Racing: Nedawi joins Ascot line-up

GODOLPHIN finalised their plans for Saturday's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes after evening stables last night and have decided not to run Central Park, the likely pacemaker. Instead, the St Leger winner Nedawi, with Gary Stevens on board, will line up alongside Daylami.

Godolphin's racing manager, Simon Crisford, said: "Nedawi has run some very good races and it will be interesting to see how he performs coming back in trip from his run in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot."

The Dubai team have already tried to win a King George with a St Leger winner that had had its prep in the Ascot Gold Cup, but Classic Cliche managed to finish only second to Pentire in 1996.

There had been speculation that Central Park would try to set a sedate pace for Daylami, who is perceived as having more speed than some of his more doughty rivals, and his absence raises the question of which member of the field for Britain's premier all-aged race will make the running.

Oath, the Derby winner, continues to attract support and is now a solid 5-2 chance for the race. Willie Carson, racing manager to the colt's owners, the Thoroughbred Corporation, is confident that his charge will give followers a run for their money in the pounds 600,000 race and quashed suggestions that the Fairy King colt will have insufficient pace for the task.

"Oath has a very good chance," Carson said. "The Godolphin blue boys might be up to their tricks but it doesn't matter with this horse. He's got speed and will outrun Daylami.

"Daliapour is a better horse with cut in the ground and it doesn't look like he's going to get it at Ascot. He needs a decent pace and it might be that he will have to front-run."

In search of King George winners for the next century, John Magnier and Michael Tabor have been in heavy-hitting action at the world's premier bloodstock sale, the Keeneland Select Yearling Sale, in Kentucky. The pair bought the sale-topping colt at Tuesday night's session with a final bid of $3m (pounds 1.91m) for a chestnut by Storm Cat out of Weekend Surprise, the dam of the Belmont Stakes winner A P Indy and the Preakness Stakes winner Summer Squall.

"It's not very often that you get a chance to buy a half-brother to two Classic winners," Demi O'Byrne, the bloodstock agent who bids on behalf of the Tabor/Magnier axis.

"He's the one that was at the top of our list. He's a beautiful-looking individual, and has a world of potential, we think."

Magnier's Coolmore operation bought five lots for a million dollars or more at the two-day sale, plus a $2.8m (pounds 1.78m) filly in partnership with the British-born computer tycoon Satish Sanan - the second highest price ever paid for a filly at the July auction.

Peter Chapple-Hyam has withdrawn Shining Hour, his Queen Mary Stakes winner, from Saturday's Group Two Prix Robert Papin at Maisons-Laffitte. A total of four British acceptors stand their ground for the race, namely the Jeremy Noseda-trained pair Sir Nicholas and Victory Day plus John Gosden's Bachir and Neville Callaghan's Lord Pacal. Aidan O'Brien left in both the Anglesey Stakes winner Rossini and Finnan at yesterday's acceptance stage.

KING GEORGE VI & QUEEN ELIZABETH STAKES (Ascot, Saturday): William Hill: 5-2 (from 11-4) Oath, 3-1 Daylami, 4-1 Fruits Of Love, 9-2 Daliapour, 7-1 Silver Patriarch, 12-1 Nedawi, 14-1 Indigenous, 20-1 (from 25-1) Sunshine Street.

Coral: 5-2 Oath, 3-1 Daylami, 4-1 Fruits Of Love, 5-1 Daliapour, 8-1 Silver Patriarch, 9-1 Nedawi, 20-1 Indigenous, Sunshine Street.

Nap: Three Leaders

(Sandown 4.25)

NB: Democracy

(Brighton 4.00)