King George tips: Rebel's Romance backed for Ascot glory on the latest episode of Weekend Winners
Rebel's Romance got the nod from two of the Weekend Winners panel for the big Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot - live on Sky Sports Racing; Watch the episode in full on the At The Races YouTube channel.
Friday 25 July 2025 15:18, UK
The Weekend Winners trio return in search of winners across a stellar Saturday card at Ascot.
In the middle of the latest episode, Kate Tracey, Sam Boswell and Declan Rix analysed the five-runner King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, ran at Ascot over a mile and four furlongs with good ground expected.
Jan Brueghel and Calandagan, who finished first and second in a titanic Coronation Cup clash back in June, sit atop of the market with Kalpana and Rebel's Romance holding outside chances for Andrew Balding and Rebel's Romance. Continuous completes the field, although it is expected he will be deployed as a pacemaker by trainer Aidan O'Brien.
Declan Rix...
"The only horse you can really rule out, as the betting suggests, is Continuous, but isn't he the key horse to how this race pans out? It's mental to win a Leger and then be sent out as a pacemaker and I get the feeling they're going to go a good, strong even tempo to drag Calandagan into deep waters. He is absolutely the best horse and is the quickest horse. He's going to have too many gears for all these horses if he's on song but I've always felt over twelve [furlongs], at a track like Ascot, at this level off a strong gallop - he could be a little bit vulnerable. I think they [Ballydoyle] might try and drag the brilliance out of him.
- Jamie Lynch's guide: King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes
- London & The South and Scotland dominate week one of Racing League
"Jan Brueghel wears first time cheekpieces, which doesn't inspire me. I think it's because they're worried about him laying up on the ground. If you go back and watch the Epsom run, Ryan Moore was sitting into him quite early but to be fair, I don't think, given the size of him, Epsom would ever be his track. He would be much better suited to the more galloping nature of Ascot.
"Kalpana - I was really disappointed with the way she hit the line behind Whirl in the Pretty Polly. Maybe she needed the run or was feeling the ground but this has all led me to a seven-year-old in Rebel's Romance. I thought he was the value bet and if I've called the race right, he's a sporting play. He's such a commendable horse! He was in front way too soon [in the Hardwicke Stakes] but still galloped out.
"This form has been boosted since with the second horse [Al Riffa] winning subsequently, although that was over a further trip. He's going to love the ground and will stay this trip better than most, plus we've got a home jockey in William Buick. I thought he was a sporting play at the prices."
Sam Boswell...
"Ascot deserve a lot of praise for trying to rebuild this race and giving it the kudos it deserves! We do have a clash of two really good horses at the head of the betting. Calandagan for me, I know he went to France and got the one back in front of his name, but is he just a bit soft maybe? I just can't warm to him, I don't know what it is!
"I just felt Jan Brueghel has a bit more to offer. I understand the panic about the cheekpieces but I want to take it in isolation and the fact they've come up with the plan to do this means there must be fair reasoning behind it. I was a bit intrigued they didn't try it at Epsom to be honest because at a track like that, you'd have thought he might need a bit of assistance.
"He's a really, really good horse isn't he? Look at what he's achieved and he's still quite lightly raced in comparison to the co-favourite and the others in here, so there could be more to come. I think he's really tough, and I love that about a horse. It's so admirable at the top level and tough horses that can battle and grind - there's not enough of them. It's a rare quality.
"I like Rebel's Romance as well but in the front pair of the betting, I was more drawn to Jan Brueghel. He's only been beaten once in his career to date!"
Kate Tracey...
"Every time I came back to this race I formed a new opinion on it. Calandagan is the most talented horse in the race but does he want to put it all in? I still don't think so! It was an easy enough Group 1 success for him last time out. If they grind the class out of him in this, I had to leave him at 7/4. I saw Jan Brueghel was also 7/4 and thought I'd chance him over Calandagan, but then the cheekpieces came out of nowhere!
"I can't [back him] at 7/4 when you've got good old Rebel's Romance in here at 11/2. Why is he so insulted all the time? I think it's domestic snobbery and we look down on global form but he's been able to show it the last twice, first back at York when the trip was the question mark and then at Royal Ascot last time out. The form stacks up massively with Al Riffa and the like and again, it was just so deserved for him to get another domestic Group 2. He's still missing a domestic Group 1 from his CV but he's still got all the class in the world to be able to do that."
Watch Weekend Winners in full on the At The Races YouTube channel...
