For decades it has been one of the world’s great middle-distance races and Saturday’s (23 July) King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes sees an elite group with diverse profiles and strengths go for glory in Ascot's famous July G1 over 2392m.
Westover (Colin Keane) and Emily Upjohn (Frankie Dettori) are the two contenders of the three-year-generation and are likely to start first and second favourite - a very positive profile as far as King George winners in recent times are concerned.
Westover was flying at the finish - though after in-race complications - it was all too late, costing the Ralph Beckett-trained son of Frankel at least second behind Desert Crown in the Derby (2405m) at Epsom in June. But, always cruising in another G1 Classic three weeks later, he recorded a stunning seven-length Irish Derby (2400m) victory at the Curragh.
Keane - who smashed the record for number of winners in Ireland in 2021 - was partnering Westover for the just the first time that day but was an immediate convert: "He is one of the best - perhaps the best - I have ever ridden" is the exuberant observation of the 27-year-old three-time Irish champion jockey.
The day before Westover's problems in the Derby, Emily Upjohn suffered even worse Epsom issues in the Oaks (2405m), stumbling at the start, losing many lengths and then needing to challenge wide. It counts as a major achievement that this relatively inexpensive purchase - who had previously looked a different species to her rivals when winning York's G3 Musidora Stakes (2051m) - got to within a short-head of catching Tuesday in that G1 Fillies' Classic.
Trainer John Gosden - now in partnership with his son Thady - has won the King George four times in the last eight years and he not only is directing Emily Upjohn towards Ascot but also the five-year-old Mishriff , a huge moneyspinner in 2021.
Blistering home stretch acceleration saw this versatile horse consecutively win the Saudi Cup over 1800m on dirt and Meydan's G1 Dubai Sheema Classic (2410m), later finishing second to Adayar in this prior to romping away with York's G1 International Stakes (2051m).
His sudden late surge from a difficult position resulted in a desperately close miss in Sandown's G1 Eclipse Stakes (1990m) early this month, since when jockey James Doyle has replaced David Egan.
Strong stayer Torquator Tasso is a terrific advertisement for German breeding and racing and was, last October at Longchamp, the shock winner of the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (2400m) - the most prestigious European race of all. On Monday the five-year-old - an easy recent winner of Hamburg's G2 Grosser Hansa-Preis (2400m) - galloped a circuit of Mulheim racecourse under regular rider Rene Piechulek. The jockey said: "He did the same work before the Arc last year and it felt just the same this time. Brilliant!"
Trainer Marcel Weiss commented after that final piece of work: "The ground may be faster than ideal on Saturday but I'm not worried. I believe this horse can go on any ground, and besides they look after the track really well at Ascot."
And the other two King George contenders will also have plenty of supporters. Despite now being six, the Aidan O'Brien trained Broome appeared to deliver a career best performance in June when stylishly winning Royal Ascot's G2 Hardwicke Stakes (2392m). The prominent tactics used so effectively by Ryan Moore then are likely to be firmly on the agenda again this time.
And Pyledriver (P J McDonald) is capable of some huge performances when the cards fall right as he showed when winning the 2021G1 Coronation Cup (2405m) at Epsom and running 1l second to Glory Vase in last December's G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m) at Sha Tin.
