The King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot is a relatively new event in the racing calendar, having been first run in 1951.
However, despite its youth, the mile and a half contest quickly established itself as one of the most prestigious middle-distance events in the world and regularly attracts the very best horses from Europe and further afield.
Open to three-year-olds and upwards, the King George presents the first major opportunity for the cream of the Classic generation to take on the best older horses over 12 furlongs.
For 35 years the Diamond Trading Company (formerly De Beers) sponsored the race, ceasing their backing after the 2006 renewal. Betfair took over as sponsor in 2009 and boosted the prize money to £1 million.
The first running was called the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Festival of Britain Stakes because of the 1951 Festival of Britain, held to mark the 100th anniversary of the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace in South London.
It was the richest-ever race run in Britain, worth £25,322 to the winner, and attracted a very strong field, including three of the four British Classic winners that year and six French raiders, with 19 runners in all lining up, still the biggest field to have gone to post.
Supreme Court was victorious under Charlie Elliott in the inaugural running, defeating Zucchero by three quarters of a length and maintaining his unbeaten record as a three-year-old.
A year later Tulyar became the first of 13 Derby winners to go on and win the King George in the same year, despite jockey Charlie Smirke putting up 2lbs overweight, with a neck victory over Gay Time.
The following year, Pinza, who gave Gordon Richards his first success in the Epsom Derby at the 28th attempt, was triumphant by a comfortable three lengths.
Queen Elizabeth II secured the contest named in honour of her parents when Aureole won on the heavy ground that prevailed in 1954, while Vimy, trained in France by Alec Head, became the first overseas winner in 1955.
Ribot, Italy’s greatest racehorse, was the facile winner in 1956. Trained by Ugo Penco and ridden by Enrico Camici, Ribot defeated High Veldt by five lengths at Ascot enabling him to continue his unbeaten run which ultimately resulted in 16 straight victories.
In addition to his King George victory, Ribot also landed two renewals of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp, France, the other top European mile and a half all-aged contest.
In 1958, Ballymoss provided the great Irish trainer Vincent O’Brien with the first of his three King George victories. That year he also won the Coronation Cup, the Eclipse and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
The first half of the 1960s was dominated by horses trained in France and Ireland. Right Royal V and Match III were triumphant for France in 1961 and 1962 respectively, while Nasram II gave the French another win in 1964. Ireland enjoyed two successes during this period, with Ragusa (1963) and Meadow Court (1965), both trained by Paddy Prendergast.
Lester Piggott still holds the record number of King George victories for a jockey and he had the first of his seven wins aboard Meadow Court. Piggott followed up in 1966 on Aunt Edith, the initial filly to win the King George and the first of three consecutive King George successes for Newmarket trainer Noel Murless. His other winners were Busted (1967) and Royal Palace (1968).
Park Top’s last-to-first effort gave Lester Piggott his third King George triumph in 1969 and, the following year, the jockey claimed his greatest win in the race when Nijinsky, who subsequently completed the Triple Crown, defeated the previous year’s Derby winner Blakeney by an effortless two lengths.
Mill Reef was the impressive six-length victor in 1971, while the following year saw his great rival Brigadier Gerard gain his only victory over a mile and a half as he defeated Parnell by a length and a half.
The admirable French-trained filly Dahlia became the first dual King George winner when she was successful in 1973 and 1974, with Australian Bill Pyers in the saddle for her first triumph when she came from last to first, and Lester Piggott aboard for the second.
Dahlia attempted the treble in 1975 but had to be satisfied with third place in what was thought of by many as the "Race of the Century". Grundy, who had landed the Derby and Irish Derby earlier in the season, and Bustino, the previous year’s St Leger hero, fought out a tenacious battle up the home straight with the Peter Walwyn-trained Grundy just managing to prevail by half a length, setting a race record time of 2 minutes 26.98 seconds which has not been bettered.
Over the next few years, the best winners included The Minstrel in 1977, successful earlier in the Derby, who showed all of his renowned courage to deny Orange Bay by a short-head.
Troy was another Derby winner to go on to glory at Ascot, defeating Gay Mecene by a length and a half in 1979.
Two years later the great Shergar followed in the footsteps of Nijinsky, Grundy, The Minstrel and Troy by completing the treble of the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby and King George when he was the facile four-length winner.
Teenoso, the previous year’s Derby winner, put up a brave pillar-to-post performance under Lester Piggott in 1984 to give the jockey his final King George triumph.
