Big-race preview & tip: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes
3.40 Ascot - KING OF STEEL
An excellent renewal with 7 of the runners already a winner at the highest level. KING OF STEEL isn't one of them but he arguably has the most potential in the field and can reverse Derby placings with Auguste Rodin, who made heavy weather of following up his Epsom victory at the Curragh. Strong claims can also be made for high-class older horses Emily Upjohn and Hukum.
Timeform Top rated: Emily Upjohn (135)
Timeform Pace Info
Pace Forecast: Strong
Specific Pace Hint: Those that race towards the back of the field at this trip here are normally the ones to focus on anyway and a strongly run race as seems assured will serve EMILY UPJOHN much better than HUKUM.
Individual Price Hint: HAMISH is very unlikely to take up a prominent position so in view of the anticipated pace forecast can be expected to trade much higher than Betfair SP as he has done before when winning.
What the trainers say
William Muir - Pyledriver: “It’s a very good race and it’s great to be part of it. Everything has been great since the Hardwicke and we’re looking forward to it. We’re not worried about the ground and this is what we all live for, to have horses going for these type of races at these type of places. They’ve all got great credentials, they’re all horses that have been out and proved themselves this year. They’re all there to go and have a go. We’ll go there and run our race and see how good everyone else is.”
Angus Gold (for owners Shadwell) - Hukum: “It looks a fabulous race, let’s hope it lives up to its billing. As far as I know, touch wood, Hukum is in good shape and the ground has come right for him. Now it’s just a question of getting luck in running and whether he’s good enough. We’ve obviously won the King George before with Taghrooda (2014) and Nashwan (1989) and it’s always been a huge race. It was the most important race of the summer when I was growing up and people of my generation still consider it a very important race, so it’s lovely to have a horse in with a chance.”
Roger Varian - King Of Steel: "We’re excited. He’s training nicely and looks great, he’s ready to go. I hope that’s he adaptable (ground-wise), we’ll find out on Saturday.”
Thady Gosden - Emily Upjohn: "She came out of the Eclipse well and she’s going back up in trip to a mile and a half. She won over the course and distance on Champions Day last year, albeit against fillies, whereas this is probably the race of the season, so it’s a different ballgame. It’s a particularly strong and deep field – pretty much everyone has turned up. It’s a shame the Derby winner from last year (Desert Crown) isn’t in the race, but nevertheless for the racing purists it’s going to be a fascinating watch. We’ve got options from where we’re drawn (eight) and we just hope we get a good trip round.”
William Haggas - Hamish: “Hamish will only run if it rains properly, otherwise he won’t. He’s not going to run on good to soft, but there’s rain around and who knows? If it came up proper soft, that’s what he wants and in this company he needs it really soft or heavy, not only for him but also to maybe blunt some of the others’ ability.”
Aidan O'Brien - Auguste Rodin, Luxembourg, Point Lonsdale and Bolshoi Ballet: "We’re very happy with Auguste Rodin and everything has gone very well since the last day. The better the ground, the better it will suit him. We wouldn’t want it getting any worse. We’ll definitely walk the track, obviously. He’s a beautiful mover, he doesn’t raise his feet much.
“Luxembourg is very straightforward. He’ll love a mile and a half and will get the trip very well. He’s very fit and everything has gone really well since the last day. It’s a race we were always looking at with him and we thought it was going to suit. He’s solid, has had his two runs and he’s ready. It’s a great race and that’s what everyone wants all the time, the best horses all together and then let it happen. That’s what we all want to see win, lose or draw.”
Ryan Moore (jockey) - Auguste Rodin: “This is clearly as deep a King George as we have seen in a fair while, even with the absence of Desert Crown and three others from the five-day stage, and it is no exaggeration to say that they all have a chance of winning. Obviously, some a lot more than others, as the betting tells you, but you couldn’t totally dismiss any of these, as the likely outsiders Bolshoi Ballet and Point Lonsdale are Grade One and Group Two winners respectively. We’d like to think Auguste Rodin is towards the top of the list of the most likely winners though, and he comes into the race on the back of his two Derby wins. Some crabbed the manner of his win at the Curragh last time but I’ll take a Classic success however it lands – and he did it comfortably enough anyway, from a very good horse (Adelaide River). It is probably fair to say his defeat of King Of Steel at Epsom reads a lot better, as the runner-up showed how good that form was when winning at Royal Ascot. That was a strong Derby, and we expect him to be very competitive here.
“Luxembourg is also a proper Group One horse, just rated 1lb inferior to Auguste Rodin, and he has unfinished business at this trip after an inconclusive run in very deep ground in the Arc. A win for him wouldn’t surprise me at all, as I don’t think a mile and a half is an issue for him, but the same goes for the likes of Hukum and Emily Upjohn to name just two, a Classic winner in Westover and last year’s winner Pyledriver. This race is as good as it gets in recent years, certainly in terms of depth, but luck in running will play its part with 11 runners, and Luxembourg is drawn one and Auguste Rodin in 11, which may have their challenges – but you play the hand you are dealt. I’d be most wary of Emily Upjohn, who I probably think has the best form coming into the race after her second to Paddington in the Eclipse.”
Key Video Form
Auguste Rodin 1st, King Of Steel 2nd in Betfred Derby, Epsom
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Emily Upjohn 1st, Westover 2nd, Point Lonsdale 3rd in Dahlbury Coronation Cup, Epsom
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Hukum 1st inRacehorse Lotto Brigadier Gerard Stakes, Sandown
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Pyledriver 1st, Westover 5th, Emily Upjohn 6th inKing George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes, Ascot
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