Fitzella showed her class at Ascot with a smart victory in the Sodexo Live! Princess Margaret Stakes.
The Hugo Palmer-trained filly was fourth at the same track in the Albany Stakes at the Royal meeting, beaten three lengths by a highly-regarded rival in Karl Burke’s Venetian Sun.
This time she was the 9-4 favourite under Oisin Murphy, and took up the running early on to set a good pace from the front.
As the race developed the contenders behind her attempted to close, but the daughter of Too Darn Hot was well able to keep her head in front to claim an eventual one-length win from George Scott’s Staya.
Palmer said: “Oisin was very upset when he came in from the Albany as he felt he sat too close to a very strong pace, he did realise and took back but the damage was already kind of done by then.
“We felt on reflection that it was her class that allowed her to finish fourth on that occasion.
“She was probably drawn on the wrong side of the track that day as well and today the plan was to hold her up and race more patiently and use her finish.
“She pinged the lids and Oisin had to go straight to plan B and it worked very nicely. He didn’t go hard and of course she’s very exciting.
“She was an expensive yearling but has always been beautiful and still is and I’m delighted she’s a Group winner now.
“I’ve only watched it once so I don’t know how tough Oisin has had to be on her. She was very game and very willing which is what she has been at home since the get-go. I’m delighted today, but just sad she’s not a Royal Ascot winner.”
Coral made Fitzella a 25-1 chance for next May’s 1000 Guineas, but more immediate in Palmer’s thoughts is the Breeders’ Cup, with a trip to France a possibility before crossing the Atlantic to Del Mar in November.
Palmer continued: “She’s shown great gate speed today and the Breeders’ Cup would definitely be on the radar, she will definitely run again and possibly twice, but I wouldn’t think more than that.
“It’s her fourth start of the year and I wouldn’t want her to have many more than five or six runs.
“She has a Moyglare entry, but that is a very stiff seven furlongs and I would have thought the Prix du Calvados at Deauville may be the right option, it’s a month away. She wouldn’t want soft ground though, so we will have to see what the weather brings.”
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Staya takes the “natural next step” in returning to Ascot for the Sodexo Live! Princess Margaret Stakes.
An impressive winner at Yarmouth on debut, George Scott’s talented daughter of Havana Grey was not beaten far when fifth in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot before returning to winning ways when obliging favourite-backers in Sandown’s Listed Dragon Stakes earlier this month.
She now steps up to six furlongs as she returns to Group company and Scott said: “I thought this was the natural next step for her, back up in grade and she proved she enjoyed the track at Royal Ascot when she was a bit green and just rolled around a bit under pressure.
“She’s given us every indication she’s a filly who wants to go an extra furlong, she’s a filly who loves to drop her head early and relax rather than be an out-and-out speedball.
“She’s got a great attitude and the stallion really seems to breed that into his progeny. She’s quite unique as she’s quite bolshy and strong-minded, but at the same time really willing in her work and she’s definitely got a little bit of swag about her.
“We’re looking forward to seeing how she acquits herself and she’s been training beautifully since the Dragon, but it’s really up to her now.”
Ahead of Staya at Royal Ascot was Charlie Clover’s Flowerhead, who outran huge odds of 100-1 to finish first of those on her side of the track and second to Aidan O’Brien’s True Love.
She is another stepping up in trip on her return to the Berkshire track, with connections hopeful she can excel at her new distance.
“If her Queen Mary form is anything to go on, if she gets the trip, I expect her to be competitive,” said Clover.
“It’s obviously her first run at six furlongs, but the Queen Mary suggested it would suit and the jockey was very keen to try it as well. We’ve since tried her at home over that trip and the data was very promising.
“Course form plays a factor and she ran very well there, so it definitely helped persuade us towards this race and to go back to Ascot.”
Jack Channon’s Sukanya and James Tate’s Daneh Of Dandy both take their chance at a higher level after winning well on debut, with the latter trying to follow in the footsteps of 2019 winner Under The Stars by following up a minor success at Ripon in this Group Three event.
“It looks a shot in the dark at this stage, although we have done this before and like our last winner of this, Under The Stars, she won a novice at Ripon,” explained Tate.
“Yes, it’s a big ask and she is very much unproven. We hadn’t really revved her up at all before her first start and usually when they win first time out but are as green as she was, they can take a real step forward and that is the hope despite it being an unknown.”
Midnight Tango finished second in Newmarket’s Empress Stakes last month, with Richard Hughes’ Bella Lyra and David Loughnane’s Amberia not far away in third and fourth on the July course and also representing that smart piece of Listed form.
Hugo Palmer’s Albany Stakes fourth Fitzella will bid to go a few places better over the same course and distance after winner Venetian Sun advertised the form in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes, while Eddie and Patrick Harty’s Irish raider Arugam Bay rounds off the field of 10, with Dance To The Music a non-runner.
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Charlie Appleby has big-race ambitions for Time To Turn following his narrow victory in the Flexjet Pat Eddery Stakes at Ascot.
