Andrea Atzeni bids for King George triumph on 'the coolest horse I have sat on'
Julian Muscat talks to the man with designs on toppling Enable and Crystal Ocean
It's the sort of assignment that suits Andrea Atzeni down to the ground.
One of the more relaxed characters in the weighing room rides Defoe in Saturday’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. The horse is not without a chance, even with Enable and Crystal Ocean in the mix, yet the weight of expectation is not stifling.
A similar set of circumstances played out before the Coronation Cup in May. Expectation was tempered by the fact five other horses were preferred to Defoe in the betting. It allowed Atzeni to relax and ride the race as he found it in his bid to contrive an upset.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on 21 July 2019inFeatures
Last updated 18:56, 21 July 2019
Copy- Government says it is working 'at pace' to have white paper measures in force by the summer
- 'The only thing you can do is lie fallow and regroup' - Meades to return with scaled-back operation following blank period
- The Gambling Commission has launched its new corporate strategy - but what are the key points?
- 'It was tragic it happened to Paddy but it was a good thing for the jockeys who followed - good came out of bad'
- Acquisitions, exits and retail resilience - what we learned from Flutter and 888's results
- Government says it is working 'at pace' to have white paper measures in force by the summer
- 'The only thing you can do is lie fallow and regroup' - Meades to return with scaled-back operation following blank period
- The Gambling Commission has launched its new corporate strategy - but what are the key points?
- 'It was tragic it happened to Paddy but it was a good thing for the jockeys who followed - good came out of bad'
- Acquisitions, exits and retail resilience - what we learned from Flutter and 888's results