“You’ll be wanting to get down the pub won’t you,” he said, in ignorance of the press’s temperance policy during working hours.It was, however, a suggestion which exemplified Elsworth’s appeal. He is good company, good copy and even good at his designated art, which is why Indian Creek cannot be written off in Saturday’s King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, despite his relatively extravagant odds. The five-year-old is trading at around 14-1, which was also the price when he collected the Hardwicke Stakes over course and distance at the Royal meeting.”He’s the same price here as he was at Ascot, which just shows you how overpriced he was then,” Elsworth said “If I were making the book I’d make him about 10-1 He’s not a donkey and he’ll run very well. He might even win.”Indian Creek is only Elsworth’s second runner in the race after Sapience, who was fourth 11 years ago.
The statistics suggest he is up his name without a paddle as Park Top in 1969 was the last Hardwicke winner to graduate in the high summer champion championship.However, now that Indian Creek is proven over 12 furlongs, Elsworth believes his horse has a squeak in a devilishly difficult contest “It’s a very tough race,” he said. “There’s a couple of Derby winners in there, the Eclipse winner and the very best older horses Anything that’s any good is showing up. We’ve won a Group Two, but sometimes they’re Group Ones in disguise, and you can get Group Ones that are really Group Threes.”This is a horse that if I had a fancied one there I’d rather he wasn’t running I don’t care which horse I trained in the race I’d be worried. He wants switching off early on because he pootles along and then picks up.
More importantly, he needs plenty of pace.”What you can say is that the Hardwicke was his first time over a mile and a half and it seemed to suit him If you fancy him you can get comfort from that. I’d been thinking about it for a long time, but he was pretty good over a mile and a quarter, taking on the best and he was in the same street as them. His style of racing suggests he could stay anything, because he does nothing and then finishes. He’s a very good horse.”He’s been on a high for the last six weeks or two months and I just hope he’s as good as he was on Hardwicke day.
There’s not much wrong with him and it’s probably the trainer that’s got the jitters more than he has.”Indian Creek’s task was made no easier yesterday when it was announced that another five-year-old, Luca Cumani’s Eclipse Stakes winner Falbrav, would be taking up the cudgel.The news came after a morning piece of work in the hands of big-race jockey Darryll Holland. “We wanted to go as close as possible before making a decision to check on the horse’s well-being,” explained Cumani. “We are satisfied that he has recovered very well from the Eclipse and that he is in excellent form.”Holland himself was considerably more upbeat. “The ground should be on the fast side, which is great, and I just hope they stop watering now,” he said.