The Moulton Paddocks handler had saddled four of the last six winners of the Listed contest and the William Buick-ridden Time To Turn was a 13-8 favourite to add to his tally off the back of a 10-length romp at Wolverhampton.
The Dark Angel colt had been narrowly denied by the reopposing A Bit Of Spirit on his penultimate start at Newbury, but having displayed a smart change of gear to grab the lead in this rematch, he knuckled down as the post loomed to see off the determined challenge of his old foe by a head.
Time To Turn lands the Listed Pat Eddery Stakes! 🔵
Some classy horses have won this contest before going onto bigger and better things and the son of Dark Angel adds his name to that list with a gutsy performance to overhaul old rival A Bit Of Spirit!@Ascot | @WilliamBuickXpic.twitter.com/Fvej9f65zB
Speaking away from the track, Appleby said: “Obviously pleased with that, as everyone could see it was was a slowly-run race there and unfortunately when they race apart like that at the finish it makes it a little bit trickier for both parties.
“But we were pleased with our horse, it was always the intention to drop him in today and hopefully see that turn of foot which we saw.”
While Appleby will not rush Time To Turn back to the racecourse, he is considering a step up to Group One level in the autumn, with the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on Arc weekend at ParisLongchamp identified as a potential target.
“Going forward, I’ll probably give him a bit of a break now. For one of ours to have run four times by this stage of his career is a bit more than normal, so he’ll get a bit of a break and I do feel he’ll appreciate some give in the ground,” Appleby added.
“Whether we decide to look at jumping straight into the top level in a Lagardere or something like that possibly, or if we just stay closer to home and look at something like the Somerville (Tattersall) Stakes (at Newmarket), we’ll see.”
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Ground conditions are likely to dictate whether Cercene will take on the likes of See The Fire and Whirl in what looks a quality renewal of the Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood on Thursday.
Just seven fillies remain in contention for the 10-furlong Group One following the confirmation stage, with Aidan O’Brien’s Oaks runner-up and Pretty Polly Stakes winner Whirl the 6-4 favourite with Coral.
The Andrew Balding-trained See The Fire is next in the betting at 7-4, having finished third against the boys in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, where Joe Murphy’s Cercene ran out a surprise winner of the Coronation Stakes over a mile.
With connections of the latter subsequently deciding against stepping up to a mile and a half for the Irish Oaks, she is set to run over the intermediate distance on the Sussex Downs, with Coral making her an 8-1 shot, but Murphy is keeping an eye on underfoot conditions.
“The plan is to go for the Nassau, ground permitting – we don’t want any rain,” he said on Friday.
“We’re very happy with the filly, but if there’s any soft in the ground I couldn’t see her going. Good/good to firm would suit us perfect.
“We thought going the mile and a quarter would be better for future reference, rather than going straight to a mile and a half (in the Irish Oaks). We’ve no problems with a mile and a half as she’s a very relaxed filly, but she travels well.”
On handling the undulations of Goodwood, Murphy added: “She’s a very well balanced filly and we don’t envisage any problems with it, but you don’t know until you try.
“There’s only one Nassau, it’s a good race and they’re the races you want to win.”
Whirl is one of two potential runners for O’Brien along with French Oaks runner-up Bedtime Story, with Karl Burke’s Fallen Angel, John and Thady Gosden’s Running Lion and Gavin Hernon’s potential French raider Dare To Dream the other hopefuls.
Kalpana returns to the scene of her finest hour for a mouthwatering renewal of the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Andrew Balding’s charge rounded off her three-year-old campaign with Group One success over the course and distance on Champions Day and has not done much wrong in two starts since, finishing third in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and then second in the Pretty Polly Stakes in Ireland.
Back on home soil, Kalpana is the only filly in a field of five, with Oisin Murphy deputising in the saddle for the suspended Colin Keane.
Kalpana (right) chases home Whirl in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh (Brian Lawless/PA)
Barry Mahon, racing manager for owner-breeders Juddmonte, said: “We’re all set for Saturday, I think we were hoping for a bit more rain than has actually fallen, but it is what it is and I’m sure it’ll be nice ground on the day.
“It’s a top-class renewal, as you would expect for such a good race, but we’re looking forward to partaking in it.”
Juddmonte’s Bluestocking found only Goliath too strong in last year’s King George before going on to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in the colours of the late Khalid Abdullah, who also claimed Ascot’s midsummer highlight with Dancing Brave and superstar mare Enable, the latter on three occasions.
Both of those equine greats also landed Europe’s premier middle-distance contest, Enable doing so in successive years in 2017 and 2018, and a potential trip to Paris in early October has already been pencilled in for Kalpana ahead of what connections admit is a stern test this weekend.
“Rebel’s Romance is such a legend of a horse and Calandagan and Jan Brueghel are obviously very, very talented,” Mahon added.
“We think going back up to a mile and a half will suit our filly and Andrew said she worked well on Wednesday morning and he’s very happy with her, so we’re hopeful that her first two runs have set her up nicely for this.”
The top two in the market are Jan Brueghel and Calandagan, who renew rivalry after finishing first and second in the Coronation Cup at Epsom in early June.
