The Grade 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes, first run at Ascot in 1951, has lost some of its lustre in recent years. Many of best middle-distance horses have swerved the race and it has often been left with small fields of only modest quality.
Yet tomorrow’s race (Ascot, 3.40 p.m.) is undoubtedly a contest to savour. It has been dubbed a ‘race for the ages’ with some of the best three-year-old colts, the so-called ‘Classic generation’, taking on their elders for the first time.
The Betfred Derby winner Auguste Rodin and the runner-up King of Steel are at the head of the market and a lot of experts feel that, with the weight for age concession, three-year-olds are the horses to back at this time of year. Auguste Rodin and King of Steel’s rivals tomorrow include Westover, who was third in last year’s Epsom Derby. All three horses have a massive chance of landing the first prize of more than £700,000.
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