Indian Lodge set to foil Brittain

Never mind about the weather forecast, which has been hanging over tomorrow's showpiece Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (3.20) at Ascot's televised Festival all week, let's go for a forecast of our own. These bets often add a bit more spice to a contest, where the horse that finishes second is as important as the winner.

This column has already plumped for the Amanda Perrett soft ground specialist, Indian Lodge, to take the £320,000 highlight but who will finish runner-up for betting purposes? I think Clive Brittain's superfilly Crimp-lene could be just the right material.

Crimplene is way ahead of the rest of her sex and age group this season. Already she has collected a trio of Group One successes in the Irish One Thousand Guineas, the Coronation Stakes and Nassau Stakes, although she was beaten in Deauville's Prix Jacques le Marois on her latest tilt at the top prizes. Brittain has no doubt that Crimplene will revel in what should be easy going at the Berkshire course and she will arrive at the track today to spend the night there - a tactic which has kept her sweet before a big test in the past.

However, I still believe that she will prove second best to Indian Lodge who has had conditions come just right for him after his superb victory in the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp where the under-foot terrain was similar to what he will encounter at the weekend.

Giant's Causeway, bidding for his sixth Group One success, is as tough as old boots and adores a scrap, but I keep recalling the old racing adage that you can go to the well once too often and Aidan O'Brien's star has been ultra-busy this term although showing no signs of stopping. He can take third spot behind Indian Lodge and Crimplene. Earlier on the card the answer to the Old Vic Cumberland Lodge Stakes (2.00) could rest with Mutamam who loves to get on with it upfront.

He did this with such effect at Kempton in the September Stakes that he had seven lengths to spare at the end over Kuwait Trooper. His partner Richard Hills has shown himself to be a great judge of pace and of dictating matters from the driving seat. In the Meon Valley Stud Fillies Mile, Flight of Fancy (2.35) gets the vote.