While Calandagan has since broken his top-level duck in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, Jan Brueghel has been kept fresh by Aidan O’Brien and is interestingly fitted with cheekpieces for the first time as he bids to provide his trainer with a fifth King George success.
Jan Brueghel (right) denies Calandagan in the Coronation Cup at Epsom (Adam Davy/PA)
O’Brien, who also saddles the rank outsider and probable pacemaker Continuous, said: “Jan Brueghel is good, everything has gone well since the last day.
“It will be an interesting race and the ground looks like it’s going to be nice.
“Continuous rolls along usually and he’ll go forward, but if someone else wants to go on (and make the running), he’ll be happy too.”
Francis Henri-Graffard’s Calandagan has already shown his liking for Ascot, dominating his rivals in the King Edward VII Stakes at the Royal meeting last summer before finishing a close second to Anmaat in October’s Champion Stakes.
He got his Group 1 on Sunday and he could return to the UK for the King George later this month! pic.twitter.com/gvPkNFWJX0
— British Champions Day (@Champions_Day) July 2, 2025
Buoyed by his long-awaited first Group One success on home soil four weeks ago, connections are excited to be heading back to Berkshire.
Nemone Routh, racing manager for owners the Aga Khan Studs in France, said: “The horse is in very good form, he took his win at Saint-Cloud very well. I spoke with Mickael Barzalona who rode him in his last piece of work and he’s very happy with him.
“It’s a small field, but he has to take on Jan Brueghel again and obviously Rebel’s Romance was impressive last time out.
“He doesn’t have much ground to make up on Jan Brueghel and although they were calling the ground good to soft at Epsom, we felt it was riding softer that day. He handles softer ground so we can’t use that as an excuse, but I just think maybe his acceleration is a a bit more decisive on firmer ground.
“When it becomes a heavy-duty slugging match I’m not sure that’s really his game, but when he can use his acceleration on good, fast ground I think that’s when he’s at his best.”
William Buick celebrates winning the Hardwicke Stakes aboard Rebel’s Romance (David Davies/PA)
The small but select field is completed by Rebel’s Romance, who has won seven Group Ones on foreign soil and bids to break his top-level duck at home following his course-and-distance success in last month’s Hardwicke Stakes.
Speaking on the Godolphin website, trainer Charlie Appleby said: “Rebel’s Romance goes into this in great order. There was plenty of strength in depth in this contest 12 months ago, when he ran a good race (finished third), and it looks a similarly strong renewal this time around.
“He is taking on younger opposition again but, wherever he finishes, the others will know that they have had a race.”
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Kieran Shoemark is relishing his chance on the “very exciting” Almaqam as Ed Walker’s stable star returns to action in the Sky Bet York Stakes.
The 29-year-old jockey will finally get to ride the Lope De Vega colt after missing out on a potential link-up when he was suspended for the four-year-old’s Brigadier Gerard Stakes success at Sandown in May.
That form has been franked by the length-and-three-quarter second Ombudsman, who has subsequently landed the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot and narrowly went down by a neck in the Eclipse.
Almaqam is the odds-on market leader for the Group Two contest and Shoemark is thrilled to have the opportunity on a horse he describes as the “real deal”.
“I’m really looking forward to riding him and I thought he was really good the last time we saw him at Sandown,” he said.
“I know it’s been a little while since we’ve seen him, but that has solely been down to the drying ground and it looks like he should get some easier conditions on Saturday and it’s great to get the ride on him.
“He looks very exciting and we all know the form of Ombudsman has stacked up well, so he looks the real deal this year.
Almaqam was a good winner at Sandown (Adam Morgan/PA)
“I got the call to ride Almaqam in the Prix d’Ispahan, but there were a few complications as I received a suspension for my ride on Luther in the French 2000 Guineas.
“Ed was umming and ahhing over whether to run Almaqam in that and when Sosie was declared he decided not to and headed to Sandown, where I was suspended so I couldn’t ride and Oisin (Murphy) picked up the ride. He’s not available this time as he’s riding in the King George so things have worked out and it’s good to finally be united with him and hope things go well on Saturday.
“He’s the best horse at Ed’s and I’ve been riding a lot for Ed and riding winners and when you build up that association, you always want to be riding the better horses in the yard.
“I had a breeze on him the other morning and he felt great. He’s extremely uncomplicated and you can see that in his way of racing and he looks very straightforward and it’s really exciting.”
Bay City Roller after winning the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster (Mike Egerton/PA)
Bay City Roller hopes to make a breakthrough as a three-year-old after two runner-up finishes in the Heron Stakes at Sandown and Prix Eugene Adam at Saint-Cloud this season.
George Scott is excited by the New Bay colt, who capped an unbeaten juvenile campaign with victory in the Champagne Stakes on St Leger day, and admitted his training ultimately forced his hand to move forward at the Knavesmire.
“I feel like he deserves to run in this race and I have been conscious to not run him with firm in the going description,” the Eve Lodge Stables trainer said.
“But I now feel like if we don’t take our chance on good ground, then we could end up not running all summer.
