If there was any doubt about Calandagan’s resolution in a battle, then his King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes tussle with Kalpana firmly answered the question.
Narrowly beaten in four top-level contests since scoring at Royal Ascot last summer, some had looked at the four-year-old’s thirst for victory as a reason why the talented son of Gleneagles was yet to strike at the highest level.
Francis-Henri Graffard never had any doubts and although relief may have been the overriding emotion when Calandagan opened his Group One account in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud last month, this was a moment of sweet vindication for the Aga Khan team who have stood steadfast behind their star middle-distance performer.
“I never had any doubts about his willingness to win and every time he has been beaten he has had excuses,” said Graffard.
“He was really far back in the Juddmonte International and he quickened really strongly, just too late, and in Dubai he again finished strongly when beaten by a very good horse. At Epsom, I had plenty of excuses, but I could never say it was because he didn’t want to try.
“Mickael (Barzalona) knows him better now and he loves good ground and the mile-and-a-half distance. I think there can’t be any more doubt about his willingness to win.”
Having caused a 25-1 shock with Goliath 12 months ago, Graffard this time had the 11-10 favourite on his side and a horse who could quite rightfully class Ascot as his second home.
A regular at British passport control, he once again displayed his liking for crossing the Channel, this time around taking home £850,650 after Barzalona delivered his mount with precision to deny Andrew Balding’s top-class filly.
Graffard added: “I thought the filly might have got away and when she quickened I thought ‘oh my god, I’m going to be beaten a neck again’.
“But Mickael said he was waiting and he really helped him to balance. He said the last 200 metres are long here and he knew he was going to catch her.
“The way he can quicken is very impressive, he’s a very good horse and now we know whatever tactics the opposition have we can be competitive in these top races.”
For Graffard, a second win in one of the season’s key contests cements his position as one of the leading trainers in the world.
Having shown himself to be a powerhouse on home soil, he is now proving it on the global stage, again displaying his willingness to venture into enemy territory and make a daring raid on the spoils.
“I love the sport and competition and when you have a top horse in good form, I think it is important to challenge yourself against the best possible opposition,” said Graffard.
“That is how you can really level-up the quality of your horses and English racing is so strong. I came to Royal Ascot with a really strong team of horses and left disappointed, so it is not easy. When you win, it makes it even more joyful.
“The season has been very strong for me so far, we’re just starting the second half now and I’ve just had a week off to recharge and the stats have been very strong for the stable, so we need to keep bringing the winners and we are working very hard.”
By emulating the achievement of countryman Maurice Zilber – trainer of 1973 and 1974 winner Dahlia – he has now done what many of his contemporaries, including even the great Andre Fabre, have so far failed to achieve.
Dahlia and Zilber were of course thwarted in ‘the race of the century’ when seeking a King George hat-trick 50 years ago.
But on the day next year’s Ascot feature was boosted to a swelling £2million prize-pot, the lure of one of the sport’s greatest races is sure to prove a tempting proposition once again.
“Hopefully. It’s an amazing race and I’m not sure why it is not on the agenda for more horses and stables,” said Graffard when asked about seeking a third win in the race.
“It’s a fantastic race and of course you don’t just come for the prize-money. If my horses are in good form I would definitely come back again.”
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Kalpana may have missed out on King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes glory, but handsome compensation could await in Paris in the autumn, with connections now setting their sights firmly on the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Andrew Balding’s four-year-old had run admirably in defeat in both her prior outings this term, last seen going down fighting in a titanic dual with Whirl on the Curragh last month.
Returned to her favoured distance of a mile and a half, it momentarily looked like Kalpana had slipped the field when Oisin Murphy asked the Juddmonte-owned filly to quicken.
However, hot on her tail was Francis-Henri Graffard’s French raider Calandagan, who ensured Kalpana had to once again dip into her reserves and battle before being thwarted close home.
Kalpana went down fighting at Ascot (PA)
“I’m very proud of her, she’s run her heart out again and just been beaten by a very good horse,” said Balding.
“She’s done nothing wrong, had every chance, just bumped into a quick one on the day.
“It would have probably helped our cause if a bit more rain had got into the ground, but we can’t complain.”
For Juddmonte it was once again Graffard who proved their nemesis after Goliath denied Bluestocking 12 months ago.
Ralph Beckett’s filly would of course claim the Prix Vermeille and then the Arc, and hopes are high Kalpana could do the same.
Her route to the Arc could see her follow Bluestocking and head to ParisLongchamp for an early sighter in the Vermeille.
But Balding could instead use another route successfully used by a Juddmonte star in the past – and search for back-to-back victories in Kempton’s September Stakes, a race Enable won before downing Sea Of Class in the French capital in 2018.
“She’s a class act and she’s tightened up again since her two runs and come forward again, we’re excited about the autumn,” added Balding.
“I would have thought that was a career-best effort and we’ll be working back from Paris in October.
“She’s in the Yorkshire Oaks, but she’s had a hard race today and we’ll work back from the Arc.
Trainer Andrew Balding could have an Arc contender on his hands (Nigel French for The Jockey Club/PA)
“We could head to the Vermeille, but she hasn’t won a race yet this year so could go to the September Stakes without a penalty which might be an easier ‘in’.
“It is likely to be one or the other and there’s an extra week this year from the Vermeille to the Arc so anything is possible.
“The Kempton race she won last year and is on our doorstep and you are guaranteed the surface. But the Vermeille could be a good shot at a Group One, so we’ll see.”
Also given an international objective, albeit further afield, is Charlie Appleby’s stable stalwart Rebel’s Romance who was a luckless third in his quest to follow up Hardwicke Stakes success at Royal Ascot.
Rebel’s Romance could only finish third (David Davies/PA)
Short of room at a vital stage, William Buick was forced to sit and suffer, as he repeated last year’s placed effort in the race.
Appleby said: “He ran a solid race. It was a tactical race in a small field and no one would have expected the leader to be who it was (Jan Brueghel). It was very slow fractions in the first half a mile.
“We were in that pocket and with a horse that we know gallops we would have liked to have got out and got rolling. The rain earlier was nothing and that didn’t settle the dust.
“He will go on his travels again now and we will point him towards the Canadian International.”
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French raider Calandagan powered to a brilliant victory in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
Francis-Henri Graffard’s gelding was bidding to keep the trophy in the Chantilly yard after Goliath prevailed 12 months ago, with his key rival seemingly Aidan O’Brien’s Coronation Cup winner Jan Brueghel, who had edged the Aga Khan Studs-owned four-year-old at Epsom.
Calandagan was the well-backed 11-10 favourite to turn the tables and after an incredibly patient ride from Mickael Barzalona he swept through to pick off all of his rivals and pass the gallant Kalpana ahead of the line for a one-length triumph.
It is the fifth time the race has been won by a horse carrying the green and red silks, with Shergar the most famous of the those winners after prevailing for the fourth Aga Khan, who died in February this year at the age of 88.
“I am so pleased for the horse, it was a competitive race,” said Graffard.
“The tactics during the race were not what I was expecting, when I saw Continuous going very steadily it was all different.
“When the filly (Kalpana) kicked on for home my horse was still travelling well, I was hoping he was going to catch her at the end. He lengthened so strongly, he’s a very good horse.
“I wanted to see my horse getting into his rhythm and lengthening his stride, when I really saw him coming I started to shout.
“He won nicely again today, he’s a good horse, that’s two in row now in Group Ones.
“Mickael knows him very well and he has a lot confidence in the horse. You saw the ride he gave him, he had a lot of confidence and he won – we are so happy.”
Winning connections following the King George (John Walton/PA)
Future plans could include another trip to York for the Juddmonte International, in which he was second to City Of Troy last year.
Graffard said: “We’ll see how he comes out of the race, but he’s in the Juddmonte International and why not, I wouldn’t mind going back there. I would have no problem bringing him back to 10 furlongs, but I will discuss it with the owner.
“A mile and a half is also the perfect distance for him, but he ran really strongly in the race at York last year and if he comes back really well, why avoid the race?
“We could maybe go for the Japan Cup at the end of the season, but he will have a big target somewhere.”
Mickael Barzalona celebrates (John Walton/PA)
Jubilant rider Barzalona added: “This means a lot and it has come at the right time for me.
“It’s took a bit of time to win his Group One, but now he has won two in a row and to win a King George means a lot.
“He’s a lovely horse to ride and he has an engine and a beautiful action. Once he finds his rhythm he is never going to let you down and as a jockey you just need to put him in the right spot and let him do the rest.
“I was very confident I would get to Kalpana and this is a great result.”
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Two Tribes finished top of the charts after a Hollywood ending to the Moet & Chandon International Handicap at Ascot.
Richard Spencer’s four-year-old had been knocking on the door over this distance this summer and was sent off at 25-1 in the hands of David Egan for this feature handicap on the King George day card.
Richard Hannon’s Classic briefly looked like following up his Sandown success as the closing stages approached, but Egan was beginning to find top gear from Two Tribes and after the duo went to war in the closing stages it was Two Tribes who pulled out enough to score.
He returned a neck verdict over Classic, with his handler thrilled to see him get his head in front with £77,310 on offer to the winner.
Spencer said: “He’s been knocking on the door in some nice races and I actually ran him over six furlongs at York as I thought he had plenty of speed. Ryan Moore rode him that day and said to step him up to seven and the races since haven’t really panned out how we hoped for him.
