ITV Racing Tips: King George ‘good thing?’ What’s your view?

Superb racing is the order of the day, as per, concerning ITV's terrestrial output on Saturday. Beamed into our homes and on to our devices we'll have FIVE live from Ascot, incuding two Group 3 appetisers and then the main course - the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, @ 16:10.

We've also got THREE from York's historic Knavesmire circuit, tuning up for their unmissable Ebor Festival later in August; highlights being a G2 over the Juddmonte International trip and the Jump Jockeys' Nunthorpe, always a majestic spectacle. No hurdles or fences in the way, just a minute-to-win-it 5f dash on the flat. It's sure to be brilliant - just the job pre-Goodwood and Galway next week. Are we spoiled? Good job we're sooo worth it ...

Horse Racing Odds

ITV Schedule/running order in full;

13:40 Ascot – Sodexo Live! Princess Margaret Stakes (Group 3) (Fillies) Cl1 (2yo) 6f

14:00 York – Sky Bet Dash Handicap Cl2 (3yo+ 0-105) 6f

14:20 Ascot – Longines Valiant Stakes (Group 3) (Fillies & Mares) Cl1 (3yo+) 1m

14:40 York – Sky Bet York Stakes (Group 2) Cl1 (3yo+) 1m2½f ITV

15:00 Ascot – International Handicap (Heritage Handicap) Cl2 (3yo+) 7f

15:20 York – Sky Bet “Jump Jockeys’ Nunthorpe” Handicap (To Be Ridden By Professional Jump Jockeys) Cl4 (4yo+ 0-80) 5f

15:35 Ascot – Betfred Handicap Cl2 (3yo+ 0-105) 1m ITV

16:10 Ascot – King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Group 1) Cl1 (3yo+) 1m 4f

Rationale;

13:40 Ascot – Staya @ 7/2

6f, G2 two-year-old fillies - and a progressive daughter of Havana Grey that's already won two races from just three starts.

Staya has so far been to Yarmouth, Ascot and Sandown, including a G2 at the Royal meeting (beaten 1.75l by True Love, subsequently an impressive winner of the G2 Railway at the Curragh by a relative street).

Talented, scopey. George Scott trains, James Doyle rides. Fabulous chance. Heavily backed since the opening show.

14:00 York – Pocklington @ 11/2

Bond Thoroughbred Limited colours (those of the late Reg Bond), with many a success of note on this course and others down the years.

Pocklington is presumably named after the lovely Wolds market town about 15 miles away from the Knavesmire, and the four-year-old Blue Point colt returned for the new season in great nick with a short-head second at Newcastle in a similar race for the trip/grade four weeks ago.

He recorded a juicy Racing Post ratings personal best into the bargain, and went into plenty of notebooks for prizes like this. Geoff Oldroyd trains (in Pocklington, where else), and the excellent PJ McDonald, on board for the first time in the north-east, once again has the riding assignment.

Blink-and-you'll-miss-it for £50k, over 6f - we're paying five places so that might be something you want to consider. Another fabulous heat, our fella has only been raised a pound from Newcastle, and ran a stormer at the Ebor Festival here last August off 96 over 5.5f (beaten 3l, and slightly hampered when making his challenge, too).

Off 95 today he can make his presence felt all right.

14:20 Ascot – Royal Dress @ 9/2

James Tate trains this hardy five-from-19 mare, fresh from an easy Listed Pontefract success 18 days ago at this mile distance.

Royal Dress takes on this G3 now, but the five-year-old is no stranger to this level and reached the kind of form standard at Ponty that firmly hinted she's ready to strike.

Once again 'The Doyler' has the riding assignment. Cracking heat.

14:40 York – Almaqam @ 10/11

Good-looking four-year-old son of Lope De Vega, trained by Ed Walker, with Kieran Shoemark up.

Almaqam lowered Ombudsman's colours last time at Sandown 58 days ago, and that one then took a G1 at the Royal meeting and very nearly won the Eclipse. Strong form and then some.

The selection has not run since - some 58 days - but he's got some fancy entries to come (including here) and evidently a late summer/autumn campaign has been plotted out by connections. 

Looks to have this race, at the Juddmonte trip, at his mercy. Could be back on the Ebor Festival's opening day over this very terrain for what's regularly voted the world's top flat race - the Juddmonte International, with around £700k to the winner.

I'll be there, whether he is or not ...

15:00 Ascot – Aalto @ 5/1

Watched this one do everything but win last time a fortnight ago in Newmarket's Bunbury Cup, 'done' on the nod by More Thunder with nearly 3l back to the third.

Rich compensation could await Aalto, off a pound less, too, in the hands of Will Buick - talk about a significant jockey booking!

Last time was a career-best for Ian Williams' five-year-old Zelzal gelding, and a repeat should be sufficient to land this £70k+ pot for connections.

On a day simply busting with 'em, quite frankly another sensational contest.

15:20 York – Copper Knight @ 8/1

This old warrior - 11 years young and with a career record of 17 wins in 108 starts - is just a phenomenon.

Beautifully handled by trainer Tim Easterby since 2017, the magical gelding by the gloriously-named Sir Prancealot has won two of his last three, and I can see Copper Knight giving the proverbial bold sight from the front in this, the jump jockeys' Nunthorpe, over the minimum 5f trip.

If our hero gets a nice untroubled lead he might just stay there and repel all boarders in the hands of Jamie Hamilton, who most recently has been jumping around picturesque Cartmel.

He'll be going just a little bit quicker this afternoon and if Jamie's flagging at any point he can surely rely on his vastly-experienced partner to bail him out.

What a sight it will be - an annual highlight. Bit like Kevin, Abi and Tyrone getting to drive F1 cars for the afternoon ...

15:35 Ascot – Sisyphean each-way @ 9/1

We're 1/5th odds, 5 places, so that's how I'm happily playing this one.

Sisyphean has the inestimable assistance in the saddle of one Ryan Moore, the four-year-old Dubawi colt travels down from Kevin Ryan's Hambleton, North Yorkshire base, and carries the famous silks of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum.

Great second, beaten a neck, in a similar affair at York a fortnight ago; and connections reach out to the brilliant Moore, who's ridden the horse once previously. Huge each-way chance, surely.

16:10 Ascot – Calandagan @ 6/4

The King George - midsummer middle-distance highlight that gets us thinking and talking of Grundy/Bustino, Dancing Brave, Nashwan and a host of magnificent champions down the years.

My selection is a horse that's got in his own way more than once in my book. Undoubted talent, but a bit quirky when push comes to shove late in the piece. Hmmmmmm ...

Calandagan sauntered through the Coronation Cup at Epsom at the Betfred Derby meeting for the most part but after looking all over the winner found disappointingly little off the steel and was worried out of it by the re-opposing Jan Breughel, the Alexa-definition of teak tough and game as a pebble.

I was 'on' that day and could hardly believe my eyes. He was similarly just hustled out of it in the Champion here last backend over 2f less, coming to win, nipping in front, and being nabbed close home.

Now having said all that the four-year-old Gleneagles gelding tends to travel like a rather luxurious high-powered travelly-thing and in his only run post-Epsom put everything neatly together in securing a Group 1 at Saint Cloud nearly four weeks ago very comfortably.

For me, that form wins him this race, hands down, and he found a nice kick when given the office by regular recent pilot Mickael Barzalona. Epsom is a notoriously tricky track after all and he has won here at Ascot at this trip before, taking the King Edward VII at the Royal meeting last year.

I want to think that in what looks like a decidedly sub-par King George he's a proverbial good thing, but you know the drill. It's sport, a super-tough Aidan/Ryan conveyance (Jan B) who's eyeballed him before once again stands in the way, and most of all it's a horse race. Stuff happens.

Still - wins it cosily for me. There, I've said it.

ITV Racing Tips with Betfred Insights.