“He really has had an amazing preparation for this race and there really will be no excuses for him.
“We will give him some leeway as it is his first time against older horses and only second start at a mile and a quarter. You would expect he has got another 18 months running in these races against these types of horses and I’m sure he’s bound to acclimatise as he gets older and stronger.
“But in terms of how you want a horse to train, he’s been training perfectly and has given me no negative signs, so we’re looking forward to it.
“It will be fascinating to see him up against the horses representing the English and Irish Derby form and see where he lies amongst the Classic generation.
“Obviously then as well there is this wonderful older horse in Almaqam at the head of the market, who is arguably one of the best older horses in Europe, so we’re cautiously optimistic and it’s going to be really interesting.”
Stanhope Gardens before the Derby (PA)
Stanhope Gardens, fifth in the English Derby, lines up for Ralph Beckett, while Jessica Harrington has decided to head to York instead of the King George at Ascot with Green Impact, who was sixth in both the 2000 Guineas and Irish Derby.
The Jack Channon-trained Certain Lad has course and distance credentials, Royal Champion goes for Karl Burke and Richard Fahey’s Ecureuil Secret completes the seven-runner field.
Lake Forest may miss next week’s Qatar Goodwood Festival, with alternative summer targets in the reckoning.
The No Nay Never colt, who is trained by William Haggas, was the winner of the Gimcrack as a two-year-old and runner-up in both the Commonwealth Cup and the Hackwood Stakes in his three-year-old season.
In November last year he claimed a lucrative success in the Golden Eagle at Rosehill, Australia, although this season he is yet to get his head in front across three starts.
He was last seen finishing sixth in the Criterion Stakes at York having started as the favourite, and while he holds entries at Goodwood it is more likely he will work towards an eventual return to the Knavesmire instead.
“He’s grand. He has two entries at Goodwood, in the Lennox on the Tuesday and the Sussex on the Wednesday, but we don’t know if we’re going to take up those entries,” said Sean Graham, racing manager to Tony Bloom, co-owner alongside Ian McAleavy.
“We’re thinking maybe of the Hungerford for him, which is a Group Two, and then the City of York Stakes, which is also seven furlongs and is now a Group One.
“He’s the opposite to (stablemate) Sky Majesty in that he definitely wants quick ground.
“There will be an element of finding his ground so those plans are ground dependent as well.”
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First run in 1951, the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes has a history littered with great horses and great finishes. Here we look at some of the very best:
RIBOT (1956)
Ribot made his mark on his only visit to Britain (PA)
Widely acknowledged as one of the greatest Flat racers of the post-war era, the unbeaten Italian champion made his one and only trip to Britain for the 1956 King George.
The dual Arc winner used the Gran Premio di Milano as his prep race for the King George, which was set to be his hardest race to date.
The going was sticky, and the 2-5 favourite looked uneasy at one stage, with jockey Enrico Camici urging him to go with the leaders.
The pacemaker, Todrai, did his job and led Ribot into the straight but it was only in the last furlong that the champion showed his real worth.
Some argued that the win was unimpressive; the horse’s record, though, speaks for itself: 16 runs, 16 wins.
NIJINSKY (1970)
Nijinsky was a dominant victor (PA)
Vincent O’Brien’s Triple Crown winner was another easy winner of this great race.
The son of Northern Dancer had already captured the 2000 Guineas, the Derby and the Irish Derby, and started at odds of 40-85 at Ascot.
Nijinsky was the only three-year-old in a field of six that included the previous year’s Derby winner, Blakeney, and Coronation Cup winner Caliban.
Caliban provided the early pace, but it was soon apparent that Nijinsky was in a different league.
He cruised past his rivals on the bridle and left Blakeney for dead. Lester Piggott could not have had an easier winner.
MILL REEF (1971)
Mill Reef was a winner for Ian Balding (PA)
Trained by Ian Balding, Mill Reef won six Group Ones in a row. That sequence began with the Derby, and he lined up for the King George as the 8-13 favourite, having taken the Eclipse in the interim.
Ridden by Geoff Lewis, he was nicely settled in third as they entered the straight. He pulled to the front a furlong from home and ran away to win by six lengths.
He sealed a brilliant year by routing a top-class Arc field by three lengths.
He won the Prix Ganay and Coronation Cup as a four-year-old, but sadly injury curtailed his career soon afterwards and the great rematch with Brigadier Gerard never happened.
GRUNDY (1975)
Grundy (right) and Bustino fought out one of the most famous finishes in racing (PA)
To many, this really was ‘the race of the century’. The clash of the generations pitted the Derby winner, Grundy, against Bustino, winner of the 1974 St Leger.
Two pacemakers were thrown in by Bustino’s trainer, Dick Hern, and they set up the race nicely for an epic duel in the final half-mile.
Bustino was clear by three into the home straight, but Grundy was gradually eating into his lead.
They fought all the way to the line and Grundy looked beaten at one stage. Yet he dug deep and just prevailed in a never-to-be forgotten finish.
We must not forget also that the brilliant dual-winner Dahlia was a distant third.
