Order of St George Aims for Second Straight Gold Cup

Order of St George is the overwhelming favorite in the sole group 1 event June 22 at Royal Ascot, The Gold Cup at 2 1/2 miles for 4-year-olds and up.

The 5-year-old son of Galileo, representing owners associated with Coolmore, is odds-on with most of the British bookmakers to reprise his 2016 victory in this set piece on the middle day of the five-day meeting.

The Gold Cup is supported by a pair of group 2 events, the Norfolk Stakes for 2-year-olds at 5 furlongs and the Ribblesdale Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/2 miles. The Hampton Court Stakes (G3), a 1 1/4-mile test for 3-year-olds, completes the pattern races for day.

Order of St George, out of the Gone West mare Another Storm, won last year's Gold Cup by three lengths over soft ground. He was third in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) at Chantilly Oct. 2 and, just 13 days later, finished fourth in the QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup (G2).

After two preps, the Aidan O'Brien trainee looks in top form for his repeat try.

The opposition has more modest recent credentials. Big Orange has journeyed to Hong Kong and Dubai, earning only minor placings on his best days. The 6-year-old Duke of Marmalade gelding was fourth in the Dubai Gold Cup Sponsored By Al Tayer Motors (G2) on World Cup night and comes to this after a group 3 victory at Sandown.

Sheikhzayedroad and Simple Verse also were prominent in last year's Long Distance Cup and return for this. Fourteen are entered to run.

The rest of the card is intriguing.

Once the royal party is settled, the Norfolk Stakes for 2-year-olds kicks off the day's racing and a Wesley Ward trainee, McErin, heads a big field. The Trappe Shot   colt, owned and bred by Waterford Stable, is 1-for-2 in his short career, consisting of an easy win at Keeneland and a close third in the Kentucky Juvenile at Churchill Downs.

O'Brien held multiple entries in the Norfolk but left in only one, Sioux Nation. The Scat Daddy colt has one win from four starts and was sixth in a listed race at the Curragh in his most recent outing. O'Brien's son, former jockey and fledgling trainer Joseph O'Brien, will saddle True Blue Moon, a Holy Roman Emperor colt given better reviews by the bookmarkers than Sioux Nation. Another of Aidan O'Brien's offspring, Donnacha O'Brien, is named aboard the gray colt.

Others with early backing include Santry and Havana Grey, each with a two-race winning streak.

In the other group 2, Alluringly, third behind Enable and Rhododendron in the Investec Oaks (G1), returns as a general favorite in the Ribblesdale. The Fastnet Rock filly, trained by Aidan O'Brien for Coolmore, has but a single win to her credit but also ran second to Enable in the Arkle Finance Cheshire Oaks at Chester.

Alluring as the favorite is, many at Ascot will be watching Mori, a Juddmonte Farms homebred daughter of Frankel out of the Oasis Dream mare Midday. That regal breeding couples with two straight wins, but the filly steps up in class for trainer Sir Michael Stoute.

The Ribblesdale also has Coronet, a Dubawi filly trained by John Gosden. The Denford Stud homebred was fifth in the Oaks.

The Hampton Court has another Frankel offspring, Mirage Dancer, a Juddmonte homebred colt who finished fourth in the Homeserve Dee Stakes at Chester in his last outing.

Day Three concludes with the Britannia Stakes for 3-year-old males at one mile on the straight and the King George V Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/2 miles.