Connections opt to miss the King George with Amiloc
'It's a training decision and Ralph felt he could just do with a little bit more time having had a hard race at Royal Ascot,' said the Aykroyds' racing manager Patrick Cooper on the decision to miss the weekend highlight.
'The real racing for this horse will be in the autumn time and Ralph thinks it's a little too quick after his last race, it's nothing more than that and nothing untoward.'
Amiloc was a general 10-1 chance for the King George, which could see Coronation Cup one-two Jan Brueghel and Calandagan renew rivalry, and holds entries for both the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes at York (August 20) and the Curragh's Comer Group International Irish St. Leger (September 14) later in the summer.
However, connections appear undecided on their next move at this stage, as they anticipate heading overseas in search of valuable prizes before the year is out.
Cooper added: 'We'll hopefully go on the road with him in the autumn time, we haven't overly thought about it, but the big-money races are at the end of the year.
'All those races in Hong Kong, Australia and America are all on the radar and I suspect we will be on the road at some stage.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Kalpana seeking to join Juddmonte luminaries on King George roll of honour
Andrew Balding's charge rounded off her three-year-old campaign with Group One success over the course and distance on Champions Day and has not done much wrong in two starts since, finishing third in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and then second in the Pretty Polly Stakes in Ireland. Back on home soil, Kalpana is the only filly in a field of five, with Oisin Murphy deputising in the saddle for the suspended Colin Keane. Barry Mahon, racing manager for owner-breeders Juddmonte, said: 'We're all set for Saturday, I think we were hoping for a bit more rain than has actually fallen, but it is what it is and I'm sure it'll be nice ground on the day. 'It's a top-class renewal, as you would expect for such a good race, but we're looking forward to partaking in it.' Juddmonte's Bluestocking found only Goliath too strong in last year's King George before going on to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in the colours of the late Khalid Abdullah, who also claimed Ascot's midsummer highlight with Dancing Brave and superstar mare Enable, the latter on three occasions. Both of those equine greats also landed Europe's premier middle-distance contest, Enable doing so in successive years in 2017 and 2018, and a potential trip to Paris in early October has already been pencilled in for Kalpana ahead of what connections admit is a stern test this weekend. 'Rebel's Romance is such a legend of a horse and Calandagan and Jan Brueghel are obviously very, very talented,' Mahon added. 'We think going back up to a mile and a half will suit our filly and Andrew said she worked well on Wednesday morning and he's very happy with her, so we're hopeful that her first two runs have set her up nicely for this.' The top two in the market are Jan Brueghel and Calandagan, who renew rivalry after finishing first and second in the Coronation Cup at Epsom in early June. While Calandagan has since broken his top-level duck in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, Jan Brueghel has been kept fresh by Aidan O'Brien and is interestingly fitted with cheekpieces for the first time as he bids to provide his trainer with a fifth King George success. O'Brien, who also saddles the rank outsider and probable pacemaker Continuous, said: 'Jan Brueghel is good, everything has gone well since the last day. 'It will be an interesting race and the ground looks like it's going to be nice. 'Continuous rolls along usually and he'll go forward, but if someone else wants to go on (and make the running), he'll be happy too.' Francis Henri-Graffard's Calandagan has already shown his liking for Ascot, dominating his rivals in the King Edward VII Stakes at the Royal meeting last summer before finishing a close second to Anmaat in October's Champion Stakes. Calandagan ➡️ @Ascot ❓ He got his Group 1 on Sunday and he could return to the UK for the King George later this month! — British Champions Day (@Champions_Day) July 2, 2025 Buoyed by his long-awaited first Group One success on home soil four weeks ago, connections are excited to be heading back to Berkshire. Nemone Routh, racing manager for owners the Aga Khan Studs in France, said: 'The horse is in very good form, he took his win at Saint-Cloud very well. I spoke with Mickael Barzalona who rode him in his last piece of work and he's very happy with him. 'It's a small field, but he has to take on Jan Brueghel again and obviously Rebel's Romance was impressive last time out. 'He doesn't have much ground to make up on Jan Brueghel and although they were calling the ground good to soft at Epsom, we felt it was riding softer that day. He handles softer ground so we can't use that as an excuse, but I just think maybe his acceleration is a a bit more decisive on firmer ground. 'When it becomes a heavy-duty slugging match I'm not sure that's really his game, but when he can use his acceleration on good, fast ground I think that's when he's at his best.' The small but select field is completed by Rebel's Romance, who has won seven Group Ones on foreign soil and bids to break his top-level duck at home following his course-and-distance success in last month's Hardwicke Stakes. Speaking on the Godolphin website, trainer Charlie Appleby said: 'Rebel's Romance goes into this in great order. There was plenty of strength in depth in this contest 12 months ago, when he ran a good race (finished third), and it looks a similarly strong renewal this time around. 'He is taking on younger opposition again but, wherever he finishes, the others will know that they have had a race.'
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Ribot, Grundy, Shergar, Enable – the King George has them all
RIBOT (1956) Widely acknowledged as one of the greatest Flat racers of the post-war era, the unbeaten Italian champion made his one and only trip to Britain for the 1956 King George. The dual Arc winner used the Gran Premio di Milano as his prep race for the King George, which was set to be his hardest race to date. The going was sticky, and the 2-5 favourite looked uneasy at one stage, with jockey Enrico Camici urging him to go with the leaders. The pacemaker, Todrai, did his job and led Ribot into the straight but it was only in the last furlong that the champion showed his real worth. Some argued that the win was unimpressive; the horse's record, though, speaks for itself: 16 runs, 16 wins. NIJINSKY (1970) Vincent O'Brien's Triple Crown winner was another easy winner of this great race. The son of Northern Dancer had already captured the 2000 Guineas, the Derby and the Irish Derby, and started at odds of 40-85 at Ascot. Nijinsky was the only three-year-old in a field of six that included the previous year's Derby winner, Blakeney, and Coronation Cup winner Caliban. Caliban provided the early pace, but it was soon apparent that Nijinsky was in a different league. He cruised past his rivals on the bridle and left Blakeney for dead. Lester Piggott could not have had an easier winner. MILL REEF (1971) Trained by Ian Balding, Mill Reef won six Group Ones in a row. That sequence began with the Derby, and he lined up for the King George as the 8-13 favourite, having taken the Eclipse in the interim. Ridden by Geoff Lewis, he was nicely settled in third as they entered the straight. He pulled to the front a furlong from home and ran away to win by six lengths. He sealed a brilliant year by routing a top-class Arc field by three lengths. He won the Prix Ganay and Coronation Cup as a four-year-old, but sadly injury curtailed his career soon afterwards and the great rematch with Brigadier Gerard never happened. GRUNDY (1975) To many, this really was 'the race of the century'. The clash of the generations pitted the Derby winner, Grundy, against Bustino, winner of the 1974 St Leger. Two pacemakers were thrown in by Bustino's trainer, Dick Hern, and they set up the race nicely for an epic duel in the final half-mile. Bustino was clear by three into the home straight, but Grundy was gradually eating into his lead. They fought all the way to the line and Grundy looked beaten at one stage. Yet he dug deep and just prevailed in a never-to-be forgotten finish. We must not forget also that the brilliant dual-winner Dahlia was a distant third. Such was the courage both horses had to show that not only did the race-record time stand until Harbinger in 2010, but neither managed to win again. SHERGAR (1981) Shergar is famous for being kidnapped and for winning the Derby by 10 lengths, and it is easy to forget that the legendary colt also won the Irish Derby and the King George in a memorable summer. He was a warm favourite to beat the older generation at Ascot. A surprisingly slow pace was set and initially the Aga Khan-owned colt was boxed in. But as the field straightened for home, Light Cavalry came off the rails and Walter Swinburn seized the opportunity to take the 2-5 favourite through the gap in style. The race was settled with two furlongs to run; he drew away to win decisively by four lengths from Madam Gay. PETOSKI (1985) The 1985 renewal was billed as the clash of the sexes between Henry Cecil's Oaks victor, Oh So Sharp, and Vincent O'Brien's Irish Derby winner, Law Society. However, it was Willie Carson on Petoski who caused the upset. In victory, he also brought an end to Oh So Sharp's unbeaten run, which also included the 1000 Guineas. Steve Cauthen blamed the very fast ground at Ascot and interference by Infantry two furlongs out for the great filly's defeat. But Carson rode a patient race on Petoski, switching the colt to the outside close to the finish to beat Cauthen's mount by a neck. DANCING BRAVE (1986) If the international classifications, which started in 1977, are anything to go by, then Dancing Brave is without doubt the best King George winner of the last four decades. Rated 141 at the time (somewhat controversially amended to 138 in 2013 but still the highest-rated King George winner), he possessed great speed, and a lightning turn of foot that left his rivals for dead. He started the King George as the 6-4 second-favourite, behind the 11-10 shot Shahrastani, who had beaten him in the Derby. With Pat Eddery on board, this time 'the Brave' took revenge, with his Epsom conqueror disappointing in fourth place. Dancing Brave went on to achieve further glory with a dazzling win in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in the autumn. NASHWAN (1989) Nashwan was a truly exceptional three-year-old. Trained by Major Dick Hern, he remains the only horse to have won the 2000 Guineas, Derby, Eclipse and King George in one season. It was a slow gallop for the seven-runner field in the King George, which soon developed into a tactical affair as Willie Carson sat and waited on Nashwan. It was not until the last two furlongs that the race truly developed, with Nashwan the first to commit, and he was soon joined by the Derby third, Cacoethes. They were locked together inside the final furlong and in a pulsating finish Nashwan showed he had the courage to match his undoubted class as he got home in front. MONTJEU (2000) Michael Tabor's Montjeu was undoubtedly the easiest winner of the King George for many a year. The 1999 Arc de Triomphe winner only had six rivals to beat, as the Classic generation stayed away. In truth, it was a sub-standard renewal – but it was never meant to be a walkover. However, it felt like one. Sent off at 1-3 – the shortest-priced favourite since Nashwan – he had 11lb plus in hand on official figures. Michael Kinane sat patiently on the colt, and when asked to quicken two furlongs out, the horse cruised home stylishly. Kinane did not need to do much; the horse guided him home that day. HARBINGER (2010) Harbinger was an impressive winner of the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot but went to another level in the King George, where he produced a stunning performance to win by 11 lengths in a time bettering the one set by Grundy. Confront performed his duties as pacemaker for his stablemates Workforce and Harbinger and led until the home turn, at which point Epsom Derby hero Workforce and Irish Derby winner Cape Blanco tried to assert their authority. But they were merely sitting ducks for Olivier Peslier and Harbinger as they effortlessly took up the running inside the final two furlongs and rocketed clear. The handicapper raised him to from 123 to 135, making him the best in the world at the time but his career was cruelly cut short the following month when he shattered a cannon-bone in a routine spin on the gallops in Newmarket. In the wake of his retirement, Sir Michael Stoute was asked how much further Harbinger could have gone. 'Who knows?,' he wondered. 'If he had kept at that plateau, we'd have had a world champion.' ENABLE (2019) The only three-time winner of the race, Enable hacked up from Ulysses in 2017 and completed her hat-trick in a substandard three-runner heat in 2020, but her middle victory was the stuff of legend. Having already bagged the Eclipse on her return to action, Enable was sent off the 8-15 favourite to regain her Ascot crown with injury preventing a title defence in 2018. Crystal Ocean had finished runner-up to Poet's Word in her absence and the race was widely expected to boil down to a duel between the top older horses. Few could have expected such an epic finish though, as the pair went toe-to-toe for the best part of two furlongs, with Crystal Ocean finding generously when it looked as though Enable would go on. It was nip and tuck all the way, but Enable just poked her head in front on the line to triumph by a neck, with future Arc winner Waldgeist just under two lengths back in third, with a further seven lengths back to the next home in what was a race for the ages.
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Rhyl Journal
Kalpana seeking to join Juddmonte luminaries on King George roll of honour
Andrew Balding's charge rounded off her three-year-old campaign with Group One success over the course and distance on Champions Day and has not done much wrong in two starts since, finishing third in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and then second in the Pretty Polly Stakes in Ireland. Back on home soil, Kalpana is the only filly in a field of five, with Oisin Murphy deputising in the saddle for the suspended Colin Keane. Barry Mahon, racing manager for owner-breeders Juddmonte, said: 'We're all set for Saturday, I think we were hoping for a bit more rain than has actually fallen, but it is what it is and I'm sure it'll be nice ground on the day. 'It's a top-class renewal, as you would expect for such a good race, but we're looking forward to partaking in it.' Juddmonte's Bluestocking found only Goliath too strong in last year's King George before going on to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in the colours of the late Khalid Abdullah, who also claimed Ascot's midsummer highlight with Dancing Brave and superstar mare Enable, the latter on three occasions. Both of those equine greats also landed Europe's premier middle-distance contest, Enable doing so in successive years in 2017 and 2018, and a potential trip to Paris in early October has already been pencilled in for Kalpana ahead of what connections admit is a stern test this weekend. 'Rebel's Romance is such a legend of a horse and Calandagan and Jan Brueghel are obviously very, very talented,' Mahon added. 'We think going back up to a mile and a half will suit our filly and Andrew said she worked well on Wednesday morning and he's very happy with her, so we're hopeful that her first two runs have set her up nicely for this.' The top two in the market are Jan Brueghel and Calandagan, who renew rivalry after finishing first and second in the Coronation Cup at Epsom in early June. While Calandagan has since broken his top-level duck in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, Jan Brueghel has been kept fresh by Aidan O'Brien and is interestingly fitted with cheekpieces for the first time as he bids to provide his trainer with a fifth King George success. O'Brien, who also saddles the rank outsider and probable pacemaker Continuous, said: 'Jan Brueghel is good, everything has gone well since the last day. 'It will be an interesting race and the ground looks like it's going to be nice. 'Continuous rolls along usually and he'll go forward, but if someone else wants to go on (and make the running), he'll be happy too.' Francis Henri-Graffard's Calandagan has already shown his liking for Ascot, dominating his rivals in the King Edward VII Stakes at the Royal meeting last summer before finishing a close second to Anmaat in October's Champion Stakes. Calandagan ➡️ @Ascot ❓ He got his Group 1 on Sunday and he could return to the UK for the King George later this month! — British Champions Day (@Champions_Day) July 2, 2025 Buoyed by his long-awaited first Group One success on home soil four weeks ago, connections are excited to be heading back to Berkshire. Nemone Routh, racing manager for owners the Aga Khan Studs in France, said: 'The horse is in very good form, he took his win at Saint-Cloud very well. I spoke with Mickael Barzalona who rode him in his last piece of work and he's very happy with him. 'It's a small field, but he has to take on Jan Brueghel again and obviously Rebel's Romance was impressive last time out. 'He doesn't have much ground to make up on Jan Brueghel and although they were calling the ground good to soft at Epsom, we felt it was riding softer that day. He handles softer ground so we can't use that as an excuse, but I just think maybe his acceleration is a a bit more decisive on firmer ground. 'When it becomes a heavy-duty slugging match I'm not sure that's really his game, but when he can use his acceleration on good, fast ground I think that's when he's at his best.' The small but select field is completed by Rebel's Romance, who has won seven Group Ones on foreign soil and bids to break his top-level duck at home following his course-and-distance success in last month's Hardwicke Stakes. Speaking on the Godolphin website, trainer Charlie Appleby said: 'Rebel's Romance goes into this in great order. There was plenty of strength in depth in this contest 12 months ago, when he ran a good race (finished third), and it looks a similarly strong renewal this time around. 'He is taking on younger opposition again but, wherever he finishes, the others will know that they have had a race.'
