Ascot & York: Ascot’s Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (4.10) headlines an excellent Saturday’s ITV Racing broadcast in which the midsummer championship is complimented by the Group 2 York Stakes (2.40) from the track of same name and the 7f International Handicap at the Berkshire venue.
Our best bets take a side in the Calandagan vs Jan Breughel debate fuelling the hype for the top flight feature, while elsewhere an impeccable formline is favoured over untapped potential and a repeat winner is narrowly favoured over a friend of the column in the day’s big handicap.
Ascot & York: Favourite’s Ombudsman form too strong to overlook in York Stakes
Owner-mates Green Impact (official rating 112) and Stanhope Gardens (111) are interesting prospects against ALMAQAM (117), given they receive a 9lbs weight-for-age allowance in the York Stakes (2.40).
Both are lightly-raced representatives of the Lambourn form having finished sixth and fifth behind Aidan O’Brien’s dual Derby winner in the Irish and English versions respectively.
However, while Lambourn has yet to be tested against older horses to add substance to that form, the selection’s Sandown Group 3 win over Ombudsman at Sandown in May has been thoroughly franked.
The Charlie Appleby star, who has won the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes and finished a neck second in the top-flight Eclipse was one-and-three-quarters of a length behind Almaqam when the pair clashed.
2.40 York - Almaqam to win
@ 1.83
Ascot & York:Price is right for Dods veteran to repeat the dose in the International
Potential International Handicap (3.00) favourite Aalto went down by an agonising neck when trying to land us a big-priced winner in the Bunbury Cup a couple of weeks ago and looks certain to go close in his bid to go one better at Ascot given he’s racing off 1lb lower than he did at Newmarket.
However, Ian Williams’ five-year-old was only ninth in the International when trying to follow up after winning the Bunbury Cup in 2024. NORTHERN EXPRESS, his conqueror on that occasion, is preferred.
Michael Dods’ seven-year-old runs off 2lbs lower than when victorious in this contest 12 months ago, despite running consistently well this season. His form in 7f handicaps at Ascot reads 8-4-3-4-5-1-7, highlighting very solid each-way claims.
3.00 Ascot - Northern Express to win (each-way)
@ 10.00
Ascot & York: Demands of Ascot should see Coronation Cup form confirmed
In racing time and time again we see a big race hyped up as a duel between two horses won by another one altogether. The coming together of Economics and French raider Calandagan in last year’s Champions (eventually won by 40/1 outsider Anmaat) is a classic example.
The King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (4.10) sees that Channel-traversing challenger once again doing the pre-race promotional donkey work courtesy of him renewing hostilities with his Coronation Cup conqueror JAN BREUGHEL.
Along with last year’s third Rebel’s Romance, Calandagan is a course and distance winner suggesting an affinity with the test at hand. However, neither of their track-and-trip successes came at Group 1 level.
Ascot’s long, uphill finish often sees sustained hammer-and-tongs tussles and if the pair enter into one of those with last year’s classy St Leger victor, who comfortably outstayed Calandagan at Epsom, there will only be one winner.
4.10 Ascot - Jan Breughel to win
@ 2.62
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