Such was the courage both horses had to show that not only did the race-record time stand until Harbinger in 2010, but neither managed to win again.
SHERGAR (1981)
Shergar won the King George during his exceptional three-year-old campaign (PA)
Shergar is famous for being kidnapped and for winning the Derby by 10 lengths, and it is easy to forget that the legendary colt also won the Irish Derby and the King George in a memorable summer.
He was a warm favourite to beat the older generation at Ascot. A surprisingly slow pace was set and initially the Aga Khan-owned colt was boxed in.
But as the field straightened for home, Light Cavalry came off the rails and Walter Swinburn seized the opportunity to take the 2-5 favourite through the gap in style.
The race was settled with two furlongs to run; he drew away to win decisively by four lengths from Madam Gay.
PETOSKI (1985)
Lady Beaverbrook with Petoski (PA)
The 1985 renewal was billed as the clash of the sexes between Henry Cecil’s Oaks victor, Oh So Sharp, and Vincent O’Brien’s Irish Derby winner, Law Society.
However, it was Willie Carson on Petoski who caused the upset.
In victory, he also brought an end to Oh So Sharp’s unbeaten run, which also included the 1000 Guineas.
Steve Cauthen blamed the very fast ground at Ascot and interference by Infantry two furlongs out for the great filly’s defeat.
But Carson rode a patient race on Petoski, switching the colt to the outside close to the finish to beat Cauthen’s mount by a neck.
DANCING BRAVE (1986)
Dancing Brave put Derby disappointment behind him (PA)
If the international classifications, which started in 1977, are anything to go by, then Dancing Brave is without doubt the best King George winner of the last four decades.
Rated 141 at the time (somewhat controversially amended to 138 in 2013 but still the highest-rated King George winner), he possessed great speed, and a lightning turn of foot that left his rivals for dead.
He started the King George as the 6-4 second-favourite, behind the 11-10 shot Shahrastani, who had beaten him in the Derby.
With Pat Eddery on board, this time ‘the Brave’ took revenge, with his Epsom conqueror disappointing in fourth place.
Dancing Brave went on to achieve further glory with a dazzling win in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in the autumn.
NASHWAN (1989)
Nashwan added to his Guineas, Derby and Eclipse victories at Ascot (PA)
Nashwan was a truly exceptional three-year-old. Trained by Major Dick Hern, he remains the only horse to have won the 2000 Guineas, Derby, Eclipse and King George in one season.
It was a slow gallop for the seven-runner field in the King George, which soon developed into a tactical affair as Willie Carson sat and waited on Nashwan.
It was not until the last two furlongs that the race truly developed, with Nashwan the first to commit, and he was soon joined by the Derby third, Cacoethes.
They were locked together inside the final furlong and in a pulsating finish Nashwan showed he had the courage to match his undoubted class as he got home in front.
MONTJEU (2000)
Montjeu was in a different class at Ascot (Toby Melville/PA)
Michael Tabor’s Montjeu was undoubtedly the easiest winner of the King George for many a year.
The 1999 Arc de Triomphe winner only had six rivals to beat, as the Classic generation stayed away. In truth, it was a sub-standard renewal – but it was never meant to be a walkover. However, it felt like one.
Sent off at 1-3 – the shortest-priced favourite since Nashwan – he had 11lb plus in hand on official figures.
Michael Kinane sat patiently on the colt, and when asked to quicken two furlongs out, the horse cruised home stylishly.
Kinane did not need to do much; the horse guided him home that day.
HARBINGER (2010)
Harbinger turned the King George into a procession (Sean Dempsey/PA)
Harbinger was an impressive winner of the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot but went to another level in the King George, where he produced a stunning performance to win by 11 lengths in a time bettering the one set by Grundy.
Confront performed his duties as pacemaker for his stablemates Workforce and Harbinger and led until the home turn, at which point Epsom Derby hero Workforce and Irish Derby winner Cape Blanco tried to assert their authority.
But they were merely sitting ducks for Olivier Peslier and Harbinger as they effortlessly took up the running inside the final two furlongs and rocketed clear.
The handicapper raised him to from 123 to 135, making him the best in the world at the time but his career was cruelly cut short the following month when he shattered a cannon-bone in a routine spin on the gallops in Newmarket.
In the wake of his retirement, Sir Michael Stoute was asked how much further Harbinger could have gone.
“Who knows?,” he wondered. “If he had kept at that plateau, we’d have had a world champion.”
ENABLE (2019)
Enable (right) just got the better of Crystal Ocean in an epic finish (Julian Herbert/PA)
The only three-time winner of the race, Enable hacked up from Ulysses in 2017 and completed her hat-trick in a substandard three-runner heat in 2020, but her middle victory was the stuff of legend.
Having already bagged the Eclipse on her return to action, Enable was sent off the 8-15 favourite to regain her Ascot crown with injury preventing a title defence in 2018.
Crystal Ocean had finished runner-up to Poet’s Word in her absence and the race was widely expected to boil down to a duel between the top older horses.
