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DOWN through the years, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes was always viewed as the crowning glory of the middle distance all-aged season, but as the Arc has grown in importance over the last 25 years, the King George has diminished in status. The key to its revival may well lie in the number of quality three-year-olds lining up.

This year we have both the Oaks’ runner-up and Irish Derby winner in attendance, and hopefully that will be a forerunner to future renewals. Had he not suffered a setback, then Epsom Derby hero Desert Crown would also have taken his place.

With only six set to contest this year’s prize there is a distinct lack of early pace, and with Westover being arguably the strongest stayer in the line up, it is hard to understand why connections are not going to employ a pacemaker for him. 

That almost sends out a signal for either Broome or Pyledriver, Ryan Moore or PJ McDonald, to ride a waiting race out in front and steal this contest. That is exactly what Ryan did on the former in a just average Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, when he slowly increased the tempo from the head of affairs, before readily putting to bed Mostahdaf and company by three-and-a-half lengths or more.

The alternative is for Colin Keane to get a lead into the contest and then strike for home a fair way out and use the giant stride of WESTOVER to gallop his rivals into submission. If Keane gets this wrong and waits and waits to ride his charge for a change of pace, he could well be in for a barrage of criticism.

As such it is desperately hard to predict the outcome of this year’s race and we haven’t even mentioned the filly Emily Upjohn or the fast finishing Eclipse runner-up Mishriff. So in the hope that Keane doesn’t sit and wait and then sit again, I think the Curragh winner can take another step forward here, as he most surely has to, and see off his five rivals. He is absolutely no value at all at around 11/8, but in my eyes he is the most likely winner.

The big betting race on the card is the seven furlong Heritage Handicap at 3.00, with 22 entries spread across the track.

Third in both the Wokingham and Bunbury Cup Handicaps, Jumby deserves to win a race of this nature, but a mark of 106 looks hard to overcome. Dark Shift is 6lbs higher than for his impressive win in the Royal Hunt Cup, but remains open to improvement having just his 12th career start and is the most likely winner of those at the top of the market place, but there are several players further down the market place that make for each-way value.

The pick of them are probably the progressive King Zain and my selection, TACTICAL (NAP). The former has so far shown all of his best form on an artificial surface (only one from six on turf), but an end-to-end gallop over seven furlongs should be his calling. The selection looked desperately unlucky in the Buckingham Palace Stakes over this course and distance and was subsequently and indeed predictably well beaten in the Group Two Summer Mile Stakes at the Berkshire track two weeks ago. This set-up is much more his port of call and this bigger field over a straight track is his optimum set-up.

Earlier on, the Princess Margaret Stakes (1.50) has any number of young fillies that could turn out to be anything, although the form of their last time-out wins have hardly set the pulse racing. Lezoo has the best form on offer having won the Empress Stakes and then finished runner-up in the Duchess of Cambridge, both at Newmarket. However, four last time-out winners are highly likely to close that form gap on her and possibly overtake her.

The nod goes to MINNETONKA who actually went off the 7/4 favourite for the Empress Stakes, but totally missed the kick and did too much too soon, making up ground between three-and-a-half furlongs and the quarter mile pole. This quicker ground will also be hugely in her favour and I know that Richard Hannon has not been too despondent about that run and she could readily bounce back, and looks the each-way value at around the 10/1 marker.

Later on, the evergreen and game Mountain Peak looks sure to run his race in the sprint handicap finale at 5.20, but I just wonder if a mark of 108 may just be too much and my each-way play here has to be BOND CHAIRMAN (second to the top weight over the C&D last time out), but slightly unlucky not to get up in the closing stages. Both are drawn low, which could be a disadvantage in a massive field, but with just 10 set to go to post that may not matter as much this time around.

There is a cracking card at York, where my biggest wager will go on SOUL SEEKER  (2.05) who won this Jump Jockeys event last year off a mark of 82. Down to a rating of 75 and with Sean Bowen on board, despite a series of poor runs, I think he could well bounce back here from a good box position.

Later on, the old boy VENTUROUS (2.40) may be able to run down his rivals in the six furlong handicap at 2.40, while the feature Group Two York Stakes (3.15) should go to last year’s Champion Stakes’ runner-up Dubai Honour, who certainly won’t mind any of the forecast showers in the region, and he can see off the progressive three-year-old Claymore.