“Poor old Ascot” is not a phrase that sees much daylight given the track’s historic wealth and prestige, but it is undoubtedly a very tough break for the royal racecourse that what promises to be one of the best renewals of the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes this century will coincide with a 24-hour strike on the train line from Waterloo this weekend.
The unique possibility of three Derby winners lining up for the race has been scuppered by Adayar’s poor run in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes this month, but Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel, respectively first and second in the Epsom Classic last month, are among 15 possible runners on Saturday along with last year’s Derby winner, Desert Crown.
