King George VI and Queen Elizabeth stakes

ASCOT, UK -- By now, the breeding world is wise to the fact that we only realised almost all too late that Adlerflug was a stallion who should have been treated with the utmost respect. The team at Gestut Schlenderhan knew, but then they bred Adlerflug, who died in 2021 just months after he had been crowned Germany's champion sire for the first time and not long after Schlenderhan had celebrated its 150th anniversary.  Adlerflug has been kind to Francis-Henri Graffard, who trained his son In Swoop, also for the...

Seventy years ago, Queen Elizabeth II won the fourth running of the race named in honour of her parents, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, at her own racecourse, Ascot. Aureole was a hugely appropriate winner, having been bred by King George VI in 1950, two years prior to the monarch's death. The horse's victory was widely welcomed, not least because he had been beaten a year earlier by his conqueror in the Derby, Pinza.  The 'King George' provides ones of the key pivot points in the season,...

There is no doubt that one of the feel-good moments in an excellent week of action at Royal Ascot came when Isle Of Jura (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) won the G2 Hardwicke Stakes on the final day of the meeting. Much of the joy that sprung from the result was aimed towards jockey Callum Shepherd after he had missed out on a plum ride in the Derby. But the importance of the win for the horse's trainer, George Scott, who was enjoying a first Royal Ascot success, and his owner...

So begins the campaign for Auguste Rodin (Ire) to meet Desert Crown (GB) and Adayar (Ire) in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. This column has precisely zero influence over anything at all, but as a racing fan increasingly concerned at the sidestepping of the greatest prize of high summer then it would be remiss of me not to bang the drum and rattle the tambourine a little.  How often have the last three winners of the Derby all still been in training? (We can make that four,...

The G1 Coronation Cup and G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. are among the targets that trainer William Muir has set out for Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) for the first half of the year. The 4-year-old-who last year won the G2 King Edward VI S. at Royal Ascot and the G2 Great Voltigeur S. before finishing third in the G1 St Leger-will start out in the G2 Jockey Club S. at Newmarket before aiming for the Coronation, the G2 Hardwicke S. at Royal Ascot and the King...

Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) was a disappointing last of the three runners in Saturday's G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., beaten 16 1/2 lengths by Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), but a potential excuse has come to light with the 4-year-old having exited the race with a "bad stone bruise." "Japan came back a little bit sore from the King George," said trainer Aidan O'Brien on Thursday after he sent out Japan's full-brother Mogul (GB) to win the G3 Gordon S. "He had a bad stone bruise the following...

The G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot on July 25 will be worth £400,000. Minimum prize money for a Group 1 in Britain post lockdown has been £250,000. Nick Smith, Director of Racing and Public Affairs at Ascot, said, "With the deeply appreciated support of our Official Partner and race sponsor, QIPCO, we will be running this year's King George at £400,000. In doing so, we are maintaining our policy of contributing significant executive contribution to our flagship races which began with £1.7-million being added across...