2026 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes Odds - Calandagan favourite to defend Ascot crown

Jon Vine

Editor

Last updated: Thu 23 Jul 2026 12:48

Jon Vine 23 Jul 2026

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Latest odds and betting for the 2026 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes [Updated 23.7.26]
This Group One will be run at Ascot on Saturday 25th July
Defending champion Calandagan leads the way, Benvenuto Cellini and Masquerade Ball follow in the market

Mickael Barzalona riding Calandagan (green) win The King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. (Getty)

On Saturday, one of the season's biggest races takes place at Ascot, as many of the world's best racehorses clash in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes. This historic Group One, which was first run back in 1951, has been won by legends like Nijinsky, Mill Reef, Dahlia, Shergar, Galileo and, the only three-time winner, Enable.

Let's take a look through the latest King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes betting and run through the headline entries.

2026 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes Odds

Name	Odds
Calandagan	13/8
Masquerade Ball	4/1
Benvenuto Cellini	9/2
Minnie Hauk	7/1
Kalpana	8/1
Goliath	10/1
Bar	66/1

2026 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes Entries

Calandagan claimed a cosy victory in this Group One 12 months ago, beating Kalpana and Rebel's Romance with a flying finish. Francis Graffard's star went on to win the Champion Stakes, the Japan Cup and the Sheema Classic, before bouncing back from a below-par run at Epsom with another Group One triumph in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud earlier this month.

The leading three-year-old in this year's King George is Benvenuto Cellini, and plenty of money arrived for Aidan O'Brien's Irish Derby at the start of the week. Ballydoyle will also be represented by 2025 Arc runner-up Minnie Hauk, following her second-place finish behind Ombudsman in the Prince of Wales's Stakes.

Japan is represented by Tenno Sho winner Masquerade Ball, who started favourite when narrowly beaten by Calandagan in the Japan Cup. Last year's runner-up Kalpana will have another showdown with the market leader, following her narrow defeat to Giavellotto in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot. Francis Graffard will also be represented by Goliath, an impressive winner of this very race two years ago.

Wurttemberg will join fellow Japanese contender Masquerade Ball on the flight to Ascot. Aidan O'Brien's Action and Lambourn complete this year's King George field.