Why big-race throwback Adayar has it all to prove in a stellar King George

It is fighting the last war to bemoan the lack of Derby winners in the King George these days, but the link between Britain's two biggest open-sex 1m4f races was broken after Kris Kin finished third to Alamshar in the 2003 King George.

Kris Kin is the inflection point because, while he was the fifth Derby winner in nine years to make his next start in the King George, that route has been followed just once since by Workforce in 2010. Anthony Van Dyck came to Ascot via the Curragh in 2019, but even so that return is stark.

You can see why there is so much anticipation about Adayar taking the non-stop route this year as the approach is something of a throwback. It can also be taken as premeditated – his trainer Charlie Appleby nominated this race just a couple of days after Epsom.