A field of 9 remain in contention for Ascot’s Group 1 feature race of the day.
King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes
All eyes this weekend will be on Ascot’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, where the midsummer highlight will see Auguste Rodin bid to claim the seventh Group 1 win of his career.
Last seen winning the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, Aidan O’Brien’s high-class colt will face stern opposition, such as Rebel’s Romance, who has won his last three races abroad by a combined seven lengths.
It promises to be an absolute belter seeing the 2023 and 2022 Breeders’ Cup Turf winners lock horns in Berkshire this weekend. Let’s take a closer look at the 11 contenders and try to come up with a concluding tip as to who might succeed.
King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes Runners Guide
Auguste Rodin (5/4)
This top-class son of Deep Impact isn’t the flashiest of individuals, given four of his last five wins have been achieved by less than a length, but despite all of his quirky components, he is a six-time Group 1 winner and one of the best middle-distance horses of recent times.
Last season’s Irish and English Derby winner has proven himself to be a tough horse to beat when in the mood and was last seen producing a gritty and tenacious performance to see off a quality field in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Despite that race being run over a trip short of his optimum, he still got the job done, and the return to this longer trip can only see him in a better light. He does have the odd habit of throwing in a stinker, including when he was last of 10 in this race twelve months ago.
However, he quickly resumed winning ways when taking the Irish Champion Stakes next time out prior to the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Aidan has reported that everything has gone smoothly in his preparation for the mile-and-a-half championship, and he is the one they all have to beat.
Dubai Honour (14/1)
William Haggas’ charge seems to have been around forever and has performed eloquently around the world, including down under with a successful stint in Australia last year, winning a pair of Group 1s over ten furlongs.
They weren’t the strongest of races for the class, but the six-year-old did manage to gain a third win at this level when he was successful in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud last time out. Though his overall body of work suggests he is vulnerable to a potential improver.
Not only that, but he’s 0-5 in UK Group 1 races, and his best form has been achieved on a slower surface. While he remains unexposed over this trip and will relish the possible strong pace, a few others have achieved more, so he can be left alone.
Goliath (33/1)
Last seen finishing second in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot on his British debut and had previously shown a decent level of form in France.
After just eight starts, he is open to improvement but will need to step up markedly if he’s to make a splash in this tougher race. Others are preferred.
Hans Anderson (100/1)
Has been kept busy this season but has predominantly been used as a pacemaker for some of his better-fancied stablemates in various Group 1 contests.
He is likely to ensure this is run at a decent tempo so that his stronger stablemates get a lead in proceedings. The outsider, for a reason, has little chance of success.
Luxembourg (10/1)
With a record in Group 1s reading 13171242201, Luxembourg is without a doubt a reliable servant for Aidan O’Brien. He was last seen given a great ride to take the Group 1 Coronation Cup at Epsom. In spite of his victory, though, he was handed a soft lead and allowed to set his own fractions.
Adding to that, his main market rival, Emily Upjohn, failed to fire, while Hamish wasn’t seen to the best of effect in second. He did perform well to finish fourth in this race twelve months ago, but he will need improvement to go three places better this time around.
That being said, he was only beaten half a length by Auguste Rodin in last year’s Irish Champion Stakes and also pushed Japanese superstar Romantic Warrior to a neck-second in the Hong Kong Cup. He is another with solid place claims, at least.
Middle Earth (14/1)
Progressed well last year, with three wins and two seconds from six starts, with his only disappointment coming in the St Leger at Doncaster when seventh to Continuous.
He did, however, get back on the scoresheet with success in the Listed Noel Murless Stakes on his final start of the campaign and made a pleasing seasonal reappearance when successful in a Group Three race at Newbury.
He shaped well when a never-nearer third in a steadily-run renewal of the Hardwicke Stakes last time out, but this shorter trip will ask a lot more of him, and I’m not convinced it will suit.
They will need to go at a frantic pace for his stamina to come into play, and as well as that, he has quite a find to find with the big guns based on official ratings and form. Not for me.
Rebel’s Romance (4/1)
Perhaps the biggest danger to Auguste Rodin is Godolphin’s Rebel’s Romance, who has amassed an incredible £6906k in prize money, having won 13 of his 19 starts. While all of his best form has been abroad, there’s no reason why this son of Dubawi can't replicate his best form back in the UK.
He’s a five-time Group 1 winner and is unbeaten in three starts this year, with two of those wins coming at the highest level. He’s destroyed all of his rivals in his three starts this year, and if you look through his form in Britain, his form figures read 11111.
If you consider the fact that he’s unbeaten on home soil and has danced every dance in the hottest company in other countries, I would have him a lot closer to the favourite from an odds point of view. In addition, he’s on an equal-top rating of 123 with O’Brien’s charge.
His Group 1 accolades have been undervalued. For instance, he’s won five of the seven top-tier races he has contested, which have come in Germany (Hoppegarten and Cologne), as well as Keeneland (USA), Meydan (UAE), and Sha Tin (Hong Kong).
Charlie Appleby continues in excellent form, operating at an astounding 40% strike rate in the last fortnight. This six-year-old has unfinished business in the UK, and the bookmakers might have underestimated his capabilities against the market leader.
After all, he did Auguste Rodin when taking the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, in which the latter trailed home last, but the latter underperformed. With conditions to suit, in the worst-case scenario, he should fill the frame, but I do think Auguste Rodin’s form is superior.
Bluestocking (11/2)
Providing the ground isn’t too quick, Ralph Beckett is eyeing up further Group 1 glory with his leading hopeful Bluestocking, who gained a maiden victory at the highest level last month when landing the Pretty Polly Stakes in Ireland.
Her handler was initially contemplating waiting for the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood but has recently insisted that this contest is instead the correct race for her. Her two previous runs at this course have been very good, too.
She finished third in the Ribblesdale Stakes two years ago before going close to taking the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes in October last year, finishing a neck-second behind Poptronic. Ultimately, though, she has taken a big step forward this year.
She’s open to considerable improvement and is building quite a good record in Group 1 company, but this will be a completely different calibre of opponents. A new personal best will be required, but it would be folly to rule her out.
Sunway (12/1)
Concluded his two-year-old campaign with a victory in the Group One Criterium International, and despite being far from his best in his first three runs this season, he returned to form with a career-best performance when second to Los Angeles in the Irish Derby last time out.
He fared the best of those held up in rear and will receive a beneficial weight allowance from his older rivals here, being the only three-year-old in the field. I can see him running well again, but this is a deeper contest than last time, and I suspect he may find a few too good.
King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2024 Tips
With conditions set to be in his favour, AUGUSTE RODIN (best price 5/4) should prove hard to beat. He has restored his reputation, and the fact that only five horses during O’Brien’s record-breaking career have won more at the top level tells you everything you need to know.
Yes, he can throw in the odd stinker, but he’s a class act when on-song, and if Japan Cup aspirations are to materialise, then he will need to win this weekend. Everything looks perfectly aligned for the six-time Group 1 winner with no excuses should he be beaten. His form is stronger than Rebel’s Romance.
Rebel’s Romance has some good form in the book, though. He’s a five-time Group 1 winner in his own right and has been flawless in winning all three starts this year, including two at the highest level.
He’s unbeaten in five starts in Britain and is rated the same as the favourite. His trainer is going well, the fast ground will suit, and he should get the ideal setup. He shouldn’t be taken lightly, and he is the main danger to the favourite.
Luxembourg, Continuous, Dubai Honour, and Bluestocking deserve respect, but you feel all four of them will need more to trouble the top two in the market. As for the remainder, they don’t look good enough.
