The second day of the King George racing weekend 2026 welcomes horse racing enthusiasts with a number of prestigious races on the race card. Among those, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes takes the centrestage. This year, it falls on Saturday, 25 July.
The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race that accepts both male and female horses aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres). It was established in 1951 as a merge of two different races named after King George VI and Queen Elizabeth respectively. Today it is one of Europe’s most renowned races for middle-distance runners.
In this article we will introduce the list of runners declared to participate in this season’s race, review the race card for the entire second day of the meeting, and take a closer look at some of the most promising runners and market’s favourites to compete in the race.
King George Saturday 2026 Racecard
The King George Racing Weekend 2026 will be conducted in the fourth week of July and last for two days. This horse racing fixture will include 14 races, with six races conducted on the first day and eight races conducted on the second and last day of the event. The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes will be run on the second day of the meeting as the headline race of the day and the entire event.
Day Two: King George Saturday (25 July)
- When: Saturday, 25 July 2026
- Gate opening: 11:00 am
- First race: 1:10 pm
- Headline race: 3:35 pm
- Last race: 5:20 pm
The daily race card for the King George Saturday 2026 is as follows:
Going: good to firm
| Time | Race | Distance | Conditions |
| 1:10 pm | THE DENTAKAY EBF CROCKER BULTEEL “CONFINED” MAIDEN STAKES (CLASS 2) (Not Run More Than Once) (CL 2) | 6f | 2YO £50,000.00 |
| 1:45 pm | THE PRINCESS MARGARET JAPAN CUP STAKES (CLASS 1) (Group 3) (CL 1) | 6f | 2YO £80,000.00 |
| 2:20 pm | THE LONGINES VALIANT STAKES (CLASS 1) (Group 3) (CL 1) | 7f 213y | 3YO+ £95,000.00 |
| 2:55 pm | THE MOET & CHANDON INTERNATIONAL HANDICAP STAKES (CLASS 2) (HERITAGE HANDICAP) (CL 2) | 7f | 3YO+ £150,000.00 |
| 3:35 pm | THE KING GEORGE VI AND QUEEN ELIZABETH STAKES (CLASS 1) (Group 1) (CL 1) | 1m 3f 211y | 3YO+ £2,000,000.00 |
| 4:10 pm | THE ASCOT HANDICAP STAKES (CLASS 4) (GBBPLUS RACE) (CL 4) | 1m 3f 211y | 3YO+ £30,650.00 Rating 61-80 |
| 4:45 pm | THE BETFRED HANDICAP STAKES (CLASS 2) (CL 2) | 1m | 3YO+ £60,000.00 Rating 0-105 |
| 5:20 pm | THE WHISPERING ANGEL HANDICAP STAKES (CLASS 2) (CL 2) | 5f | 3YO+ £60,000.00 |
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2026 Runners
As the most prestigious open-age flat race in the UK, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes attracts some of the world’s best middle distance runners to its track. This year its prize purse counts £2,000,000, making it not only one of the most valuable races but also the first in Britain to be priced at this amount. With no upper age limitation, horse racing fans can expect to see some of last year’s favourites as well as new entries taking on the challenge at the Ascot Racecourse.
Currently, there are 10 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. Some of the jockeys for the race have already been announced, others are still awaiting confirmation.
The current full list of contenders, their jockeys and trainers runs as follows:
- Bay City Roller (age 4, jockey unconfirmed, trainer George Scott)
- Calandagan (age 5, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Francis Henri Graffard)
- Goliath (age 6, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Francis Henri Graffard)
- Lambourn (age 4, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
- Masquerade Ball (age 4, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Takahisa Tezuka)
- Wurttemberg (age 6, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Hiroshi Miyamoto)
- Kalpana (age 5, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Andrew Balding)
- Minnie Hauk (age 4, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
- Action (age 3, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
- Benvenuto Cellini (age 3, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Aidan O’Brien)
Who to Look Out for at the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2026
Same as any year, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2026 brings together some of the best middle-distance runners in the world. Trained by established and reputable trainers and led on the track by skillful jockeys, they will once again contest for the champion title. As there is no upper age restriction on participation, any runner has a chance to enter the race multiple times. Currently, the title of the most successful horse with multiple wins belongs to Enable, who won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes 3 times in 2017, 2019, and 2020.
The latest winner in 2025 was a 4 year old bay gelding Calandagan. This was the second of his four wins of the season, including the Qipco Champion Stakes (Ascot Racecourse, October 2025). Calandagan started the 2026 season with three races, two of which he won (Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, Meydan Racecourse, UAE, March 2026 and Grand Prix De Saint-Cloud – World Pool By Pmu Stakes, Saint-Cloud, France, July 2026). He has already been declared to take part in this year’s race. Calandagan was trained by Francis Henri Graffard and led on the track by jockey Mickael Barzalona.
