Runners Announced For 2012 King George Stakes

The 2012 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes will be run at Ascot on Saturday, July 21, and has attracted a formidable field of runners aged three years or older.

The race, which is commonly referred to as the King George Stakes, is Britain's most prestigious open-age thoroughbred flat race. Contested over 1 mile and 4 furlongs, the King George Stakes boasts a formidable £1,000,000 prize pool, which is exceeded only by that of the coveted Epsom Derby.

Contenders For 2012 King George Stakes

Nathaniel is the winner of the 2011 King George Stakes. He was always expected to defend his title, but the official confirmation has just come in. Only two horses have won this race twice and both have won it in successive years. Now, Nathaniel is vying to be third on that elite list.

Trainer John Gosden said, "William (Buick) breezed him this morning and I think it went really well. I expect the ground to be on the easy side, not heavy, and I think it would be wimpish not to run."

The bit of indecision arose because Nathaniel had only one week to recover from his Coral-Eclipse win at Sandown. This year King George Stakes has been advanced by a week to avoid clashing with the opening day of the 2012 London Olympics.

Most of the racing experts are backing St Nicholas Abbey to win King George Stakes. St Nicholas Abbey is the Coronation Cup Winner and has been trained by Ireland's Aidan O'Brien.

O'Brien Has Won Four British Classics in 2012

O'Brien is on a high this year having won all the four British Classics run so far. A St Nicholas Abbey win will give him his fourth King George Stakes. It is expected that Aidan's son Joseph will ride the horse in this race.

Three foreign steeds, Dunaden, Deep Brillante and Danedream, are also contenders for King George Stakes. Craig Williams has been especially called from Australia to ride Dunaden. Dunaden owner Sheikh Fahad believes that Williams has a special relationship with the horse. He attributes Dunaden's loss at Royal Ascot to Williams not being available for that race.

Deep Brillante has done most of its racing abroad and is an unknown factor. Danedream is a German filly who began her career well but has had a bad patch of late.

Ladbrokes Odds For King George Stakes

The online betting site Ladbrokes is a leading sports book for horse racing. It has posted odds for all 12 contenders for King George Stakes.

St Nicholas Abbey 2/1

Nathaniel 5/2

Sea Moon 3/1

Dunaden 5/1

Danedream 10/1

Brown Panther 16/1

Reliable Man 16/1

Shareta 16/1

Deep Brillante 16/1

Masked Marvel 20/1

Robin Hood 150/1

Windsor Palace 150/1