori 6/4F 125 — —

3 1½ Blatant (1) Saeed Bin Suroor 6 9-1 tv K McEvoy 100/1 103 — —

4 1½ Rakti (5) M A Jarvis 6 9-1 P Robinson 9/4 123 — —

5 1½ Sleeping Indian (3) J H M Gosden 4 9-1 J Fortune 11/1 115 — —

6 ¾ Mullins Bay (4) A P O´Brien 4 9-1 K Fallon 9/1 — —

6 ran TIME 1m 37.87s (slow by 1.87s) TOTAL SP 112%

1st OWNER: The Australian Syndicate BRED: G J Chittick TRAINER: L M Cumani

2nd OWNER: Godolphin

3rd OWNER: Godolphin

TOTE WIN £4.80 PL £2.40, £1.50; Ex £11.40; CSF £9.21

ANALYSIS: A fascinating running of a race that Ascot established long ago as Britain's championship decider at a mile. There were tactical surprises, with two groups of three racing wide apart until Frankie Dettori elected to switch Dubawi back over to the stands'side two furlongs out. But whether or not Dettori ignored orders initially in electing to follow Rakti rather than his designated pacemaker (the suggestion that he was carried to the middle was nonsense) one could not say with any certainty that it cost him the race, because when Dubawi joined Starcraft he looked to be going every bit as well.

Luca Cumani has done a brilliant job psychologically on the strapping STARCRAFT since he boiled over prior to the Eclipse, as we saw when he made all in theMoulin, and he again stayed cool and relaxed in the preliminaries, where he dwarfed Dubawi. Held up in last place behind Blatant and Sleeping Indian in the stands' side trio, he travelled strongly and went to the front approaching two furlongs out, but when Dubawi came across to join him, he was already under pressure. He clearly had a race on, but with the advantage of the rail to his left and both size and his long stride on his side, he picked up again. He was firmly on top in the last 100 yards and there was no way Dubawi was going to get past. A remarkable talent who won three Group 1 races from seven furlongs to a mile and a half Down Under before joining Cumani, he reportedly had this race as his main target but now has a choice of options before the season is over. His owner evidently reckons the five-year-old is even better on dirt, so the Breeders' Cup Classic could be his next race. Next spring the Dubai World Cup is likely to be on the agenda. If he is capable of even better, he ought to takea deal of beating in both races.

Although dwarfed by Starcraft, Dubawi looked in terrific shape in the preliminaries. Evidently Dettori was told to follow his pacemaker, whatever Rakti did, and plenty will argue that failing to do so cost Dubawi the race. Having held him up in last behind Rakti and Mullins Bay, several lengths off the leader, he realised going to two out that the stands' side group was the one to be with and took corrective action, switching his mount to join them around a furlong and a half out. Dubawi still appeared to be going well when he joined Starcraft, but he couldn't quicken when he came under pressure and was inclined to lean in towards his giant rival. Dettori said he wished he could ride the race again, but he wildly overstated the distance the switch cost him at 20 yards, and Dubawi might not have won anyway.

One of the mysteries of the race was how Blatant, running as a pacemaker in this race for the third consecutive year, could finish so close. But, to be fair, he was a decent fourth to Falbrav in this race in 2003, albeit beaten almost six lengths, and he had gone on from that race to chase home Le Vie dei Colori in a Group 1 in Italy next time, since when he had raced only twice on turf. It was a surprise to see him running on, but he had not gone all that fast and is a talented horse in his own right.

Rakti, so impressive in this race last year at Ascot, was simmering and on edge in the parade ring, and he was keen going to post. However, he was nothing like as bad as he can be. Initially it looked a shrewd move on Philip Robinson's part to take Rakti to race wide of Blatant and Starcraft, and avoid a scrap for the lead, but having bowled along ahead of Mullins Bay and Dubawi for five furlongs or so - keen, but not overly so - he was soon in trouble. The ground wasn't as quick as he likes, and he may have been on the worst of it in the centre, although there is no firm evidence of that. Michael Jarvis was not making excuses, but this was plainly nothing like Rakti's form.

Sleeping Indian had a stiff task and while he gets a mile, his best form is at seven furlongs. He probably ran about as well as he was entitled to.