Auguste Rodin’s Quest for Glory at the King George VI Stakes
When Auguste Rodin is in peak form, which is most of the time, he’s unbeatable. Last year he swept the Epsom Derby and Breeders’ Cup Turf, two of racing’s most prestigious events, and last month he won the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.
He owns six Grade 1/Group 1 trophies in a brilliant career in which he’s earned more than $5.7 million. That’s the 4-year-old colt’s Dr. Jekyll persona. Unfortunately, there’s also a Mr. Hyde side, which Auguste Rodin revealed with three inexplicably bad finishes (12th, 10th, 12th) in Group 1 stakes.
Like the children’s rhyme about the little girl who had a little curl in the middle of her forehead, “When he is good, he’s very, very good, but when he is bad, he is horrid.”
One of Auguste Rodin’s marquee meltdowns came in last year’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, when he finished last of 10 on soft ground he didn’t handle. On Saturday (post time 10:40 a.m. ET) he’ll try to redeem himself in Ascot’s 1½-mile midsummer showcase, and trainer Aidan O’Brien believes he will.
“He’s super,” O’Brien told England’s Racing Post. “Everything has been good with him since Ascot.”
That score under regular rider Ryan Moore made Auguste Rodin the 5-4 King George favorite with English bookmakers. The main threat is t
Rebel’s Romance goes for five in a row
Globetrotting Rebel’s Romance is 13-for-19 with earnings of nearly $9 million for Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby, with wins in Hong Kong, Dubai, Qatar, England, America and Germany. He’s never been second or third, so like Auguste Rodin he can be all-or-nothing.
“He’s been a top horse from when he was a 3-year-old,” jockey William Buick told Sky Sports Racing. “His Sheema Classic win was absolutely top drawer. Auguste Rodin didn’t perform to his best that day, but he’s been a much better horse since.
“I think it’s fascinating. The King George is a midsummer highlight and certainly a race Rebel’s Romance deserves to take his chance in.”
Filly Bluestocking also in the mix
Third choice is the filly Bluestocking (5-1), who prefers soft turf and recently won a Group 1 against her own sex in Ireland. O’Brien trains four of the eight others entered – four-time Group 1 winner Luxembourg (10-1), Continuous (10-1), likely pacesetter Hans Andersen (100-1), and Point Lonsdale (40-1). The other longshots are Dubai Honour (14-1), Middle Earth (14-1), Sunway (12-1) and Goliath (33-1).
O’Brien, an all-time great, blames himself for Auguste Rodin’s poor performances.
“He gets a mile and a half very well, but when he gets to the front, he waits, so I was probably giving the wrong instructions all along,” he said.
“He’s a great little horse and he’s in great form. He has the action, the pedigree and the temperament. He’s very special.”
For those who bet horse racing online:
The picks: 1 Auguste Rodin 2 Luxembourg 3 Rebel’s Romance