Few could have expected such an epic finish though, as the pair went toe-to-toe for the best part of two furlongs, with Crystal Ocean finding generously when it looked as though Enable would go on.
It was nip and tuck all the way, but Enable just poked her head in front on the line to triumph by a neck, with future Arc winner Waldgeist just under two lengths back in third, with a further seven lengths back to the next home in what was a race for the ages.
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It is exactly 50 years this weekend since British racing fans were treated to the epic battle between Grundy and Bustino that was rightly dubbed ‘the race of the century’.
Never before had two horses given such a performance on the equine stage. No quarter was asked and none was given in an unforgettable renewal of the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on July 26, 1975.
Showdowns have a habit of ending in anti-climax, but this really did live up to the hype.
It began, as such races do, as the annual clash of the generations.
In one corner there was the triple Classic winner Grundy and in the other the previous year’s St Leger hero, Bustino. A heavyweight slug fest between two titans at the peak of their powers.
Respected racing pundit Jim McGrath was in the very early stages of his Timeform career when he took a break from glueing together racecards to sit down at home to watch the highly-anticipated clash.
And he remembers a race that had all the hallmarks of a timeless classic and one that remains etched in racing folklore half a century later.
McGrath said: “What makes a great King George is a top-class three-year-old running against a top-class four-year-old so you had all the ingredients and when you bear in mind the past dual winner Dahlia was also in the field, you had everything set up nicely.
“The race whetted the appetite as Bustino was one of the best horses of the previous year and won the St Leger among other races and he went into Ascot having broken the track record at Epsom in the Coronation Cup.
“He was a good horse and as a Leger winner had proven stamina and although Grundy had won the Derby and Irish Derby, I think Dick Hern’s camp felt they might be able to outstay him if they went a blazing gallop.”
After a disappointing spring for Grundy which saw Peter Walwyn’s colt beaten in the ‘stable lads’ 2,000 Guineas, his star had fully risen by the time he was due to take on his elder in Berkshire.
Both horses had strutted their stuff in impressive style at Epsom, Grundy taking the Derby in imperious fashion and the Dick Hern-trained Bustino the Coronation Cup in record time.
But that was only part of the story as the Bustino camp’s quest to ensure a breakneck pace to aid their relentless galloper was dealt a blow when Bustino’s chief Epsom assistant Riboson was unable to join Kinglet and Highest in the line-up.
McGrath recalls: “Dick Hern ran two pacemakers, but they had a pretty good horse who used to lead him called Riboson and he made the pace in the Coronation Cup but had got an injury and couldn’t take part, so they used the other two horses.
“Grundy was a wonderful horse and his story takes almost a year’s cycle as 51 years ago he started his career at Ascot in July 1974 by winning a race called the Granville Stakes for two-year-olds.
“He had gone through the two-year-old season unbeaten, winning several races, including the Dewhurst, but at the beginning of his three-year-old he got kicked in the face by one of his stable companions at home and had a chequered preparation.
“It was also a spring where it was very very wet and he got beat by Mark Anthony in the Greenham, which was a shock, and then he was beat in the 2000 Guineas. There were no excuses for Grundy despite what you might read and Bolkonski who beat him was a very good horse in his own right and went on to win the Sussex Stakes.
“But Grundy went on to win the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the Derby and the Irish Derby and then he came to Ascot and it made for a blistering race.”
Grundy, the 4-5 favourite, and Bustino (4-1), may have grabbed all the pre-race attention but it was not just a two-horse race as the 11 runners included other equine stars such as Dahlia, successful in the two previous renewals, and Star Appeal, winner of that year’s Eclipse and later the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
The script went slightly awry for the Hern team when Bustino was the first out of the stalls, but Highest soon went on and set off like a startled hare with stablemates Kinglet and Bustino on his tail.
Kinglet had to take over but he too was a spent force much earlier than had been the plan, leaving Mercer with no alternative but to kick on half a mile from home. By the final turn, Bustino was four lengths clear.
Pat Eddery was forced to go after Grundy harder than he had ever done before and the younger horse responded as only a champion could.
With a tough final furlong left, Grundy had whittled away the deficit and with the rest of a strong field toiling, the big two settling down to a street fight.
It was impossible to predict who would prevail until Bustino gave best 50 yards from the line allowing Grundy to gain the verdict by half a length as they ripped the course record apart by 2.36 seconds. Dahlia was five lengths away in third place.
The two war horses had given their all in what was a truly memorable contest for which they will always be remembered.
McGrath said: “They broke the track record by 2.3 seconds, absolutely shattered it. It was set up to be a great race, and it turned out to be a great race and both horses gave everything.
“The ground was really firm and it was real, fast summer ground by that time of the year. They both gave everything and Bustino went down narrowly.
“Joe Mercer later recalled that he felt if the pacemakers had led him along a little bit longer he might have just won and you always look for minor things when you have just been beaten in a tight finish.
“If you watch a replay of the race you can see right on the line that Bustino falters slightly and he never ran again – in fact I think he only ever cantered again once.
