FOUR is the magic number for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot today (3:35). Both John Gosden and Aidan O’Brien have four wins in the race and both combine for a field of just four, the former with the odds-on favourite to make his four a five and the latter with three four-year-olds to do likewise.

Only four runners is disappointing. That can be put down to a combination of a tightly packed campaign, the bear presence of Enable and the more worrying trend of the breeding industry prioritising speed and precocity.

Nonetheless any race with Enable is an obvious lure and that she faces three horses all flying in from Ballydoyle is fascinating. More so because of recent allegations against the Ballydoyle riders using team tactics, a notion Aidan O’Brien has staunchly defended against in recent weeks.

Asked about possible tactics for Enable and how he sees the race developing, Gosden said: “In a race of this nature, with a small field, it’s going to be tactical. You go in there with a blank canvas – you do not, under any circumstances, say ‘we’re going to do this’. Let’s see how it pans out and see what the Ballydoyle horses do.

“It will be tactically fascinating. We always have a plan in a race, but quite often you go to Plan B, which is a blank canvas. In this one, it’s a blank canvas at Plan A.

“I don’t see anything too sinister ahead. The horses up against us are ridden by gentlemen who ride for me a lot too.”

The gentlemen Gosden referred to are Oisin Murphy, who rides Anthony Van Dyck, and William Buick, who rides Sovereign.

A win for Enable will make her the first ever horse to win this Qipco-sponsored Group 1 three times, an all the more remarkable feat considering she missed the renewal of this race in 2018.

But it’s an important race for Japan as well, who was only a head behind Enable in the Eclipse and whose coast has been cleared somewhat from a Ballydoyle perspective with the decision to keep Magical back for the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh tomorrow.

The son of Galileo and Shastye is held in the highest regard by both O’Brien and Ryan Moore. The decision to keep him in training was due to the promise of his three-year-old campaign, which was one that progressed significantly for runs and time.

This will be his third start at four and the scalp of Enable would be hugely beneficial to his overall profile.

THERE isn’t usually a Curragh meeting taking place on the Sunday before Galway and the rearrangement may allow for a nice opportunity.

Tomorrow’s Mongey Communications Handicap (3:30) is a nice contest to win in its own right but several of the runners are engaged in two of the feature flat handicaps at Ballybrit next week. Winner Takes Itall and Ahkalaq are engaged in the Colm Quinn BMW Mile on Tuesday, while Halimi, Kasperenko, Rayounpour, Major Reward and Future Proof are in the 12-furlong Galway Shopping Centre Handicap on Saturday (usually the Guinness Handicap and held on Friday). Bucky Larson is in both races.

An impressive win tomorrow could set one of these runners up with a nice opportunity under just a 6lb penalty or indeed if one of them finished a good second or third, they could be racing off a favourable rating next week, with no penalty added on.

IT’S a case of take two for Aidan O’Brien’s More Beautiful, who returns to Ascot tomorrow after a disappointing run in the Queen Mary Stakes at the Royal meeting.

There was no disgrace in finishing ninth there but the level of confidence in her beforehand was seriously strong, considering she was sent off at evens. She steps up to six furlongs and faces six rivals in the Princess Margaret Stakes (3:40) and it will be interesting if she is strongly supported in the market again. She looked very good on her debut at Naas on the first day racing resumed in Ireland.