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King George: Arc hero Torquator Tasso poised for Ascot trip if connections get rain in time after Hamburg return

Torquator Tasso was a shock 80/1 winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe last year and got back to winning ways at Hamburg on Saturday; connections working back from this year's Arc with King George on the radar next if rain arrives at Ascot this month

Torquator Tasso, nearside, beats Tarnawa and Hurricane Lane to the line
Image: Torquator Tasso, near side, beats Tarnawa and Hurricane Lane to the line in the Arc

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Torquator Tasso could head for Ascot next after returning to form at Hamburg at the weekend.

The chestnut, who is trained in Germany by Marcel Weiss, was a shock winner of the prestigious ParisLongchamp contest last season when prevailing by three-quarters of a length as a rank outsider among the field of 14.

The performance signalled the end of the horse's 2021 campaign, and he returned to action at Baden-Baden in May when contesting and eventually finishing sixth in the Group Two Grosser Preis der Badischen Wirtschaft.

Watch the King George on Sky Sports Racing
Watch the King George on Sky Sports Racing

Don't miss the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes from Ascot on Saturday 23 July on Sky Sports Racing

At Hamburg on Saturday the five-year-old was back at the mile-and-a-half trip he seems most effective over and produced a neat three-and-half-length victory under regular rider Rene Piechulek.

The success could now pave the way to the King George And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on July 23, although some give in the ground would be preferred if a tilt at the Group One event is to come to fruition.

Following Ascot - for which he is as short as 6/1 with Paddy Power and Betfair - a run on home turf is pencilled in at Baden-Baden, after which connections hope a repeat Arc bid is on the cards for the returning champion.

Jockey Rene Piechulek celebrates on Torquator Tasso after winning the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
Image: Jockey Rene Piechulek celebrates on Torquator Tasso after winning the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

"We were very happy with that, he is back to his form and we were very pleased with him," part-owner Peter-Michael Endres said. "It (a mile and a half) is the best trip and it suits him.

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"If the surface is OK we will go next to Ascot, the King George And Queen Elizabeth, if there was a little bit of rain in England that would be nice for us.

"If he is OK, the horse, we will go from Ascot to Baden-Baden and then back to the Arc."

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