Rain concerns for Golden Horn in King George

Heavy rain has thrown hot favourite Golden Horn's participation in Saturday's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes into doubt.

Ascot was hit by a deluge on Friday, with the going easing significantly from good to firm to soft for their mid-summer showpiece

That was enough for French trainer Andre Fabre to pull out his top class fast ground specialist Flintshire, leaving eight opposing Epsom Derby hero Golden Horn.

But with more rain forecast Golden Horn's trainer John Gosden says he will walk the Berkshire track on Saturday morning before allowing his unbeaten three-year-old to take his chance.

Frankie Dettori's mount saw out the mile-and-a-half trip comfortably at Epsom on fast ground, but on Saturday is entering unknown territory tackling the same distance in the softest conditions he will have ever encountered.

As a result some bookmakers have eased his odds out from 1-2 to a best-priced 8-13 to emulate Nashwan, the last of only three horses to win the Derby-Eclipse Stakes and King George in the same season.

One bookmaker, Paddy Power, told The Racing Post: "There looks to be some real Irish weather hitting Ascot and, while Golden Horn proved the concerns about a mile and a half to be unfounded in the Derby, we'd be extremely concerned about him getting it on easy ground."

Gosden told the paper: "We're in the lap of the rain gods.

"Until we know what rainfall they get and how the ground is it's hard to make any predictions. The key thing is they're all in very good order.

"With regards to Golden Horn, it's hard to say (how soft ground would affect him).

"He won his maiden on the easy side of good, but since then he's seen nothing but really fast ground. He hasn't raced on it, so we'll have a walk of the track and see how it looks for him."

Gosden also saddles Eagle Top and Romsdal in the ten-runner field for the mid-summer showpiece which also features Royal Ascot winner Snow Sky, and Dylan Mouth from Italy.
Source: AFP