Run every year in July at Ascot, the King George runners and riders will be known closer to the approach of the race. It is one of the most coveted prizes in British flat racing, with horses of all ages of three and upwards

Below are the runners and riders for this year’s renewal, combined with their odds of winning the race.

15:35 Ascot

Good To Firm

King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Group 1)

• First Prize: £1134200
• 1m 3f 211y
• Class 1
• 9 runners
• Win time: 2m 27s

1st

6 (6)

1 tip

Kalpana

J: Colin Keane

T: Andrew Balding

13/2 (Won)

• Win: £7.50
• Place: £2.00

in touch with leaders, headway 3f out, led under 2f out, ridden and edged right over 1f out, ran on well final furlong

OUR TIP

2nd

1 (7)

7 tips

Calandagan

J: Mickael Barzalona

T: F-H Graffard

6/5

• Place: £1.15

held up in rear, headway on outer 2f out, went second over 1f out, ran on

3rd

9 (9)

1 tip

Benvenuto Cellini

J: Ryan Moore

T: A P O’Brien

4/1

• Place: £1.75

held up in rear, headway 3f out, briefly went second over 1f out, soon hung right, ran on towards finish

4th

3 (2)

Lambourn

J: William Buick

T: A P O’Brien

50/1

prominent, briefly led 2f out, outpaced over 1f out, rallied towards finish

5th

2 (5)

1 tip

Goliath

J: Christophe Soumillon

T: F-H Graffard

12/1

held up in rear, headway when not clear run over 2f out, weakened over 1f out

6th

8 (8)

Action

J: Sean Levey

T: A P O’Brien

125/1

soon led, increased tempo 6f out, headed and weakened over 2f out

7th

4 (4)

1 tip

Masquerade Ball

J: Christophe-Patrice Lemaire

T: Takahisa Tezuka

13/2

took keen hold, always behind, struggling over 3f out (jockey said colt ran too free)

8th

7 (1)

2 tips

Minnie Hauk

J: Wayne Lordan

T: A P O’Brien

17/2

prominent, briefly led over 2f out, soon weakened

9th

5 (3)

Wurttemberg

J: Oisin Murphy

T: Hiroshi Miyamoto

40/1

in touch with leaders, weakened and eased 4f out (trainer could offer no explanation for the poor form shown; vet examined horse post-race and had nothing to report)

+o+e Betting Returns

	Payout
Exacta	£18.00
Straight Forecast	£14.69
Tricast	£35.84
Trifecta	£62.50

Selections

D Express:

Minnie Hauk

Daily Mail:

Calandagan

Daily Mirror:

Calandagan

Daily Record:

Benvenuto Cellini

POSTDATA:

Goliath

RP RATINGS:

Calandagan

SPOTLIGHT:

Calandagan

TOPSPEED:

Kalpana

Telegraph:

Calandagan

The Guardian:

Masquerade Ball

The Star:

Minnie Hauk

The Sun:

Calandagan

The Times:

Calandagan

Who are the Top Three Favourites to Win this Year’s King George?

Former winners Calandagan and Goliath both run, though the latter is not among the three favourites. Calandagan is though, leading the market for France ahead of the Japanese-trained Masquerade Ball and Irish Derby winner Benvenuto Cellini.

King George Horse Entries & Selections

Horses must be aged three and upwards to compete in the King George, but this makes it one of the first significant open Group 1s of the flat season. Three-year-olds get a substantial weight allowance for the trip too, receiving 11lb in weight from their elders.

The race is worth over £1,000,000 with £708,875 going to winning connections. It is a huge prize, which should continue to ensure a decent and competitive field, even though a King George with ten runners is bigger than average.

When the King George runners and riders are announced, our top tipsters Andrew Mount and Matty Sutcliffe will provide their thoughts on the race as well as their selections.

Which Trainers Have Historically Had the Most Success in the King George?

The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes has been run since 1951, with Sir Michael Stoute having trained the most winners in the race’s history. He has trained the winner on six occasions spanning a remarkable 37 years: his first and most famous winner was Shergar in 1981, while Poet’s Word, his most recent victor, secured success in 2018.

Other names to have enjoyed multiple wins in the race are Dick Hern and John Gosden, both of whom have sent out five winners of the King George, while Aidan O’Brien, so often the winningest trainer in big races, has four wins, courtesy of Galileo (2001), Dylan Thomas (2007), Duke Of Marmalade (2008), and Highland Reel (2016).

King George Past Winners Runners & Riders