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'He's coming right' - Desert Crown delights in advance of King George with William Buick in line to ride

EPSOM, ENGLAND - JUNE 04: Richard Kingscote riding Desert Crown (C, blue/yellow) win The Cazoo Derby (In Memory of Lester Piggott) during Cazoo Derby Day meeting at Epsom Racecourse on June 04, 2022 in Epsom, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images
Desert Crown: 5-1 with William Hill for King George gloryCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Last year's Derby winner Desert Crown appeared to take a significant step towards Saturday's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes when he exercised on Sunday morning under champion jockey William Buick, who is in pole position for the enviable mount.

Owned by Saeed Suhail and trained by Sir Michael Stoute, Desert Crown was a fluent winner of the Epsom Classic but did not run again in 2022 and was beaten into second by Hukum on his seasonal reappearance in Sandown's Brigadier Gerard Stakes in May. 

He was then ruled out of the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot following a setback, but news emerged last week that he could make the King George, which Stoute has won a record six times.

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Lambourn correspondent

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