'We wanted to see a bit of rain and we've been lucky' - Hukum connections happy as Ascot ground eases to soft for King George

Rain at Ascot has lifted the spirits of Hukum' s connections before Saturday's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes, with Angus Gold, racing manager to owners Shadwell, saying: "It's all about whether he's good enough now."

The ground at the Berkshire track for the two-day meeting eased to soft, good to soft in places following 17mm of rain on Thursday morning, when a field of 11 was declared at the 48-hour stage. Four horses were withdrawn, including last year’s Derby hero Desert Crown, who was ruled out due to a leg infection. 

The Owen Burrows-trained Hukum, who has raced just once this year when beating Desert Crown to win the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown in May, is a best-priced 9-2 with William Hill for the King George, but Gold believes everything is going the six-year-old's way. He said: "Hukum has worked very well since Sandown and hopefully the ground is in his favour – it’s all about whether he’s good enough now.