“He’s not had a draw like this before in a big-field handicap, where they can drag him along. He hit the front today and didn’t do a stroke and he goes from hero to zero. Once the petrol gauge is empty you have got to go for him and David has done a great job.
“He’s been on the premises meaning to do that, but I’m glad he waited until today as there was a great pot on offer.”
Two Tribes holds an entry for next Saturday’s Coral Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood, but Spencer immediately ruled that out, instead suggesting a trip to York’s Ebor meeting is on the cards.
Spencer added: “He’s in the Stewards’ Cup, but we won’t run him and we won’t drop him back to six furlongs now, I think we’ll just campaign him at seven.
“There’s a few races for him and he’s one we had on the radar to take abroad over the winter. We’ve got a team ready to go abroad and this lad loves racing, takes no training.
“We’ll just have to see how he comes out of this race, but maybe we could go to York. We’ll just play it by ear really.”
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Cheshire Dancer made it a fine afternoon at Ascot for Hugo Palmer as she claimed a surprise victory as a 22-1 shot in the Longines Valiant Stakes.
The grey filly was ridden by Billy Loughnane in the Group Three, for which Ralph Beckett’s Chantilly Lace was the horse to beat according to the market as the 11-4 favourite.
Cheshire Dancer travelled in last as her rivals contested the lead, but then began to make progress on the outside in the final two furlongs before grabbing a narrow victory from Ed Walker’s American Gal on the line.
Palmer, who had struck in the preceding Princess Margaret Stakes with Fitzella, said: “It’s been a great hour, when we got done on the line in the first at Chester I didn’t think it would be our day, so this is magical really.
“I said to the owners when she was third at Ascot during the Royal meeting that we would go back for the Valiant and she has since run massive when second in the Pipalong Stakes at Pontefract.
“Sometimes when these fillies find a rich vein of form and grow in confidence they improve and it’s difficult to put your finger on how or why, but she’s found that magical moment today.
“I was slightly nervous during the race, it wasn’t the plan to sit last but they went an even enough gallop and she was really tough.
“She’s been in the yard for three years and holds a real soft spot in all our hearts and it’s lovely to see the success for everyone who puts so much into her.
“She went up to 86 after the run on the straight track here during the Royal meeting and now after two runs over a turning mile she’s going to be up to a 100.
“She failed the vet for America after she finished third in the Kensington Palace. We had accepted an offer for her but that was probably for considerably less than she is now worth now, so it’s funny how it goes.”
He added: “Winning these races are important for all trainers, but what we’re really keen to get across to people is despite the fact I may have left Newmarket and moved to Cheshire, we’re still doing the same job and winning Group races and people can with confidence send us well-bred horses and home breds.”
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2.81104320-scaled.jpg12802560Geegeez Newshttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngGeegeez News2025-07-26 13:49:092025-07-26 14:10:14Cheshire Dancer surprises in Valiant Stakes
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.
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2.80890622.jpg12482496Geegeez Newshttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngGeegeez News2025-07-25 15:20:172025-07-25 15:20:17Scott confident Staya can go the distance at Ascot
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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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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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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Jan Brueghel, Lambourn, Rebel’s Romance and Calandagan are among the eight horses left in a potentially star-studded King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
Aidan O’Brien said at the weekend it was probable that Coronation Cup winner Jan Brueghel would be his number one hope, with Lambourn likely to be aimed at the St Leger, possibly via the Great Voltigeur at York.
O’Brien’s Epsom Oaks runner-up Whirl, who has been mentioned in terms of the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood, has stood her ground, while the Ballydoyle handler is also responsible for Continuous.
Like last year’s winner Goliath, Calandagan is trained by Francis-Henri Graffard and pushed Jan Brueghel all the way at Epsom. The Aga Khan Studs-owned gelding has since bagged an elusive Group One victory in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.
The Charlie Appleby-trained Rebel’s Romance, meanwhile, showed he is as good as ever in recording a popular triumph in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot. Andrew Balding’s Group One winner Kalpana is another representative for the fillies, with Jessica Harrington’s Green Impact bolstering the Irish challenge.
Kalpana will be stepping up to a mile and a half for the first time this season, at the scene of her biggest success to date, the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes back in October.
Her two outings this season have been in Ireland, finishing third in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and second in the Pretty Polly Stakes, both at the Curragh.
Juddmonte’s European racing manager Barry Mahon said: “Kalpana is all systems go for the King George. This has been her intended target since her last run in Ireland and she is in good shape.
“I think her two runs this year have been very solid. We know she is proven over a mile and a half on soft ground, so for her to produce those performances over 10 furlongs on quicker ground is very promising.
“We would be hopeful of a strong showing on Saturday back over 12 furlongs, for all it looks a competitive race. Calandagan is a top-class horse and we all saw what Jan Brueghel did at Epsom. I don’t know if Lambourn will line up as well, but a Derby winner always commands respect.”
