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Love and Adayar top nine hunting King George honours

3 minute read

Mishriff and Lone Eagle other key names at Ascot.

Superstar filly Love  and Derby hero Adayar  are among nine confirmations for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot.

LOVE winning the Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot in England. Picture: Harry Trump/Getty Images

A dual Classic winner last season having left her rivals trailing in her wake in both the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Oaks at Epsom, Aidan O'Brien's Love made a successful return from 10 months off the track in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot.

O'Brien has also left in Broome, Japan and Mogul as he goes in search of a fifth King George success following the previous triumphs of Galileo (2001), Dylan Thomas (2007), Duke Of Marmalade (2008) and Highland Reel (2016), but Love is very much his chief hope.

ADAYAR winning the Cazoo Derby (Group 1) (British Champions Series) Picture: Pat Healy Photography

With Coronation Cup winner Pyledriver taken out after suffering a setback, Love's biggest threat appears to be the Charlie Appleby-trained Adayar, who was a brilliant winner of the Derby at Epsom in early June.

That form has been well advertised since by his stablemate Hurricane Lane, who was third in the premier Classic and has subsequently won both the Irish Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris.

Love will have to concede 8lb to Adayar due to the weight-for-age allowance.

Martyn Meade is set to saddle the narrow Irish Derby runner-up Lone Eagle, while the William Haggas-trained Addeybb and John and Thady Gosden's Mishriff could renew rivalry after finishing second and third behind St Mark's Basilica in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown.

Connections of Mishriff are hoping he can improve from what was his first run since adding to his Saudi Cup success in February with victory in the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan in March.

Ted Voute, racing manager to owner Prince Faisal, said: "I talked to John after Mishriff worked on Saturday and he was very happy with him. It has very much been left up to John where he runs next and, having discussed it with the Prince, Ascot looks the likely target.

"I thought Mishriff was a bit gassy at Sandown in the first half of the race, which happens to a lot of horses after some time off, and I just wondered whether he needed a race under his belt to get him spot-on. He seemed to run very well backing up from Saudi to Dubai.

"St Mark's Basilica is clearly a very good horse and I think it is going to take a very good horse to beat Love on Saturday.

"We want to win a Group One in England with Mishriff and you can't win one unless you run in them. He has beaten some very good horses from around the world and now is the time to see what he can do against the big battalions from England and Ireland in particular."

The potential field is completed by David Menuisier's stable star Wonderful Tonight, who enjoyed successive Group One wins last autumn and looked as good as ever when making a winning start to the current campaign in the Hardwicke Stakes at the Royal meeting last month.