Postponed to Bid for King George Repeat

Postponed is among 10 runners confirmed for the 66th running of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Eng-I), in which he will bid to become a rare repeat winner of the race July 23 at Ascot.

The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is worth a joint-record purse of £1.215 million.The winner of the 1 1/2-mile race will earn an automatic, fees-paid berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) Nov. 5 at Santa Anita Park.

Owned by Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, Postponed triumphed by a nose from Eagle Top in 2015 and is unbeaten in three outings for trainer Roger Varian this season. A victory Saturday would make him only the third repeat winner of the race first run in 1951,  joining Dahlia (1973, 1974) and Swain (1997, 1998).

Postponed, a 5-year-old son of Dubawi and currently the highest-rate horse in Europe, began the year at Meydan, Dubai, where he was successful in the Dubai City of Gold (UAE-II) and Dubai Sheema Classic (UAE-I). On his return to Europe, he was the imperious 4 1/2-length winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Cup (Eng-I) June 4 at Epsom Downs. Stable companion Ajman Bridge has also been left in and is the likely pacemaker.

Queen Elizabeth II landed the race named in honor of her parents back in 1954 with Aureole. In 2016, the year of her 90th birthday, she is set to be represented by Dartmouth, who was supplemented for the race at a cost of £75,000. Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, the  4-year-old Dubawi filly will be attempting to follow the same path as Aureole 62 years ago, as she was successful on her latest appearance in the Hardwicke Stakes (Eng-II) over the same distance at Royal Ascot June 18.

 

Wings of Desire, a full brother to Eagle Top, was well-supported for the Investec Epsom Derby (Eng-I), having landed the Betfred Dante Stakes (Eng-II) at York in May. The son of Pivotal ran an excellent race at Epsom Downs to finish fourth behind Harzand.

France-based Erupt was recently runner-up in the Grand-Prix de Saint-Cloud (Fr-I) for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard. The 4-year-old son of Dubawi was successful last season in the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris (Fr-I) and also ran excellent races when fifth in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I) and sixth in the Japan Cup (Jpn-I).

 

Alan Cooper, racing manager to Erupt's owner/breeder the Niarchos family, said Erupt pleased jockey Stephane Pasquier in a morning gallop.

"All being well, (he) will travel over," Cooper said. "He is a group one winner over a mile and a half at Longchamp, although it will be a step up for him at Ascot. It looks a superb race."

 

Ireland's champion trainer Aidan O'Brien has three entries going forward, headed by 4-year-old Highland Reel, winner last year of the Secretariat (gr. IT) in the United States and the Longines Hong Kong Vase (HK-I) and the runner-up by just a head to Dartmouth in the Hardwicke Stakes.

The two other runners from Ballydoyle confirmed for the race are Sir Isaac Newton, winner of the listed Wolferton Handicap at Royal Ascot before taking the International Stakes (Ire-III) at the Curragh, and Shogun.

 

Also going forward are trainer John Gosden's Western Hymn, who put up his best performance this season when third in the Prince of Wales's Stakes (Eng-I) over 10 furlongs at the Royal Ascot meeting; and Second Step, a winner in group I company in Germany last year for trainer Luca Cumani.