The end of July can mean only one thing: Glorious Goodwood is almost upon us. The five-day Festival sees a real feel-good atmosphere descend on the Sussex venue, and this year is set to be especially buoyant, with spectators allowed in to watch after the Festival was held behind closed doors in 2020.
There is a plethora of high-profile races to look forward to, none more so than the King George Stakes, which Battaash will be hoping to win for a remarkable fifth consecutive occasion. His success mirrors that of Stradivarius, who is aiming for a fifth successive Goodwood Cup victory at the Festival. It’s no surprise that Battaash is the pre-race favourite in the Glorious Goodwood betting odds, but there will be a number of horses and respective connections hoping to stop the Charles Hills-trained winning machine. Let’s take a look at a few of the challengers hoping to make a name for themselves.
Battaash will be hoping to win for a remarkable fifth consecutive occasion
Rohaan
The joint-second favourite for the King George Stakes is Rohaan, who has enjoyed a pretty good season so far. He lost his last outing at Newmarket, but before that he had won three in a row, with two victories at Ascot and a win at Haydock sandwiched in between. Rohaan has seen a few different jockeys take to the saddle, but recently it’s been Shane Kelly who has taken the reins. It’ll be interesting to see how he fares at Goodwood, especially given the pressure of taking on defending champion Battaash, but the three-year-old could well give him a run for his money.
With Oisin Murphy likely to be the man in the saddle, there’s no doubt that Dragon Symbol has the potential to upset Battaash
Dragon Symbol
Another three-year-old hoping to cause a stir in the King George Stakes is Dragon Symbol, who can be found at the same price as Rohaan — around 9/2. This is the Archie Watson-trained horse’s first season on the circuit, and there have been some good results, beginning life with four successive victories. However, a few defeats have since followed, and it will be interesting to see how Dragon Symbol bounces back. It’s clear that there is talent there, and with Oisin Murphy likely to be the man in the saddle, there’s no doubt that Dragon Symbol has the potential to upset Battaash.
Came From The Dark
It’s fair to say that Came From The Dark will be hoping to live up to his name in the King George Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, although at odds of 5/1, it wouldn’t be too much of a shock if he were to emerge triumphant. Trained by Ed Walker, the five-year-old recently won the Sprint Stakes at Sandown, and his connections will be hoping to take that form into the Goodwood Festival. The horse has a few decent wins scattered throughout his career, and it will be interesting to see what kind of fight he can put up in the King George Stakes.
Winter Power
At slightly longer odds is Winter Power, trained by Tim Easterby. Like Came From The Dark, Winter Power goes into Goodwood off the back of a victory — in the John Smith’s City Walls Stakes earlier this month. Of course, the King George Stakes is a different kettle of fish, but there is enough potential in this talented three-year-old to suggest that a good result could be on the cards. The pressure is all on Battaash, and there is a hungry pack of challengers hoping to rain on his parade.
