Ante Post Analysis - July 17th 2026: Ascot King George ante post update

Races Now's Adam Smith takes a look at the ante post market a week out from Ascot's King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Benvenuto the big steamer

The King George at Ascot on July 25th is the richest race in the British calendar with £1.1m to the winner. Increased price money that is sure to be much welcome to paupers like the Aga Khan Estate, the Coolmore Partners and Juddmonte.

Benvenuto Cellini has been the market mover in the King George since we last covered the race in these quarters.

He was 10/1 three weeks ago and has since won the Irish Derby – a race in which the Ballydoyle gang had the 1st, 2nd and 3rd and the great English hope, Raaheeb, was disappointing. They completely dominated proceedings there.

Did we learn a whole lot though? This is a massively stiffer test of his abilities against his elders and some of the best horses in the world. So, 3/1 Benvenuto Cellin vs 7/4 Calandagan? Surely the value lies with last year's winner, who has since won four more Group 1s in the intervening period.

One of those Calandagan wins was in the Japan Cup, where he was a head in front of Masquerade Ball, whom has made the long trip to reoppose here. I’m no Japanese form expert, but you’d find it hard to find more than two horses better than Masquerade Ball back home, I'd suggest.

It’s double figures and more about the rest in the current market and we’ll find out who intends to run at the five day stage on Monday – with currently 14 possibles.

Kalpana was a length second in this race last year behind Calandagan but it would be questionable to say her form has progressed since then. Clearly she’s very good but might well find one or two better than her at this level against the boys.

She was a short head second in an eventful Hardwicke Stakes when we last saw her. Shock 2024 King George winner Goliath looked all over the winner in that Hardwicke, travelling like a dream round the bend and into the final furlong before the saddle basically snapped 50 yards from the line. Painful for Goliath backers on the day like me.

However, that was undoubtedly a massive run and this has unsurprisingly been his target all year. 12/1 is definitely an attractive price but we need to remember this is a red hot renewal as things stand.

At bigger prices, Minnie Hauk is screaming for a return to a mile and a half, yet stablemate Benvenuto appears the Coolmore number one here, so she might not run.

Bay City Roller won a bonkers Coronation Cup by 10 lengths but probably wants soft ground. Ancient Egypt and Causeway ran on July 14th so won’t be coming here. Action and Lambourn might be Aidan O’Brien pacemakers. Yes, I’ve just called last years Derby winner a pacemaker, because that’s what he now is. Crazy.

Calandagan might not be short enough, but we don’t tip 7/4 shots on Races Now, very often. He was 5/2 in the last column, to be fair.

Surely on form, Benvenuto Cellini has to drift. Masquerade Ball is obviously unproven on European soil and Kalpana is likely to fall just short on all known form. So that leads me back to Goliath, who ran a stormer in an official trial for this and is a former winner in his own right.

He's clearly an intended runner and I could see him being the chief rival to countryman Calandagan when they cross the line.

Smido's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes ante post selection

0.5pt EW - Goliath - 12/1 (various - 1/5 odds 3 places)

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