How the King George was won: Keith Melrose's big-race analysis

It was undoubtedly a shock that Tornado Flyer, a horse who had previously looked as if he could claim no more than minor honours at Grade 1 level, was able to win a championship event like the King George.

However, the clues were there from watching the race live and a bit of interrogation confirmed visual impressions.

In short, the leaders went too hard. It took the field 40.7 seconds to cover the distance from three out to the line, which was around 4.5 seconds slower than Bravemansgame over the same ground a little more than an hour earlier.