2018 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes

68th King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes
	King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes
Location	Ascot Racecourse
Date	28 July 2018
Winning horse	Poet's Word
Jockey	James Doyle
Trainer	Michael Stoute
Owner	Saeed Suhail
Conditions	Good to Firm

Last updated September 21, 2019

The 2018 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes was a horse race held at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday 28 July 2018. It was the 68th running of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic premise – to identify which of two or more horses is the fastest over a set course or distance – has been unchanged since at least classical antiquity.

Ascot Racecourse horse racing venue in England

Ascot Racecourse is a British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 13 of Britain's 36 annual Group 1 horse races.

The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards, and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.

The winner was Poet's Word, a five-year-old bay horse trained at Newmarket by Michael Stoute, ridden by James Doyle and owned by Saeed Suhail. Poet's Word's victory was the first in the race for both his owner and jockey. Stoute was winning the race for a record sixth time following his successes with Shergar (1981), Opera House (1993), Golan (2002), Conduit (2009) and Harbinger (2010). Poet's Word was the sixth five-year-old male to win the race following Aggressor, Mtoto, Opera House, Swain and Daylami.^[1]

Poet's Word is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and breeding stallion. He showed useful but unremarkable form in his first two seasons before developing into a high-class performer at the age of four when he won the Glorious Stakes as well as finishing second in both the Irish Champion Stakes and the Champion Stakes. He continued his progress as a five-year-old in 2018, winning the Brigadier Gerard Stakes, Prince of Wales's Stakes and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Bay is a hair coat color of horses, characterized by a brown body color with a black mane, tail, ear edges, and lower legs. Bay is one of the most common coat colors in many horse breeds.

Newmarket is a market town in the English county of Suffolk, approximately 65 miles north of London. It is generally considered the birthplace and global centre of thoroughbred horse racing and a potential World Heritage Site. It is a major local business cluster, with annual investment rivalling that of the Cambridge Science Park, the other major cluster in the region. It is the largest racehorse training centre in Britain, the largest racehorse breeding centre in the country, home to most major British horseracing institutions, and a key global centre for horse health. Two Classic races, and an additional three British Champions Series races are held at Newmarket every year. The town has had close royal connections since the time of James I, who built a palace there, and was also a base for Charles I, Charles II, and most monarchs since. The current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, visits the town often to see her horses in training.

The contenders

The race attracted a field of seven runners, five from England and two from Ireland. There were no challengers from continental Europe.

The race appeared to be sub-standard by King George standards as the only previous Group one winners in the race were Poet's Word, an improving five-year-old who had defeated Cracksman in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot, and the Irish trained filly Hydrangea who had won the Matron Stakes and the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes in 2017. Another major contender was Crystal Ocean, a stablemate of Poet's Word, who had finished runner-up in the St Leger and recorded an impressive victory in the Hardwicke Stakes. John Gosden, who had won the race in 2017 with Enable was represented by Coronet, a four-year-old filly who won the Ribblesdale Stakes as a three-year-old and had been narrowly beaten in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. The only three-year-old in the field was Rotropovich, trained like Hydrangea by Aidan O'Brien, who had finished second in the Irish Derby. The other two runners were Salouen (runner-up to Cracksman in the Coronation Cup) and Desert Encounter.

Cracksman is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. He showed promise when winning his only race as a two-year-old in 2016 before developing into a top class middle distance performer in the following year. As a three-year-old he won the Investec Derby Trial before running third when favourite for the 2017 Epsom Derby and then finishing runner up in the Irish Derby. He went on to win the Great Voltigeur Stakes and Prix Niel before recording an emphatic success in the Champion Stakes. He ended the year as the top-rated three-year-old in the world. In 2018 he won the Prix Ganay and the Coronation Cup before taking a second Champion Stakes.

The Prince of Wales's Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 212 yards, and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.

Hydrangea is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. She spent much of her early career being overshadowed by her more illustrious stablemates Rhododendron and Winter. In August 2017 she defeated an exceptionally strong field to win the Matron Stakes and went on to take the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes.

Crystal Ocean was made the 6/4 favourite ahead of Poet's Word on 7/4, Coronet on 15/2, Hydrangea on 10/1 and Rostropovich on 12/1.

The race

Rotropovich took the early lead and set a strong pace from Salouen and Crystal Ocean. Hydrangea was settled in fourth place ahead of Coronet and Poet's Word while Desert Encounter started slowly and trailed the field. Shortly after entering the straight, Crystal Ocean overtook the weakening Rostropovich and opened up a clear advantage. Hydrangea was already well beaten and Salouen was unable to improve his position but Coronet began to stay on strongly. The only serious challenger to Crystal Ocean was Poet's Word who moved up on the wide outside and joined his stablemate a furlong from the finish. In a keenly contested struggle Poet's Word prevailed by a neck, with a gap of nine lengths back to Coronet in third. Four lengths back Salouen narrowly secured fourth place from Rostropovich while there were long gaps back to Desert Encounter and the tailed-off Hydrangea.^[2]

Race details

Sponsor: QIPCO
Purse: £1,229,625; First prize: £708,875
Surface: Turf
Going: Good to Firm
Distance: 12 furlongs
Number of runners: 7
Winner's time: 2:25.84

Going (UK), track condition (US) or track rating (AUS) are the track surface of a horse racing track prior to a horse race or race meet. The going is determined by the amount of moisture in the ground and is assessed by an official steward on the day of the race.

Full result

Pos.	Marg.	Horse (bred)	Age	Jockey	Trainer (Country)	Odds
1		Poet's Word (IRE)	5	James Doyle	Michael Stoute (GB)	7/4
2	nk	Crystal Ocean (GB)	4	William Buick	Michael Stoute (GB)	6/4 fav
3	9	Coronet (GB)	4	Olivier Peslier	John Gosden (GB)	15/2
4	4	Salouen (IRE)	4	Silvestre de Sousa	Sylvester Kirk (GB)	20/1
5	shd	Rostropovich (IRE)	3	Seamie Heffernan	Aidan O'Brien (IRE)	12/1
6	8	Desert Encounter (IRE)	6	Andrea Atzeni	David Simcock (GB)	33/1
7	18	Hydrangea (IRE)	4	Ryan Moore	Aidan O'Brien (IRE)	10/1

Abbreviations: nse = nose; nk = neck; shd = head; hd = head

Winner's details

Further details of the winner, Poet's Word

Sex: Horse
Foaled: 5 April 2013
Country: Ireland
Sire: Poet's Voice
Owner: Saeed Suhail
Breeder: Woodcote Stud

Poet's Voice was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed very good form as a two-year-old in 2009 when he won two races including the Champagne Stakes. He failed to live up to his promise in the first half of the following year but then returned to form to win the Celebration Mile and then defeated a very strong field to take the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. He never won again and was retired at the end of 2011. He was a headstrong and unpredictable racehorse, breaking out of the starting stalls on one occasion and biting one of his rivals on another. He made a very promising start to his stallion career, siring the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Poet's Word in his first season at stud.

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References

↑ "King George: Poet's Word triumphs at Ascot to give Sir Michael Stoute record win". BBC Sport. 28 July 2018.
↑ "King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes result". Racing Post. 29 July 2017.

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[1] "King George: Poet's Word triumphs at Ascot to give Sir Michael Stoute record win". BBC Sport. 28 July 2018.

[2] "King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes result". Racing Post. 29 July 2017.