“Grundy only ran once more and went to York for what was then the Benson and Hedges and what we would call now the Juddmonte International. He just ran a really flat race and Dahlia won it.”
The Grundy-Bustino clash remains the benchmark to which future King Georges have been judged.
There have been many spectacular renditions of Ascot’s midsummer feature in recent times, but McGrath is in doubt the race takes on an extra dimension when there is one special element to it – just like when Grundy and Bustino went head to head five decades ago.
“The Enable one was good, and Adayar beating Mishriff and Love. Then there was Galileo and Fantastic Light who had a tremendous duel in 2001 where Galileo came out on top and then they renewed rivalry in the Irish Champion Stakes and had another wonderful battle.
“But essentially what sets the race up perfectly – which you haven’t got this year – is when a Classic three-year-old goes up against a top-class older horse. That is what the race was designed for when it was inaugurated and is what it produces from time to time.
“We’ve got a very interesting contest this time around, but we haven’t got what I would say is that extra ingredient that makes the race a must see.”
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North Coast comprehensively reversed previous form with odds-on favourite Flushing Meadows to win the Japan Racing Association Tyros Stakes at Leopardstown.
Joseph O’Brien’s charge had been beaten just under three lengths by Flushing Meadows on his debut at the Curragh in June before winning next time out and chasing home Daytona in Listed prize on his latest start.
He was sent off a 3-1 chance against the Aidan O’Brien-trained 30-100 market leader Flushing Meadows, who was only just beaten in Group Three company on his most recent start,.
Under a positive ride from Dylan Browne McMonagle, North Coast more than had the measure of the favourite, coming home a six-length winner, although Ryan Moore did ease his mount a little in the closing stages.
Paddy Power put North Coast in as a 25-1 chance for next year’s 2000 Guineas and Derby, with a Group One date likely to be next on the agenda.
Dylan Browne McMonagle and trainer Joseph O’Brien (Brian Lawless/PA)
“That’s probably a good trip for him, a stiff seven furlongs,” said the winning trainer.
“He ran great in Naas and you’d have to be impressed with what he did today.
“I backed him up a bit quick coming here, so we’ll probably go straight to the National Stakes now rather than going for the Futurity on the way. That would be my immediate thought.
“He’s a smart colt and has an exciting future.
“I was very impressed with his last half-furlong. It looked like it was going to be an eyeballing match down to the line but he really pulled away again.”
Composing impressed in victory (Brian Lawless/PA)
Composing made virtually all the running to register a comfortable success in the Saudi Cup Silver Flash Stakes.
Fifth on debut at the Curragh in May, she broke her maiden back at that track last month, prompting Aidan O’Brien to raise her sights to Group Three level here.
Moore was eager to get to the front and allowed to stride on, he dictated the pace aboard the 4-9 favourite and Composing never looked like being caught, eventually pulling three and a quarter lengths clear of the staying-on Skydance.
The Wootton Bassett filly was cut to 16-1 from 25s by Paddy Power for both the 1000 Guineas and Oaks next year, with O’Brien rating her a potential Group One challenger later in the campaign.
Composing with jockey Ryan Moore in the winner’s enclosure (Brian Lawless/PA)
“We’re delighted with her, she’s a lovely, straightforward filly,” said O’Brien, who was winning the race for the fourth successive season.
“She won lovely the last day and Ryan loved her. She was very professional.
“She’ll go for the Debutante Stakes at the Curragh next and could be a filly for the Moyglare.”
Hope Queen finished with a flourish to secure top honours in the European Bloodstock News EBF Star Stakes at Sandown.
A clear-cut winner on her Beverley debut a month ago, Karl Burke’s Night Of Thunder filly was a 15-2 shot stepping up to Listed class in the hands of Clifford Lee.
The Charlie Johnston-trained Jennifer Jane proved a tough nut to crack in front, but having initially thrown down her challenge against the far rail, Hope Queen was angled out inside the last of seven furlongs and picked up well to find a gap between horses and get up to score by a neck.
Lee told Racing TV: “I always knew I was going to there at some point. I was kind of locked up in behind horses wondering which was going to fade away and which one was going to keep going, but once I got a clear run I always knew she was going to gallop to the line.
“She’s definitely not shy, even though she’s a filly she’s quite bullish in that way.
“After her first win at Beverley we knew she’d be a nice filly and it’s nice to get a Listed win today.
“Off that run today I’d nearly stick at seven furlongs or go to a mile in these better grade races. She galloped to line nicely and handled the ground very well.”
Publish is the new favourite for next year’s 2000 Guineas with Coral after adding his name to an illustrious roll of honour in the Martin Densham & Peter Deal Memorial British EBF Maiden Stakes.
Subsequent Guineas heroes Kameko (2009) and Ruling Court (2024) both made a winning debut in this race in recent years, while Nostrum (2022) and Arabian Crown also struck gold before going on to bigger and better things.
John and Thady Gosden’s Publish looked a winner in waiting when coming from an unpromising position to finish second to Pacifica Pier three weeks ago and went one better as the 4-7 favourite under James Doyle, leading for much of the way and seeing off his chief market rival Catullus by a length and a quarter.
