Mishriff takes on five rivals in red-hot King George, including multiple Group One winner Love and Derby hero Adayar; David Egan confident John and Thady Gosden's four-year-old will have improved from Sandown; watch every race of the two-day King George meeting live on Sky Sports Racing
Friday 23 July 2021 15:22, UK
David Egan is hoping King George ride Mishriff will have improved from a “rusty” seasonal reappearance as he takes on five world-class rivals in the King George at Ascot on Saturday.
After winning in Saudi Arabia and Dubai at the start of the year, John and Thady Gosden's four-year-old was given a break before returning to the UK for the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown earlier this month.
He raced keenly behind front-runner Addeybb at Sandown, briefly taking the lead before tiring back into third behind winner St Mark's Basilica.
Egan admits stepping back up to a mile-and-a-half at Ascot is an "unknown", but he is expecting an improvement.
"He didn't disgrace himself on his seasonal reappearance," Egan told Sky Sports Racing. "He travelled nicely and got St Mark's Basilica off the bridle which is very hard to do for a horse like him.
"He got a little tired, which is to be expected, and I'd hope he'll have come forward for that fitness-wise. He's entitled to have been a little rusty.
"It's a stiff mile-and-a-half at Ascot so that's still an unknown but we're going out full on confidence anyway."
Multiple Group One winner Love and Derby hero Adayar are the headline acts in a classy King George field.
Egan is looking forward to doing battle with the likes of Ryan Moore (Love), William Buick (Adayar) and Frankie Dettori (Lone Eagle).
He said: "It's a top class field, as strong as you'd expect a King George to be, with multiple Group One winners, top three-year-olds including the Derby winner and last year's Oaks winner.
"There's top class jockeys, top horses and a world class track at Ascot - what more could you want.
"It will be interesting to see how it works out tactics-wise but Mishriff is such a straight-forward horse that we can alternate and change plans as needs be.
"He showed that with how he raced in Saudi and Meydan."
