Auguste Rodin / Mike Egerton/PA Wire
By Tom Frary
Eleven high-quality runners will make up one of the greatest renewals of the G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth II Qipco S. in recent memory on Saturday, with Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) the biggest missing name among them. Saeed Suhail’s troubled 2022 Derby hero’s leg infection means that the keenly-anticipated clash of the last two Blue Riband winners in the Ascot monument is cruelly denied, while the three other withdrawals disappointingly include the sole French challenger Simca Mille (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), whose chance was put paid to by the 17mm of rain which fell overnight, and the Aidan O’Brien back-up entries Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and Adelaide River (Ire) (Australia {GB}).
Ascot’s renowned bias for middle to high numbers over this mile-and-a-half trip is even more pronounced on ground as easy as looks certain to prevail for Saturday’s behemoth contest, which serves Ballydoyle’s number one Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) well as he received the widest stall under Ryan Moore. There have been very few King Georges with double-figure fields of late, but it is notable that Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), Poet’s Word (Ire) (Poet’s Voice {GB}) and Postponed (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) were all posted wide in years when there were more than six runners.
The heavy overnight rain turned the ground officially to soft and with the prospect of more scattered showers to interrupt any drying effect, this year’s renewal could be tough going for some but not for Shadwell’s Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who could have been drawn more kindly in stall four but who could even start favourite as the race’s most obvious soft-ground actor. He is next to Amo Racing’s Derby runner-up and G2 King Edward VII S. winner and only other 3-year-old King Of Steel (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in three, while the G1 Coronation Cup one-two Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) fared better in eight and 10 respectively.
Ballydoyle’s four-strong team includes the G1 Irish Champion S. and G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup hero Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in stall one. He will be the mount of Seamie Heffernan, with Adam Kirby booked for Point Lonsdale (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in stall five. He is next to last year’s winner Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) in the middle in six, with Hamish (GB) (Motivator {GB}) in seven. In a twist, Desert Crown’s regular rider Richard Kingscote, who was due to be replaced by William Buick on the subsequently-withdrawn Stoute luminary, has been booked for the Haggas’s veteran mud-lover.
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