Ascot: King George, Saturday, July 26 – runner guide and tips
When: 4.10pm, Saturday, July 26
Where: Ascot
Watch: ITV1 & Sky Sports Racing
Class: Group 1
Trip: 1m 4f
Horse age: 3yo+
Total prize money: £1.5million
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Ron Wood's Eclipse verdict
CALANDAGAN is an off-the-pace runner who can be a bit tricky, but he gained an overdue first Group 1 success in France on his latest start and he should reverse June's Coronation Cup form with Jan Brueghel. The form danger is Kalpana, but she might not appreciate the drying ground.
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Eclipse – Guide to runners and odds
1. Calandagan (4) – 7/4 with Betfred
Trainer: Francis Henri Graffard; Jockey: Mickael Barzalona: Group 2 winner over course and distance at Royal Ascot last year. Denied by a cannily ridden Jan Brueghel in the Coronation Cup at Epsom in June, but shaped like the best horse in that race. He's not completely straightforward, but readily won a Group 1 race in France last time out and has strong claims again now. Stable won this last year. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Jan Brueghel (2) – 7/4 with Betfred
Trainer: Aidan O'Brien; Jockey: Ryan Moore: Last year's St Leger winner. Had a better position than Calandagan and the ground was on the slow side when defeating the French horse in this season's Coronation Cup at Epsom. Probably won't be quick enough now, on faster going, even with the addition of cheekpieces. ⭐⭐⭐
3. Kalpana (5) – 9/2 with Betfred
Trainer: Andrew Balding; Jockey: Oisin Murphy: Group 1 winner against her own sex here last October, but beaten on both starts this term and the ground may be quicker than she wants. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. Rebel's Romance (1) – 9/2 with Betfred
Trainer: Charlie Appleby; Jockey: William Buick: Terrific old horse, a seven-time winner at the top level. Didn't have the race unfold to suit when third in this last year and most recently won the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes over course and distance at Royal Ascot, but doesn't look up to this now. ⭐⭐⭐
5. Continuous (3) – 100/1 with Betfred
Trainer: Aidan O'Brien; Jockey: Wayne Lordan: Won the 2023 St Leger, but tends to be used as a pacemaker these days and he'll just be setting this up for others. ⭐
Odds courtesy of Betfred and correct at time of writing.
If you already have a Betfred account and are looking for a new bookmaker to use for this week's racing, check out more free bets from the best betting sites, reviewed by our experts
When is the next big racing festival?
The week-long Galway Festival kicks off in Ireland on Monday (July 28), followed a day later by Glorious Goodwood. Check out the latest Glorious Goodwood free bets and betting offers.
The latter is a five-day fixture and is set to feature the Kingman colt Field Of Gold, possibly the best horse in the world, in the Sussex Stakes on July 30, one of three Group 1 contests at the meeting.
Ron Wood 2025 horse racing profit/loss
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Star ratings explained
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - confident selection
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - strong fancy
⭐⭐⭐ - fair claims
⭐⭐ - tentative choice
⭐ - minimum confidence
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