Dancing Brave showed himself to be an outstanding performer with his victory over Shadari and Triptych in 1986, leaving Shahrastani, who defeated him at Epsom in the Derby, back in fourth.
Reference Point (1987), Nashwan (1989) and Generous (1991) continued the run of Derby winners in the King George.
Godolphin enjoyed the first of its five King George triumphs in 1995 when Lammtarra, trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Frankie Dettori, prevailed in a thrilling finish by a neck from Pentire.
Lammtarra was undefeated in his four-race career and remains the only horse to have won the Epsom Derby, King George and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in the same season.
Pentire gained compensation for his narrow defeat of 1995 when he triumphed in 1996, beating Derby winner Shaamit in the process. Pentire’s victory heralded the beginning of a period of King George history when the older horses would reign supreme.
Godolphin’s Swain became the second horse to win twice, successful in 1997 when ridden by John Reid and again in 1998 with Frankie Dettori up. His second victory, over Derby scorer High-Rise, at the age of six means he is also the oldest horse ever to have won the King George.
Daylami completed a hat-trick for Godolphin when he was the impressive five-length winner from stable companion Nedawi in 1999, providing Frankie Dettori with his third King George triumph.
In recent times, the most successful rider in the King George has been Mick Kinane with five victories, courtesy of Belmez (1990), King’s Theatre (1994), Montjeu (2000), Galileo (2001) and Azamour (2005). The now-retired jockey is one ahead of Frankie Dettori, whose four wins have been on Lammtarra (1995), Swain (1998), Daylami (1999) and Doyen (2004).
Montjeu’s win was certainly Mick Kinane’s easiest success as the Sadler’s Wells colt, trained in France by John Hammond, defeated Godolphin’s Fantastic Light by an effortless length and three quarters and has since become a top sire.
The jockey had to work harder a year later when Galileo, the first Epsom Derby winner to land the Ascot race since Lammtarra, came home two lengths clear of Fantastic Light, who gained his revenge later in the season when the placings were reversed in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.
Golan won on his seasonal reappearance in 2002, while in 2003 the Irish-trained Alamshar was the impressive three and a half length victor, with Godolphin’s Sulamani taking second place.
Godolphin’s fifth victory came in 2004, when Doyen followed up on his earlier easy Ascot success in the Hardwicke Stakes by decisively defeating American raider Hard Buck by three lengths, with stable companion Sulamani back in third.
The 2005 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes was run at Newbury, as its regular Ascot home was undergoing redevelopment. Azamour, trained in Ireland by John Oxx, scored on his first try at a mile and a half with a last-to-first victory under Mick Kinane for the Aga Khan.
A fascinating renewal in 2006 saw Japanese challenger Heart’s Cry take on Godolphin’s Electrocutionist and the previous year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Hurricane Run, trained in France by Andre Fabre. Victory went to the French challenger, who dug deep inside the final furlong to deny the gallant Electrocutionist by half a length, with Heart’s Cry the same distance away in third.
Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien gained his second victory in the 2007 race, when Johnny Murtagh produced Dylan Thomas a furlong out to easily account for his six rivals. The Irish Derby winner franked the form by going on to win his second Irish Champion Stakes and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe later in the season.
Aidan O’Brien made it a hat-trick of successes in 2008 with Duke Of Marmalade, who enjoyed a superb campaign that included five consecutive victories in Group One company. The four-year-old had already posted successes in the Prix Ganay at Longchamp, the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh and the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot. He followed up his Ascot win with victory in the Juddmonte International.
In 2009 Sir Michael Stoute made history as he became the only trainer to saddle the first three home. Leading the charge was the previous year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf victor Conduit under Ryan Moore, who held his fellow Ballymacoll Stud-owned Tartan Bearer by a length and three quarters, while Coronation Cup hero Ask was a head away in third.
Conduit, the 2008 St Leger victor, landed his second successive Breeders’ Cup Turf triumph at Santa Anita that November before retiring to stud.
Sir Michael Stoute’s luck continued in 2010 when his talented charge, Harbinger, produced an amazing turn of foot to romp home by 11 lengths under Oliver Peslier. In doing so, the Dansili colt broke the track record and provided his trainer with his fifth success in the race.
The 2010 renewal of the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes Sponsored by Betfair was run at Ascot on Saturday, July 24.