Ascot King George Preview - Saturday July 24

One of the biggest races on the flat calendar is the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and it takes place this Saturday at Ascot racecourse. We may only have six runners going to post, but the field for this race is top quality and on official ratings, just 5lb separates the entire field.

These horses have won a range of top quality races between them, and with almost half a million pounds to the winner of the race, the prize pool certainly matches the quality we are going to see.

The meeting is a two-day meeting starting on Friday, but the best racing is certainly found on the Saturday of the meeting, so here is a look at a couple of other races and the big one.

Ascot 1:50 – Princess Margaret Stakes

A race full of unexposed fillies and we may see a very good one here. Straight after her first run at Haydock, Attagirl was marked down as a horse that would be winning soon. She went back to the same course and won on her second start, instantly showing that she could well be an above average horse this season.

She quickened away from the field over this distance in very good style, showing a turn of foot that was very impressive on the eye.

Trainer Karl Burke has thrown her in at the deep end but she is an each way price and can go really well to prove she is capable of running at this kind of level.

Ascot 3:00 – International Stakes

A big field handicap where you need a lot of luck and we are siding with a horse who has ran in plenty of these races already this season, and not had much luck in any. The horse we like is Lord Rapscallion, who’s been in the top four at Newmarket, Ascot and Epsom in his last three runs, all in races like this one.

There’s been an excuse for not getting closer in every one of those. That may well happen again, but if it doesn’t and jockey Hollie Doyle can weave a path through, he should run very well at an each way price.

Ascot 3:35 – King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes

The feature contest, and as already said, just 5lb separate the entire field on ratings. However, at the head of those ratings is Love, and although she’s favourite, she has to be the pick here.

We’ve not seen too much of her, but she excited us all when winning the 1000 Guineas, Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks last season. She came back with a workmanlike performance to win the Prince of Wales Stakes at the Royal meeting.

She gave the impression she would come on for that run, and also for the additional two furlongs that she gets her.

Mishriff and Lone Eagle have rock solid form in the book at the top level, Adayar has won the Derby this season and finished second in the Irish Derby. This shows the quality of this race, it will take a lot of winning, but Love could just well be a very special animal, and for that reason, she is the choice.

Ascot King George Meeting Best Bets

1:50pm – Attagirl 14/1 EW with Betfair Sportsbook
3:00pm – Lord Rapscallion 14/1 EW with 888Sport
3:35pm – Love 11/8 WIN with Betfair Sportsbook