King George VI & Queen Elizabeth meeting
Ascot
26 July 2008

King George VI & Queen Elizabeth day is another sparkling jewel in Ascot’s glorious summer season and, like Royal Ascot, provides an unmissable sporting and social occasion.

The feature race is the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes – which stands alongside the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as one of Europe’s all-aged middle-distance championship races.

First run in 1951 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace and the 1951 Festival of Britain, the King George has produced some of the defining moments in British racing history.

Perhaps most famously, the 1975 edition was dubbed ‘The Race of The Century’ after Derby winner Grundy beat his courageous rival Bustino in a time of 2min 26.98sec – a record that still stands today.

Other top-class winners include Ribot in the 1950s, Royal Palace in the ’60s, Brigadier Gerard and Dahlia in the vintage ’70s, Dancing Brave and Nashwan in the ’80s, and Godolphin’s Swain and Daylami in recent years.

There is also a top-class supporting card, including the ultra-competitive International Handicap, the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes for two-year-old fillies and the highly-prized ladies’ race.

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