The masterplan that backfired - why Team Ballydoyle decided to go with a steady pace in Saturday's King George

While Calandagan seems a very worthy winner, it was a slightly weird King George and unsatisfactory in the eyes of at least part of the audience. On the 50th anniversary of Grundy versus Bustino, with its famously hectic pace intended to set things up for a St Leger winner, it just felt wrong to watch the two most recent Leger winners crawling along in front. 

Jan Brueghel and Continuous finished second-last and last, so clearly this unexpected tactic was a bust. But, having wrestled with it for a few hours, I think I see what was being aimed at.

The vital context is last month's Prince of Wales's Stakes, in which Continuous was pacemaking for Los Angeles, who sat close up. They both faded out of it and the general view was that they'd gone too quick. Even on good to firm, Ascot is a stiff track and that has to be respected.