The King George is the biggest race in this part of the flat season, with clues for so many other top contests throughout the rest of 2024. Joe Napier previews the contest below and gives his 1-2-3 verdict.
Hukum won a dramatic running in 2023 when wearing down Westover. He has subsequently been retired.
AUGUSTE RODIN
(Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore)
The 2023 Derby hero has now amassed six Group 1 victories. For a horse so often characterised as inconsistent and unpredictable, that is a substantial haul, and victory in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot not only proved Auguste Rodin was as good as ever, but also saw him record his highest ever RPR of 126.
That is not outstanding among Group 1 winners, but suggested he could yet be more polished. It certainly suggested he was gutsier than ever before, holding off a searing French challenge in second and third having been underwhelming to that point in 2023. Stepping back up to 1m4f does suit, but he is always a risky proposition at skinny prices, as last year’s renewal of this contest showed. Showers are forecast, but the ground should not deteriorate too much for him and he is still a worthy favourite.
REBEL’S ROMANCE
(Charlie Appleby/William Buick)
Rebel’s Romance is only one shy of Auguste Rodin’s Group 1 tally, so victory here would see him equalise in some style. He is not a name that is too familiar on these shores, as his quintet of top tier successes have arrived on three different continents with one coming in the UK.
Two of his Group 1s came in German, followed by one in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, the year before Auguste Rodin’s victory there. He went without such a win in 2023, but has bounced back as a six-year-old, winning the Dubai Sheema Classic and the Champions & Chater Cup in Hong Kong. He has also won all five of his starts in Britain, albeit at lower levels, but cannot be underestimated, as he is probably as talented as he has ever been. His age group have won two of the last four renewals having previously gone winless since 1998.
BLUESTOCKING
(Ralph Beckett/Rossa Ryan)
Rebel’s Romance has won 13 of his 19 career starts. Bluestocking would therefore have to win all of her next ten races to match that strike rate, yet comes here as short a price due to her enormous improvement so far as a four-year-old. A bridesmaid wherever she went at three, she has not only got back to the winners’ enclosure at four, but scored at Group 1 level too.
That came last time out when she defeated Emily Upjohn in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh. The pair pulled well clear of a decent field of fillies and mares that day, with Ralph Beckett’s charge confirming the promise of her six-length romp at York a month previously. She returns to open company here, but Enable regularly put her 3lb sex allowance to good user here, and representing the same connections, Bluestocking may not be far away.
THE FIELD
With the exception of Hans Andersen, who will surely be here just to make the pace, the rest of the field are tightly bunched in the market. Luxembourg was fourth in this last year and recorded his first Group 1 over 1m4f in the Coronation Cup last time out. That race panned out well for him and the form was well below average for a top tier race, but he is very capable on his day and is decent backup ammunition for Ballydoyle.
Dubai Honour is already a Group 1 winner three times over, but doing so on his most recent run in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud confirmed he can stay this trip. He was runner-up in the Champion Stakes in 2021 here, but more rain may be needed to fully compliment his abilities.
The same could potentially be said about sole French challenger Goliath; he ran well at Royal Ascot when second in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes, but this looks tougher. Sunway, meanwhile, proved sound surfaces are within his compass when second in the Irish Derby latest, though once again that form looks modest in comparison to this race. Middle Earth was behind Goliath last time, but is a thorough stayer who may benefit if Hans Andersen sets a brisk gallop. Nevertheless, a step up is required.
Matthew Sutcliffe’s Value Punts – Best Bets For Ascot & York on Saturday
Saturday’s racing comes in part from Ascot and York on ITV, and Matty Sutcliffe has four early selections for you to get your teeth into. Published: 1.42pm, Tuesday, 23rd July (Prices correct at time of publishing) 2:05 York – Sky Bet “Jump Jockeys’ Nunthorpe” Handicap (To Be Ridden By Professional Jump Jockeys) (Class 4) (4yo+…
Tue 23 Jul 2024
VERDICT
Auguste Rodin’s strike rate is good for a horse so often maligned as inconsistent, but the blemishes force the mind elsewhere when his price is as short as this in a big race. Having blown out big time in this a year ago, he is passed over in favour of globetrotter REBEL’S ROMANCE. Charlie Appleby’s six-year-old has won all of his Group 1s abroad, but is actually unbeaten on these shores in five starts and has generally looked better than ever so far this year. He was firmly in charge when winning the Dubai Sheema Classic and his price looks more generous than it should be given he usually does his racing in more far-flung locations. Bluestocking’s form in the Pretty Polly Stakes is slightly difficult to weigh up, but a literal reading puts her in the mix, while Dubai Honour won on his first start over this distance last month and would benefit if any forecast rain is heavier than anticipated.
- Rebel’s Romance
- Auguste Rodin
- Bluestocking
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