Ascot King George Weekend betting: Tips and preview

It’s the King George Weekend at Ascot from Friday where Saturday is the main card to focus on with a bunch of group races to dig into including the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Tom Lunn has gone through the racecard, form, going, race replays and much more to help guide your betting choices with a horse racing tips on the day’s action.

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King George Weekend racing tips

• 13:45 – Moonrise 6/1 e/w (1pt)
• 14:20 – Touleen 4/5 (2pts)
• 15:35 – Calandagan 13/8 (1pt)

Moonrise

Dark Issue takes the front of the betting in this wide open two-year-old contest over 6f.

This filly was just fourth of 25 in the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot last month so of course will surely do well here after she won so well on debut at Goodwood.

Moonrise also looks dangerous after her 2nd place finish in the listed Windsor Castle Stakes.

But they all run off the same weight and that should give Dark Issue the slight edge over many runners here.

This is a prime race to look for an each-way though and Moonrise looks dangerous under Oisin Murphy after that latest performance.

Touleen

Touleen placed just behind Precise at Ascot last month in the Coronation Stakes and this time William Buick is deployed to go again.

That and her previous form shows she should be able to beat these rivals rather comfortably.

Secret Of Life now has Saffie Osborne on board, who’s usually on Touleen, and she is the big danger after three straight wins but this is a big step up and a big ask to win four in a row.

Calandagan

This is a great display of top-class racing featuring the highest rated flat horse in the world, Calandagan.

Masquerade Ball is just behind Calandagan in that sense, rated 128 after just nine races and four wins.

He was only beaten by Calandagan by a head in Tokyo in the Grade 1 Japan Cup.

Benvenuto Cellini really needs to step up to beat these two globetrotters, does have a slim chance as he’s being given 11lb.

Calandagan was fourth behind Bay City Roller but that was a weird race at Epsom in the Coronation Cup, where the ground was much softer than the recorded Good to Soft.

The French-trained horse bounced back to winning at Saint Cloud but was kept up to his work to win only by a neck.

Kalpana shouldn’t be discounted with a solid record at Ascot placing a short head second in the Hardwicke Stakes last time out at Royal Ascot.

Masquerade Ball is a bit of a risk having never ran in Britain before but of course has been tempted over by this big payday race.

Bay City Roller would be massively appealing on soft ground, but it’s really got to be course and distance winner, race winner Calandagan.

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Tom Lunn’s Horse Racing Profit & Loss

• March ’26: +11.31pts
• From October ’25: +38.46pts
• From March ’25: +109.76pts
• From Oct ’23: +419.61pts

All odds correct at time of writing

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