'We genuinely didn't know what was going to happen' - nailbiting thriller a perfect finish to King George comeback story

In the year that marked the revival of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Hukum and Owen Burrows completed their own. 

The race has been won by greats such as Shergar and Galileo but for many had dipped down the middle-distance pecking order against the Derby and Arc. That was until we saw this year's final field, which even following the withdrawal of last year's Derby winner Desert Crown must be considered vintage. In his absence, the market was narrowly headed by dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin, who was joined in the line-up by not one, not two, but three winners of the Coronation Cup. 

Unsurprisingly bookmakers struggled to pick a favourite this week and those gathered excitedly in the pre-parade ring seemed no closer to coming up with the answer. Huddled groups made cases for almost every runner in the field and there was an atmosphere of quiet expectation. The Princess Royal surveyed the runners, while trainers did their best to hide their nerves in the saddling boxes. They were all well within their rights to believe they had a big chance of winning.