Calandagan
- Age: 5 years old
- Sex and colour: bay gelding
- Trainer: Francis Henri Graffard
- Major achievements: 10 out of 17 wins, including Grand Prix De Saint-cloud – World Pool By Pmu Stakes (July 2026) and King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (July 2025)
As the defending champion of the last season, all eyes are turned to Francis Henri Graffard’s charge. The start of the current season reinforces his position with two wins out of three races: Longines Dubai Sheema Classic at the Meydan Racecourse, UAE in March 2026 and Grand Prix De Saint-Cloud – World Pool By Pmu Stakes at the Saint-Cloud Racecourse, France in July 2026.
Calandagan is well familiar with the Ascot Racecourse. Besides last year’s victory at the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, he has won two other Ascot races: King Edward VII Stakes in June 2024 and Qipco Champion Stakes in October 2025. He was also placed second in the Qipco Champion Stakes in October 2024.
Masquerade Ball
- Age: 4 years old
- Sex and colour: bay colt
- Trainer: Takahisa Tezuka
- Major achievements: 2 out of 7 wins, including Tenno Sho (November 2025) and Ivy Stakes (October 2024)
While Takahisa Tezuka’s charge is mostly used to Japanese racecourses and competitions, he started showing some impressive results since his maiden race of Ivy Stakes (Tokyo, Japan, October 2024), which he won. He added two more wins to his credit in the 2025 season, namely Kyodo Tsushin Hai (Tokyo, Japan, February 2025) and Tenno Sho (Tokyo, Japan, November 2025).
Masquerade Ball was also placed three times during the 2025 season, including in the Japan Cup (Tokyo, Japan, November 2025) where he came second after Calandagan. He started the 2026 season in Hong Kong where he participated in the The Fwd Qeii Cup Stakes (April 2026, winner Romantic Warrior) and came to the finish line second.
Minnie Hauk
- Age: 4 years old
- Sex and colour: bay filly
- Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
- Major achievements: 6 out of 11 wins, including Clem Murphy Memorial Irish European Breeders Fund Mooresbridge Stakes (May 2026) and Betfred Oaks (June 2025)
Aidan O’Brien’s charge had her most impressive win of 2025 when she came first to the finish line in the Betfred Epsom Oaks (Epsom Downs Racecourse, June 2025). With one win in her debut 2024 season and another three in 2025, including the Juddmonte Irish Oaks (Curragh, Ireland, July 2025) and Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks (York Racecourse, August 2025), she gained lots of attention.
Minnie Hauk started the 2026 season with a win in the Clem Murphy Memorial Irish European Breeders Fund Mooresbridge Stakes (Curragh, Ireland, May 2026). This race will be her second appearance at the Ascot Racecourse, after she was placed second in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes during the Royal Ascot week (Ascot Racecourse, June 2026, winner Ombudsman).
Benvenuto Cellini
- Age: 3 years old
- Sex and colour: chestnut colt
- Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
- Major achievements: 4 out of 7 wins, including Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (June 2026) and Boodles Chester Vase Stakes (May 2026)
Aidan O’Brien’s charge debuted last year and immediately caught everyone’s attention when he won two races: Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden (Killarney, Ireland, July 2025) and KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes (Leopardstown, Ireland, September 2025), and was placed in two others.
While his participation in the Betfred Epsom Derby in June 2026 had him declared as a non-runner, Benvenuto Cellini won the other two starts he ran in since the beginning of the current season: Boodles Chester Vase Stakes (Chester Racecourse, May 2026) and Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (Curragh, Ireland, June 2026). This will be his first appearance at the Ascot Racecourse.
Goliath
- Age: 6 years old
- Sex and colour: bay gelding
- Trainer: Francis Henri Graffard
- Major achievements: 8 out of 19 wins, including Grand Prix de Chantilly (May 2026) and King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes (July 2024)
Francis Henri Graffard’s charge is coming back to the King George racing weekend after having won the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2024 and missing the race in 2025. He has also participated in the Hardwicke Stakes during the Royal Ascot week twice: placed second in June 2024 (winner Isle Of Jura) and placed third in June 2026 (winner Giavellotto).
Goliath won three races in his debut 2023 season and another three in 2024, then one in 2025 (La Coupe, Longchamp Racecourse, France, June 2025). He started the 2026 season by winning the Grand Prix de Chantilly (Chantilly Racecourse, France, May 2026).
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