Gosden monitoring Ascot weather ahead of King George John Gosden remains on weather-watch ahead of the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. The Clarehaven maestro has saddled three winners of the midsummer showpiece in the last seven years and has entered Cracksman and Coronet this time. Cracksman would be on a recovery mission if taking his chance after suffering a short-priced defeat in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, but ground conditions are key to his participation. Coronet, who came within a nose of claiming her first Group One success in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud at the start of the month, is a more likely runner, but Gosden feels she needs to raise her game to topple the Sir Michael Stoute-trained pair of Crystal Ocean and Poet’s Word. Gosden told At The Races: “Cracksman will be looking for thunderstorms, which seem extremely unlikely. “Coronet is in good form and she ran great at Saint-Cloud, so she’s a possibility for the race at this stage. “She’s got a bit to find with Hardwicke winners (Crystal Ocean) and Prince of Wales’s Stakes winners (Poet’s Word), that’s for sure. They set the standard in the race and I’m sure the market will reflect that.”
