Bull Market Suggests Moore Will Be on Papal in the King George

Ryan Moore, who had been widely assumed to be teaming up with Ask for Sir Michael Stoute in Saturday's King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes, is more likely to partner stable companion Papal Bull at Ascot if yesterday's betting patterns are accurate. The jockey has yet to make a final choice, but Papal Bull has been the one for money.

"I don't know which one I will ride yet, I'll wait until Thursday morning when they have had their last bit of work," said Moore yesterday. "Ask would not want the ground to be too firm, but then neither would Papal Bull," he added.

Ask touched 27-1 on Betfair yesterday before settling at 16-1, as support flooded in for Papal Bull with major bookmakers. Coral cut the five-year-old's odds to 7-1 from 14's and he is 8-1 with Hill's, who pushed Ask out to 12-1 from 10-1.

"Every shrewdie on our books has been backing Papal Bull and with Ask drifting and with the ground at Ascot riding fast, you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to suspect that Ryan Moore will ride Papal Bull and Ask will miss the race," said Coral spokesman Simon Clare.

Betfair spokesman Tony Calvin said of the exchange movements: "Perhaps the rain that now appears forecast on the met office site for Ascot on Friday and Saturday has prompted the layers to be far less bullish in their opposition to Ask."

Ask stayed on to finish fifth behind Duke Of Marmalade in the Prince Of Wales' Stakes last month and yesterday Simon Christian, the racing adviser to Ask's owner Patrick Fahey, admitted they would like to see the ground riding easier than at the Royal meeting.

"It would make sense to give the ground a good watering this weekend, as it was very fast at Royal Ascot," said Christian yesterday. "No one minds fast ground, but not as hard as that. I spoke to Ask's owner this morning and the intention is to run. I don't know if we will get Ryan Moore, but we would be very happy for him to ride."

Moore was criticized for his handling of Papal Bull last time at Newmarket where he left it late to go in pursuit of all-the-way winner, Lucarno. However Jimmy Fortune, who partnered Lucarno to victory, feels the winner deserved his success.

"You could say we probably got an easy lead at Newmarket, but Lucarno doesn't have to dominate," said Fortune yesterday. "We held him up when he won the St Leger and we held him up at York in the Great Voltigeur, so he doesn't have to make the running.

"He had a lot of racing last year and it was the back end when he showed his class. He's a big bull of a horse and he had done well over the winter. It's taken a few runs before he has got the hang of things this year, but he seems to be coming into form now."

Duke Of Marmalade, who eased as favorite to 5-4 on from 11-8 on with Ladbrokes yesterday, tackles a mile and a half for the first time on Saturday and it could be in the interests of the Aidan O'Brien team to slow the pace down. That would be to the detriment of Youmzain according to Mick Channon, the trainer of the 3-1 second favourite.

"When Youmzain won at Saint-Cloud, the race was truly run and, for me, was as strongly contested as the King George is going to be," said Channon yesterday. "It's up to him to do the talking on Saturday but I think he's got as good a chance as last year when he was second to Dylan Thomas."

Ron Cox's tip of the day

Crystal Prince 7.50 Leicester

Charlie Longsdon has made a good impression in his short time as a jumps trainer, and no doubt Crystal Prince has been bought to go hurdling. But Longsdon should be able to squeeze a Flat win out of this gelding, who ran creditably on his seasonal debut before blowing out at Haydock. He should be given another chance with the cheekpieces on for the first time tonight.