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There will be no Ascot repeat for Amiloc, who will be a notable absentee from the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
The Ralph Beckett-trained three-year-old enhanced his reputation with a fifth straight win in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot, but a return to the scene of his finest hour is now off the cards, with the track’s midsummer Group One feature deemed to be coming too soon for David and Vimy Aykroyd’s unbeaten gelding.
“It’s a training decision and Ralph felt he could just do with a little bit more time having had a hard race at Royal Ascot,” said the Aykroyds’ racing manager Patrick Cooper on the decision to miss the weekend highlight.
“The real racing for this horse will be in the autumn time and Ralph thinks it’s a little too quick after his last race, it’s nothing more than that and nothing untoward.”
Amiloc was a general 10-1 chance for the King George, which could see Coronation Cup one-two Jan Brueghel and Calandagan renew rivalry, and holds entries for both the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes at York (August 20) and the Curragh’s Comer Group International Irish St. Leger (September 14) later in the summer.
However, connections appear undecided on their next move at this stage, as they anticipate heading overseas in search of valuable prizes before the year is out.
Cooper added: “We’ll hopefully go on the road with him in the autumn time, we haven’t overly thought about it, but the big-money races are at the end of the year.
“All those races in Hong Kong, Australia and America are all on the radar and I suspect we will be on the road at some stage.”
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Aidan O’Brien has suggested the Coolmore partners are leaning towards running Jan Brueghel rather than dual Derby winner Lambourn in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
Last season’s St Leger hero Jan Brueghel opened his account for the current campaign in the Coronation Cup at Epsom last month and looks set for a rematch with the runner-up that day, French star Calandagan, in Ascot’s midsummer highlight.
While the Ballydoyle handler was not ruling out the possibility of Epsom and Curragh winner Lambourn taking on his elders when speaking at the Kildare track on Saturday, connections appear more likely to chart a path towards a third Classic bid in the Betfred-sponsored Leger at Doncaster in September.
O’Brien said: “At the moment I’d say Jan Brueghel is most likely to go to the King George, with Continuous.
“Lambourn is still on the boiling pot for it, but I don’t think he’ll be forced into it by any means and he is a three-year-old.
“Jan Brueghel seems to be in very good form and everyone seems to be very happy with him. I’d imagine the lads might let him go there.
“That would mean Lambourn would have a couple of easy weeks and he might go to the Great Voltigeur (at York), even though he’s a Group One winner, and kind of set him up for the Leger.
“They haven’t really decided yet, but reading between the lines that’s what could happen.”
Delacroix won a pulsating renewal of the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown (Chris Radburn/PA)
O’Brien also confirmed his Eclipse first and fourth Delacroix and Camille Pissarro are both being trained for next month’s Juddmonte International at York, despite bookmaker support prompting speculation the former could drop back to a mile for a clash with Field Of Gold in Goodwood’s Sussex Stakes, while the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe remains the long-term target for Los Angeles.
“We have Delacroix and Camille Pissarro being trained for the Juddmonte at York and the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown. They’ll be taking that slot at the moment,” he said.
“Los Angeles is on a break and he’ll maybe go to the Prix Foy on Arc trials day with the view of going to the Arc with him.
“Delacroix loved Leopardstown and was very good around there. Whether the lads decide to go to York or not before that, they’ll make that decision. He seems in good form at the moment.”
Meanwhile, in an earlier interview with ITV Racing, O’Brien revealed his Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Lake Victoria may not run again.
The Frankel filly was ruled out of Royal Ascot last month after suffering a setback and has not yet returned to work.
O’Brien said: “She is not back in exercise yet. She’s doing very well physically, but she’s not back in work yet.
“John (Halley, vet) will make the decision on whether she comes back into work for this year or is left alone until next year or is retired altogether. They’ll be decisions that will be made as weeks go by.”
The trainer is preparing both Whirl and Bedtime Story for the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood, but admitted he was “a little bit uneasy about running them against each other”, hinting Whirl could be rerouted to the Yorkshire Oaks should his Epsom and Curragh Oaks heroine Minnie Hauk head elsewhere.
Gstaad and Ryan Moore after winning at Royal Ascot (John Walton/PA)
With the highly touted Albert Einstein “probably not” going to run going to run again this season, O’Brien’s juvenile team for the second half of the season is set to be led by Coventry Stakes winner Gstaad, who has several Group One options coming up.
O’Brien added: “Gstaad is very well, he’s come out of the Coventry very well. We’re thinking he could be a Heinz (Phoenix Stakes) horse, he could take in Deauville (Prix Morny) and he could take in the National Stakes and he could end up being a Dewhurst horse at the end.”
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