It's time for Enable to prove she's as good as ever at age of six in King George

Doomsday predictions about the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes have existed for most if not all of this century. There is no question its cachet has decreased over the last generation or so, but the factors involved are external to the race itself.

The general tendency towards speed over stamina, the backloading of international middle-distance prizes in the autumn/winter and the concentration of more power in fewer hands are factors which all work against the King George. It remains the king of all it surveys, the problem is that its eyes are not what they used to be.

The vagaries of the calendar this year have also had an impact. The late start to the season was always going to make representation from the three-year-olds less likely, while a lack of elbow room means this weekend has to be shared with the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh. In essence, the King George pessimists are overreacting, but it would be a push to suggest they are wrong.