Faint hearts, fussy eaters and Bing sings

1 On his retirement, 1952 winner Tulyar – also winner of the Derby, Eclipse and St Leger – was the leading British and Irish-trained prize-money earner with a haul of £76,577. Should he win a second King George on Saturday, Highland Reel will become Europe's top money-earner with a bankroll of more than £6.5 million.

2 One of the greatest horses ever to race in Europe was 1956 winner Ribot, who went unbeaten through a career of 16 races. They did not include the Premio Parioli or the Derby Italiano, however, because such was his diminutive stature as a young horse Ribot was not entered in any of the Italian Classics.

3The 1964 winner Nasram sprang the biggest shock in any King George when beating the dual Derby winner and 2-13 favourite Santa Claus. In a four-runner race on hard ground that suited him, Nasram made all to win by two lengths. The French-trained colt was a notoriously faint-hearted beast and wilted under any challenge – he was never challenged at Ascot. He was rated the worst winner in the race's history by John Randall and Tony Morris in the book A Century of Champions.