King George V Stakes Tips – Royal Ascot
The King George V Stakes is a 1m4f handicap for 3yo horses which is run on the third day of Royal Ascot. It is often considered one of the toughest handicaps of the week to win, and it has produced future Classic winners in the past.
King George V Stakes Tips in 2026
As a handicap for three-year-olds only, the King George V Stakes, run this year on Thursday, 19th June, is a difficult race to call even for seasoned punters. However, Andrew Mount, who tipped the winner in 2024 with Going The Distance, and Matty Sutcliffe will be attempting to decode the race in advance for GG readers, with all of their tips for the race being shared here.
King George V Stakes Notable Trends
As could be expected for a Royal Ascot handicap, there has been a real range of winning prices for the King George V Stakes in recent years. Desert Hero (18/1) and South Pacific (22/1) have been big-priced winners of the race, but there have also been two 4/1JF winners in the form of Elite Army (2014) and Secret State (2022). Five of the last 10 winners of the King George V Stakes came from the top three in the betting.
Eight of the last ten King George V Stakes winners carried 8st 13lb or less when winning, whilst the last ten winners all had an official rating of between 88 to 95.
Despite this race featuring on Ascot’s round track, a high draw has if anything, proven a bonus for recent renewals of the King George V Stakes. Both Space Age (2015) and Atty Persse (2017) won from the widest stall.
Winning form has been important in recent renewals of the King George V Stakes. Seven of the last 10 winners had won on their start prior to the race, whilst nine of the last 10 had run within the last 40 days – the exception being 2020 winner Hukum whose victory came in a Covid-interrupted campaign.
Despite this, however, winning form over the distance hasn’t proven important. Just one of the last 10 winners had won over 12f previously, whilst only two of the 10 winners had run over the distance before.
King George V Stakes History
The King George V Stakes is one of the longest standing handicaps at Royal Ascot and has a rich history.
The race has produced not one, but two future Classic winners, with John Dunlop’s 1986 winner Moon Madness going on to St. Leger glory at Doncaster later that year. In 2011, Brown Panther won the race for Tom Dascombe and Richard Kingscote. He went on to finish second in the St. Leger later that year, before subsequently landing the 2014 Irish St. Leger at the Curragh.
Jockey Pat Eddery landed three renewals of the King George V Stakes from 1989 to 2000 yet no jockey has dominated recently, with William Buick being the only jockey to have won it more than once in the last 15 years.
In terms of leading trainers, however, Mark Johnston has dominated in this race down the years, landing six renewals since 1995, his last victory coming with Baghdad in 2018.
Hukum landed the race for Jim Crowley and Owen Burrows in 2020, and went on to prove himself a Group 1 operator, landing the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
King George V Stakes Past Winners
| YEAR | HORSE | JOCKEY | TRAINER |
| 2024 | Going The Distance | Rossa Ryan | Ralph Beckett |
| 2023 | Desert Hero | Tom Marquand | William Haggas |
| 2022 | Secret State | William Buick | Charlie Appleby |
| 2021 | Surefire | Hector Crouch | Ralph Beckett |
| 2020 | Hukum | Jim Crowley | Owen Burrows |
| 2019 | South Pacific | Seamie Heffernan | Aidan O’Brien |
| 2018 | Baghdad | Andrea Atzeni | Mark Johnston |
| 2017 | Atty Persse | Kieran Shoemark | Roger Charlton |
| 2016 | Primitivo | William Twiston-Davies | Alan King |
| 2015 | Space Age | William Buick | Charlie Appleby |
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All the races on Day 3 of Royal Ascot
| TIME | RACE |
| 2.30pm | Norfolk Stakes: The opening race on the third day of Royal Ascot is the Norfolk Stakes, this 5f Group 2 is exclusive to juveniles. |
| 3.05pm | King George V Stakes: The King George V Stakes is a 1m4f 3YO’s handicap, it is the first handicap contested on the Thursday of Royal Ascot 2025. |
| 3.40pm | Ribblesdale Stakes: The Ribblesdale Stakes is a 1m4f Group 2 for 3yo fillies, John Gosden has dominated in recent years landing four of the last five renewals. |
| 4.15pm | Gold Cup: The Ascot Gold Cup, better known as just the Gold Cup, is the feature race on Day 3 of Royal Ascot, this 2m4f Group 1 is open to horses aged 4yo+. |
| 5.00pm | Britannia Stakes: The Britannia Stakes is a handicap for colts and geldings which is run over Ascot’s straight mile track. |
| 5.35pm | Hampton Court Stakes: The 3yos are once again in action in the Hampton Court Stakes, this 1m2f Group 3 has been won by Aidan O’Brien on four occasions. |
| 6.10pm | Buckingham Palace Stakes: The Ascot Gold Cup Day concludes with the Buckingham Palace Stakes, this 7f handicap is open to horses aged 3yo or older. |