“He obviously ran a nice race here first time out, he took a step forward for that, the second (Catullus) has got solid form and he won well,” said Thady Gosden.
“He’s always looked a nice type, he’s by Kingman and has a great attitude. He’s got plenty of stature to him and hopefully he’s a horse that will keep on progressing.
“We’ll see (where we go next), he’s done lots of growing, he’s a big boy now and we’ll see how he comes out of the race, but he might want a bit of time to develop.”
Coral make the Juddmonte-owned Publish their 8-1 market leader from 20-1 for next year’s 2000 Guineas, but Paddy Power and bet365 offer more generous odds of 16-1.
The Juddmonte silks were in the winner’s enclosure for a second time on the afternoon after Andrew Balding’s Tarriance (5-2) denied Pendragon a four-timer in the George Lindon-Travers Memorial Handicap.
Andrew Balding’s Tarriance was making his handicap debut having won once and placed twice in three outings in maiden and novice company and the son of Frankel showed a willing attitude to beat 5-4 favourite Pendragon by half a length.
Winning jockey Oisin Murphy said: “He showed a very good attitude, we obviously went very steady.
“We got racing early, from the bottom of the straight, and I tried not to press ‘go’ and ask him too soon, but I liked his attitude and he’s progressive.”
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2.80139927-2-scaled.jpg12802560Geegeez Newshttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngGeegeez News2025-07-24 16:03:332025-07-24 16:03:33Hope Queen is Sandown Star for Karl Burke
Ollie Sangster is willing to wait for the rain to arrive as Celestial Orbit misses an intended outing at Ascot on account of the ground.
Last year’s Star Stakes scorer, who chased home Zanzoun in the Nell Gwyn on her seasonal return before running in the French 1000 Guineas, held an entry for the Longines Valiant Stakes on Saturday but will now be held back for Goodwood or Haydock in the coming weeks having not been declared.
Sangster said: “I was thinking the ground was going to be a bit fast for her and she’s a filly who wants a bit of ease in the ground. Even though we’ve had a lot of rain around the last week, it’s still looking like it might be a bit quick for her at Ascot.
“She’s a filly who has been on the back-burner a bit since France, where the ground was too fast for her after her good run before that in the Nell Gwyn. We’re just biding our time and hoping she can have a productive autumn.
“I’ve got a few races in mind depending on when the rain comes, maybe the Oak Tree at Goodwood (July 30) or the Dick Hern over a mile at Haydock (August 9) could be nice options. Alternatively if the rain doesn’t come there’s no rush and there’s plenty of nice races down the line.
“Her first run back will be a case of just getting her back and started really, but she’s not a filly we would want to risk on fast ground.”
Haydock’s Listed Dick Hern Stakes could also be on the cards for Celestial Orbit’s stablemate and fellow Star Stakes scorer Shuwari, who has been absent since running in Kempton’s Snowdrop Stakes earlier in the season.
“She’s had a couple of small setbacks after Kempton but nothing more than that and she’s a filly that also wants a bit of ease in the ground, so we’ve taken plenty of time with her,” added Sangster.
“I provisionally marked the Dick Hern for her at Haydock if there is some ease in the ground. She’s training away nicely and hopefully can have a good second half of the season, it will be nice to get her back to the track anyway.”
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2.76944347-scaled.jpg12802560Geegeez Newshttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngGeegeez News2025-07-24 14:32:582025-07-24 14:32:58Celestial Orbit swerves Ascot and will await more rain
Field Of Gold is the undoubted star attraction among 11 confirmations for the Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on Wednesday.
John and Thady Gosden’s latest superstar colt has followed an almost identical path to his brilliant sire Kingman so far this season, with a narrow defeat in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket followed by devastating victories in the Irish Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes.
Kingman took on and beat his elders for the first time in the 2014 Sussex Stakes and Field Of Gold is a 4-9 favourite with Coral to follow suit in the hands of William Buick, who is set to deputise in the saddle for the suspended Colin Keane.
The Gosdens and owners Juddmonte have also confirmed Lockinge hero Lead Artist and while he is not expected to take on his stablemate, Juddmonte are set to field a second runner and a potential pacemaker for Field Of Gold in the form of Qirat, who has been supplemented at a cost of £70,000.
Field Of Gold is one of five three-year-olds still in contention, with the other four all trained by Aidan O’Brien. The Ballydoyle handler has left in the French Guineas winner Henri Matisse, who was second to Field Of Gold at Royal Ascot, as well as Serengeti, The Lion In Winter and Exactly from his Classic crop, while he could also call upon talented older miler Diego Velazquez.
Docklands (left) repels Rosallion at Royal Ascot (David Davies/PA)
The Harry Eustace-trained Docklands and Richard Hannon’s Rosallion look set to renew rivalry after finishing first and second with only a nose between them in the Queen Anne last month.
The potential line-up is completed by Carl Spackler, who was a multiple Grade One winner in America for Chad Brown but was beaten into sixth place on his first start for leading Australian trainer Ciaron Maher in the Queen Anne.
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