ASCOT hosts its September Festival this weekend with a top quality group of races and participants to boot.  The feature is the battle for the Champion Miler title due to be fought out in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.  Two notable absentees are dual Classic winner Cockney Rebel and last year’s winner George Washington.  It’s sure to be an almighty tussle and James Fanshawe’s Ascot loving Cesare could be the victor.  Three times a winner from four attempts at the Berkshire track, Cesare was an unlucky loser behind subsequent Group One winner Echelon (conceding 6lb) in the Celebration Mile at Goodwood on his latest outing.  Back on the track where he’s got such a good record and with JP Murtagh up he could well make it four from five.  There are also the two big mile races for the two-year-old fillies and the colts and geldings of the same age.  The boys’ race looks a little disappointing in terms of quality however the fillies’ race looks well up to scratch.  It features the dual Group One winner Saoirse Abu, May Hill second Kotsi, Ballydoyle’s well regarded Listen and next year’s 1,000 Guineas favourite from France Proviso.  Andre Fabre’s raider was greatly impressive at Deauville over the summer finishing with a cool success over recent Godolphin acquisition Laureldean Gale.  With the ground likely to be on the sound side the race is unlikely to develop into a slog that so aided Saoirse Abu to both of her Curragh triumphs.  Stick with the Fabre/Pasquier combo that delivered us Manduro on their last visit to Ascot in June.  The ground at Haydock has come in for some criticism since the Sprint Cup but hopefully the majority of the problems with over watering have now been addressed.  Therefore Hazelnut can claim an across the card double for the Fanshawe team in the Fillies’ Handicap over 10f.  A winner at Newmarket over this trip on her reappearance she found 12f too far last time having looked the likely winner.

 Selections – 4.20, 2 Cesare

                                                                                      5.50, 9 Hazelnut