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The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes

The King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes, informally known as simply the 'King George', is staged in the course of the Betfair Weekend, a three day race meeting held at Ascot in late July. The meeting, running from Friday to Sunday, begins with the Betfair Weekend Friday, peaks on King George Day, and unwinds with a fun filled Family Day. However, King George Day - and the 'King George' in particular - are unquestionably the most anticipated highlight of the weekend.

When it was introduced on 21st July 1951 the race was announced as the 'King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Festival Of Britain Stakes'. The unusually long title was the result of a number of mergers: the race was a combination of the King George VI Stakes, run in October since 1946, and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, which had been taking place in July since 1948; however, the new amalgamated race coincided with the end of the Festival of Britain and it was decided to make it a commemorative race. The name of the race was changed twice more. In 1972 it obtained its first corporate sponsorship, provided by the diamond company De Beers; and in 1975 the name was changed to the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes with the permission of Queen Elizabeth II. When De Beers discontinued sponsorship in 2006 the race became known as simply the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

The 'King George' is run over a distance of one mile and four furlongs and is open to thoroughbred horses aged three or older. Winning the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes awards instant recognition not only to the winning horse but also to all its connections, making the 'King George' one of the most competitive races of the season. Since its inauguration there have only been two multiple winners; Dahlia raced to victory in 1973 and 1974, Swain snatched a more recent double winning in 1997 and 1998.

The King George is truly a race to make or break a legend. In 1975 the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes became the scene of the final stretch show-down which is frequently referred to as 'the race of the century' - the battle of Grundy and Bustino. The long time rivals exerted themselves during this race in such a fashion that Bustino, the runner up, was left unable to race ever again; while Grundy only competed in one more race after the King George. In the process of their battle of wills Grundy crossed the line in 2:26.98, two and a half seconds faster than the previous track record, only half a length before Bustino. The 1975 track record has not been broken to date.

Recent Winners of the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes