The Queen has a fine chance of winning the race named after her parents in her 90th year, having opted to supplement Dartmouth into the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. The four-year-old provided his owner with one of the more memorable moments in her racing life by landing the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot last month, an outcome that required a photo-finish and a stewards’ inquiry before being confirmed.
The King George was being staged for only the fourth time when the Queen last won it, with Aureole in 1954, at which time the monarch was 28. If her colours are to pass the post in front once more, Dartmouth will have to find a way past Postponed, unbeaten since landing this race last year.
“The horse is in exceptional form and the trainer has been delighted with his progress since Ascot,” said John Warren, the Queen’s racing manager. “With that side of things going so well, we felt he was a worthy candidate. Olivier Peslier, who rode him to such good effect in the Hardwicke, will ride him once again, so there is continuity on that front.”
“To race in Group One events you need to be genuine and consistent and the one thing you can definitely say about this horse is that he is genuine. As he has grown up and matured, he has just become so reliable.
“He’s won all his three races this season and has progressed each time and he deserves to run at this level. If he produces his Royal Ascot form on Saturday, then I think he’ll run a mighty race.”
Peslier linked up with Dartmouth’s trainer, Sir Michael Stoute, to win the 2010 King George aboard Harbinger, who had also won the Hardwicke on his previous start. Stoute now seeks his sixth success in the race, which would be a new trainer’s record.
Dartmouth has been introduced into the betting as the 6-1 second-favourite while Postponed is 1-2. Aidan O’Brien’s Highland Reel is next at 7-1.
The field would have been significantly stronger had Hawkbill, winner of the Eclipse Stakes, been added to the race but his Godolphin owners chose to save him for next month’s Juddmonte International at York.
Sheikh Mohammed, owner of Godolphin, has an interest in the two horses who now head the King George betting, since both are sons of his stallion, Dubawi, and Dartmouth was bred by his Darley operation.
A total of 10 runners remain in the King George, including Ajman Bridge, entered by Roger Varian as a pacemaker for Postponed. Varian used Roseburg for that job when Postponed won the Coronation Cup at Epsom last month but Roseburg has since died of a heart attack on the gallops.
Other obvious contenders include Wings Of Desire, John Gosden’s Dante winner who was last seen running on into fourth place in the Derby. Gosden is the only trainer in the past dozen years to have won the King George with a three-year-old, a feat he has pulled off twice.
Last year’s race took place on soft going after a deluge of rain the previous day but a repeat seems most unlikely according to current forecasts and Ascot’s clerk, Chris Stickels, expects “perfect summer ground” on Saturday, with the going now good to firm, good in places. “I don’t think there’s much rain about this week,” he said.
“The thunder which is forecast is north of us, but we may get some showers on Friday. We’ve watered today and put 10mm on the straight course and 5mm on the round last night and we’ll do similar on Wednesday and take a view then.”
