Hi all,
Inside today’s main piece I am previewing Saturday’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
There’s some good racing on Saturday which is much needed after Newbury’s Super Sprint Day last week.
The Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (4.10) at Ascot is the weekend’s feature race. Other highlights on the Ascot card include the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes (1.40), Group 3 Valiant Stakes (2.20) and the International Handicap (3.00).
ITV Racing are covering five races live from Ascot and three from York. The highlights on the York card are the Group 2 Sky Bet York Stakes (2.40) and Sky Bet Dash Handicap (2.00).
The Group 1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (3:40) is one of the season's premier races for middle-distance horses. Established in 1951 to commemorate the Festival of Britain, the race was named in honour of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the parents of Queen Elizabeth II. It quickly became a highlight of the British flat racing season noted for being a clash of the generations over 1m 4f.
Ascot: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes
Famous Winners of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth include:
Enable – (2017, 2019 & 2020)
Galileo – (2001)
Montjeu – (2000)
Dancing Brave – (1986)
Shergar – (1981)
The Minstrel – (1977)
Grundy – (1975)
Dahlia – (1973 & 1974)
Brigadier Gerard – (1972)
Nijinsky – (1970)
Trends:
This race doesn't have many strong trends given there have just been 75 runners in the past ten years, but a couple stand out:
- All the last ten winners had won over 1m 4f (0-27, 4 places those that hadn’t).
- Low-drawn horses have struggled, with stalls 1 & 2 producing – 0 winners from 18 runners, 1 place.
You must go back to Harbinger in 2010 to find a winner coming out of one of those two stalls. Given were probably looking at five maybe six runners that could change this year.
Contenders
Aidan O’Brien hasn’t won the King George since Highland Reel in 2016, but he holds a strong hand this year with three of the final eight left in at Monday’s confirmation stage.
Jan Brueghel, the Coronation Cup winner, looks the most likely runner for Ballydoyle. He beat Calandagan at Epsom and last year’s St Leger hero sets a solid form standard.
Lambourn, O’Brien’s dual Derby winner, would receive an 11lb weight-for-age allowance. That makes him intriguing, but this feels more like a precautionary entry. Unless Jan Brueghel misses out, it’s hard to see Lambourn running here.
Whirl, fresh from a Group 1 victory in the Pretty Polly Stakes, is also entered but unlikely to line up. She’s best at shorter and likely to have other targets.
The French raider Calandagan heads the ante-post betting. He ran second to Jan Brueghel in the Coronation Cup but returned to winning ways in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud last time. That was his best performance of the season, and crucially, Ascot suits him far better than Epsom. He won over course and distance at Royal Ascot last year
Kalpana was just over a length behind Whirl in the Pretty Polly. She steps back up to 1m4f here, which looks ideal. A course and distance winner in the autumn, she’s in with a chance but ease in the ground would suit her better.
Rebel’s Romance brings globetrotting winning form. Third in this race last year, he returned to Ascot to win the Hardwicke Stakes over C&D at the Royal Meeting. He’s a multiple Group 1 winner and knows the track well, but he’ll need one or two rivals to misfire if he’s to finally land a domestic Group 1.
Verdict
Will Aidan O’Brien train a fifth King George winner, or will Calandagan take the crown back to France?
It looks a proper contest and one befitting this great race.
On paper, Lambourn has the perfect profile as a 3-year-old Derby winner. But he’s unlikely to run.
If rain arrives, Kalpana comes into contention. She stays well and has winning C&D form on slower ground.
However, on good or quicker going, this looks a straight fight between old rivals Calandagan and Jan Brueghel. The Ballydoyle colt sets a high standard and at 2/1 is probably a shade of value against a favourite who has won just one of his last five starts. That said if Calandagan has truly turned a corner, and isn’t drawn stall 1 or 2, his turn of foot could prove decisive.
Wednesday Racing
Salisbury
4:53 – I’m taking a modest swing at Wilderness, a mare whose last win came three years ago. She’s back from a 266-day break, but there’s reason to be hopeful. She finished runner-up on seasonal return here last year, on good to firm ground, and now returns 13lb lower.
Most of her best efforts have come at Salisbury, including a course-and-distance win on quick ground. At 40/1 with bet365, I think she’s worth a small each-way play.
Of course, she could just as easily end up out the back of the TV and with my current run of form, that’s probably the most likely outcome.
Wilderness – 40/1 @ Bet365.
In tomorrow’s column I’ll be looking ahead to Saturday’s International Handicap at Ascot.
Good luck with your Wednesday bets.
John