King George Stakes – your guide to ALL 15 horses left in and a tip for £1.25million ‘race of the season’ at Ascot

THE King George at Ascot is just five days away and it’s likely to be the race of the season.

15 top-class horses remain in contention for the Group 1 race, including two Derby winners.

You can find the lowdown on all of the contenders below, including a rating out of ten for their chances.

Auguste Rodin (Aidan O’Brien)

He completed the English and Irish Derby double with all the ease of a champion. One of the best three-year-olds in training, he’s an obvious player.

Rating: 10/10

Desert Crown (Sir Michael Stoute)

Last year’s Derby winner has had plenty of issues since and was beaten on return. He’s a leading contender at his best, but there’s plenty of risk attached.

Rating: 7/10

Emily Upjohn (John & Thady Gosden)

Another star mare for the Gosdens, she landed her second Group 1 on return and pushed Paddington to his limit in the Coral-Eclipse. She gets weight and has to go close.

Rating: 9/10

Pyledriver (William Muir & Chris Grassick)

Last year’s winner, he returned from an injury absence with a dominant win at Royal Ascot. Always overlooked in top races, he’ll be in the shake-up.

Rating: 8/10

King Of Steel (Roger Varian)

An absolute unit of a horse, he almost stole the Derby from under Auguste Rodin’s nose. He won easily at Royal Ascot since and should get even closer to that rival this time.

Rating: 8/10

Westover (Ralph Beckett)

Very unlucky in last year’s Derby, he picked up his second Group 1 in France last time. No match for Emily Upjohn the start before, however, and he’s more exposed than many.

Rating: 7/10

Hukum (Owen Burrows)

Beat Pyledriver at Epsom last year and returned from an absence to down Desert Crown at Sandown. He has an excellent strike-rate at this trip and will be staying best of all late on.

Rating: 9/10

Luxembourg (Aidan O’Brien)

He’s a dual Group 1 winner but has struggled to land a blow against elite competition. With stamina to prove over this trip, there’s plenty of reasons to look somewhere else.

Rating: 6/10

Adelaide River (Aidan O’Brien)

Failing to win since his debut, he’s become the nearly horse. Beaten by Auguste Rodin in the Irish Derby but he’s consistent and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he snuck into the final place.

Rating: 5/10

Bolshoi Ballet (Aidan O’Brien)

Has failed to get his head in front in Listed and Group 3 races this year. Once favourite for the Derby, he’s been a real disappointment and won’t be winning this.

Rating: 2/10

Broome (Aidan O’Brien)

Has developed into a smart stayer this year but as his record of 1/18 in Group 1 company indicates, he’s unlikely to play a part in this.

Rating: 2/10

Simca Mille (Stephane Wattel)

French raider who has finished runner-up in two of his three Group 1 tries. This is his toughest task yet, however, and probably won’t be good enough to get involved.

Rating: 4/10

Deauville Legend (James Ferguson)

Fourth in last year’s Melbourne Cup but behind Pyledriver on return. Didn’t have the best passage that day, but he was never getting to the winner and doesn’t shape like a Group 1 winner in waiting.

Rating: 3/10

Point Lonsdale (Aidan O’Brien)

Soft ground specialist who was left trailing by Emily Upjohn at Epsom last time – that tells the story.

Rating: 1/10

Hamish (William Haggas)

All four of his Group wins have come at Group 3 level and he only scrambled home in one last time. He’s better over further and regardless, he’s unlikely to show up.

Rating: 1/10

King George tip

If all these turn up, it’ll be a race of the decade contender, let alone the season.

The horse who is overpriced at this stage is last year’s winner Pyldriver, who was at 80 per cent when making a winning return at Royal Ascot.

If he was trained by a ‘flashier’ name, he’d be vying for favourtism, so his current odds of 7-1 are ludicrous.

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