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THE King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes always used to be the highlight of the turf flat season in Britain and indeed Europe as the classic generation pitted its wits against the older horses, but for the past 20-odd years it has seemingly played second fiddle to Arc in Paris in autumn.

Despite the late withdrawal of last year’s Epsom Derby hero, Desert Crown, this year’s renewal, due off at 3.40, harks back to the golden era of this race with 11 set to go to post.

With 17mm of rain from Wednesday night through to Thursday morning, the word “soft” is guaranteed to appear somewhere in the going description and that is certain to suit HUKUM who dismissed the 2022 Derby winner with utter disdain in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown Park in May.