By Sam Turner
William Buick believes “international superstar” Rebel’s Romance can finally wow home fans when he tackles dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin and seven other classy middle distance performers in Saturday’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes at Ascot.
The globetrotting six-year-old, impressive winner of the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic in March under Buick, has already claimed top-level victories in Germany (twice), the USA (2022 Breeders’ Cup Turf), Hong Kong and of course Dubai.
This year’s triumphs have seen the son of Dubawi rated the world’s joint best turf horse in the latest Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, alongside this year’s Derby and Eclipse winner City Of Troy on 123, and a pound ahead of Auguste Rodin.
However, while unbeaten in all his five starts in the UK, Rebel’s Romance has raced here only once since his Group 3 win in the Goodwood’s Glorious Stakes two years ago, and that was when trainer Charlie Appleby utilised a Kempton Listed event last December to prepare his charge for the H H The Amir Trophy in Doha in February before another successful trip to Dubai in March.
Champion jockey Buick, seeking a seventh top-level win of 2024 and a third King George win after Nathanel (2011) and Adayar (2021), believes his mount is ideally equipped for Saturday’s marquee contest.
“IT’S A HUGELY IMPORTANT RACE”
“He’s an international superstar, but he just hasn’t had the opportunity he deserves until now to run in a Group 1 over here,” he said.
“He had an unbelievable winter and then on into spring, when he went to Hong Kong. He’s obviously been on the go a long time, but his races have been spaced out very nicely and he’s taken them well. Charlie is very happy with him.
“Bar the Derby, the King George is our biggest middle-distance race. It’s a hugely important race, steeped in so much history, and it’s our mid-summer highlight. It’s very special, and we are all looking forward to running.”
He added: “We tried something different - making the running - when he won at Doha and he was good there, and then in the Sheema Classic he beat a field stacked with quality from all around the world, including Shahryar and Liberty Island from Japan.
“It was a proper race, and although things possibly worked out in our favour that day he still had to go and do it, and he won well. We all know it’s not easy travelling to Hong Kong with a horse, but he backed it all up by getting the job done there on a very hot and humid day.
“He’s a huge imposing horse who you can’t help but spot, and he’s very uncomplicated, very genuine, and obviously very good. His biggest asset is probably his very high cruising speed, because you’ll see that when other horses start coming under pressure he’s still travelling. He’s a very good horse and at the age of six he’s arguably better than ever. It’s lovely that he’s now getting a proper shot at a top level win at home.”
