27 July 2023 , 17:21
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Derby winner Auguste Rodin leads a stellar cast for the £1.25 million King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes at Ascot on Saturday in the race of the season.
Aidan O’Brien’s middle distance star meets King Of Steel, the colt he defeated by half a length at Epsom in June who has since gone on to Royal Ascot success.
They complete the three-year-old contingent who take on some of the best older horses in Europe.
They include Hukum, a dual winner over the course and distance, and John and Thady Gosden’s filly Emily Upjohn, to be ridden by Frankie Dettori, who is chasing a record eighth King George success before his planned retirement later this year.
Defending champion Pyledriver is only fifth in the betting, despite an impressive return in the Hardwicke Stakes at the Royal meeting, while Westover and Luxembourg are other Group 1 winners in the 11-strong field.
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King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes: Guide to the key runners and latest William Hill odds
Auguste Rodin 7-2 - The highly regarded winner of the Derby and Irish Derby will emulate Galileo, who of Aidan O’Brien’s four King George winners is the only three-yea-old to triumph, if he adds the King George to his big race haul.
King Of Steel 4-1 - Gave Auguste Rodin a huge fright when finishing half a length down in the Derby, on what was his first start of the season at odds of 66-1. Proved it was no fluke when winning the King Edward VII Stakes at Ascot.
Emily Upjohn 9-2 - The only filly in the field returns to her best trip after finding Paddington too quick for her in the 1m2f Eclipse. Frankie Dettori has a chance to overtake Lester Piggott if he can land an eighth victory in the race he won three times on Enable.
Emily Upjohn (right) returns to a mile and a half at Ascot (Getty Images)Hukum 9-2 - Beat Desert Crown in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes on return from injury but also has strong form at 1m4f. Has a record of six wins from eight runs at around the distance and is best on a slow surface too.
Pyledriver 13-2 - Last year’s King George winner has only run once since and that ended in victory in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot. William Muir insisted he wasn’t fully fit for that outing so there should be more to come.
Luxembourg 12-1 - The Ballydoyle second string but a Group 1-winning talent too who was his stable’s big hope for Derby honours last year until an injury setback. Came back to win the Irish Champion Stakes but put in his place by Mostahdaf at Royal Ascot.
Westover 14-1 - Started favourite 12 months ago but pulled his way to the front and ended up doing too much too soon. Last year’s Derby runner-up and Irish Derby winner comes here off the back of a victory in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.
Pyledriver winning the Hardwicke Stakes (PA)Deauville Legend 22-1 - Venturing into this level for the first time in Britain, he won the Great Voltigeur last year and then finished fourth in the Melbourne Cup, which is likely to be his destination again.
Hamish 40-1 - The oldest horse in the field has won four of his last six races and is a soft ground specialist. Has run only in only one Group 1 race in last year’s Irish St Leger when he came within three quarters of a length of beating champion stayer Kyprios.
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Point Lonsdale 80-1 - Outclassed by Emily Upjohn in the Coronation Cup in June but may not have been suited by the quick ground. He is unbeaten in all five starts on going from yielding to heavy.
Bolshoi Ballet 100-1 - Recorded his last win in the 2021 Belmont Derby in the US and has yet to score at 1m4f.
VERDICT: A very deep field has been assembled for this open age showpiece in which the older horses have triumphed 16 times this century. It’s a misleading statistic as the race has not always attracted a three-year-old. Auguste Rodin is a talent but made heavy weather of defeating a stablemate in the Irish Derby. EMILY UPJOHN, so impressive in the Coronation Cup, may have his measure.
1-2-3 prediction
1 Emily Upjohn, 2 Pyledriver, 3 Hukum