King George Weekend – Day Two Preview

One of the marquee events of the racing calendar takes place on Saturday as Ascot Racecourse hosts King George Day.

The day is one of the primary days of the flat season, featuring leading trainers, jockeys and horses. No meet is more important than the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

It is one of the most lucrative races in the sport and will be a fiercely contested event in the middle of the day, although there are others race first to whet the appetite.

Early Races

The Princess Margaret Stakes is the opening race of Saturday and the six-furlong event has one outstanding competitor in the field. Summer Romance is the strong favourite after reeling off back-to-back victories at the start of his career at Yarmouth and again in the Empress Fillies’ Stakes at Newmarket. There’s not great value to be had, with 2.63Bet €100 to win €263163/100Bet £100 to win £263+163Bet $100 to win $2631.63Bet HK$100 to win HK$2631.63Bet Rp100 to win Rp263-0.6135Bet RM100 to win RM263  with 888Sport.

Next on the race is the Porsche Handicap. There are a number of talented horses in the field, including John Gosden’s Beatboxer. He had an underwhelming performance at Royal Ascot in the Britannia Stakes, although he does have a good price of 9.00Bet €100 to win €9008/1Bet £100 to win £900+800Bet $100 to win $9008.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$9008.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp900-0.1250Bet RM100 to win RM900  with 888Sport. Wings of Time is the favourite for the event, while Motakhayyel is also a strong contender.

Before the main signature race comes the Moet and Chandon International Stakes. It promises to be another close encounter, but one horse more than any other catches the eye. Land of Legends has impressed over the course of the campaign. Saeed bin Suroor’s charge has won his last two races, including the TRM Calphormin Handicap at Newmarket. At 13.00Bet €100 to win €130012/1Bet £100 to win £1300+1200Bet $100 to win $130012.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$130012.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp1300-0.0833Bet RM100 to win RM1300  with 888Sport, he has value and the opportunity to make a splash in his first appearance at Ascot.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes

One of the greatest horses of all time will be out to reclaim her crown at Ascot. Enable has won almost every crown going, including a two-time triumph at Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Gosden’s charge has been unbeatable on the track for two years, last suffering a defeat in April 2017.

She won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in July 2017 with a dominant performance over the rest of the field, finishing four-and-a-half lengths ahead of Ulysses.

Enable returned to action after a lengthy period away from the track at the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown Park. The five-year-old displayed no signs of rust as she claimed her 10^th win on the bounce, defeating Magical by three-quarters of a length.

Gosden has suggested that winning a second King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes title will be a challenge even for Enable. However, the bookies are convinced with odds of 1.67Bet €100 to win €16767/100Bet £100 to win £167-149Bet $100 to win $1670.67Bet HK$100 to win HK$167-1.49Bet Rp100 to win Rp1670.6700Bet RM100 to win RM167  with 888Sport to claim the crown. Crystal Ocean and Defoe will provide the competition for the filly.

The former won the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot and was only beaten out for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes by a neck by Poet’s Word last season. Sir Michael Stoute’s charge will be up for the challenge at a best price of 3.75Bet €100 to win €37511/4Bet £100 to win £375+275Bet $100 to win $3752.75Bet HK$100 to win HK$3752.75Bet Rp100 to win Rp375-0.3636Bet RM100 to win RM375  at 888Sport, although it will take something very special for him to beat Enable.

About the author

Simon Sinclair

Sports Writer

Simon is a freelance sports writer from the UK. He passionately writes about all kinds of sports, sharing his predictions on everything from the latest cricket matches and golf tournaments to major horse racing events and popular American sports.