Heroic Hukum wins King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes as Burrows hails ‘best day’

Lambourn's Owen Burrows hailed Saturday as the best day of his racing career after Hukum won a thrilling renewal of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot.

Without a doubt the strongest field of the season, Hukum cemented his claim to be considered the finest mile-and-a-half horse in Europe as he saw off an outstanding cast of rivals under Jim Crowley, who described the £1.25 million contest as the best he'd ever ridden in.

The progressive six-year-old, who was well-suited to the softness in the ground, got the better of a younger field including Derby winner and pre-race favourite Auguste Rodin, dual Group 1 winner and well-fancied filly Emily Upjohn and old adversary and defending champion Pyledriver.

While something was amiss with Aidan O'Brien's Auguste Rodin, who finished 58 lengths behind the pack in last, the biggest challenge came from Irish Derby and Grand Prix de Saint-Could hero Westover, with the two embarking on a titanic tussle from the final furlong right to the line, with a photo finish needed to declare Hukum the winner by a head.

The race was just Hukum's second outing since his return from a career-threatening injury following his win in last June's Group 1 Coronation Cup at Epsom, until the weekend the biggest winner of Burrows's career.

Before he'd even got on the motorway while driving back from Epson last summer, Burrows received a call to tell him Hukum was worryingly lame and a fracture diagnosis soon followed that threatened to bring a premature end to his stable star's career.

There was talk of retiring him to stud but Burrows, at the behest of Sheika Hissa, who has overseen Shadwell Stud since the passing of her legendary father Sheik Hamdan in 2021, kept faith that Hukum would return to full fitness.

Hukum, who is the brother to four-time Group 1 winner and last year's outstanding racehorse Baaeed, returned with an impressive victory over Derby runner-up Desert Crown in the Group 3 Gerrard Stakes at Sandown in May before delivering the run of his life to land the second Group 1 of his career and complete a memorable comeback.

Burrows, who was involved in the training of King George winners Conduit, Golan and Harbinger while assistant to Sir Michael Stout, started out on his own in a private role under Shadwell supremo Hamdan Al Makhoum in 2016 and has been training independently in Lambourn for the last two years.

Just 25 minutes earlier, Alflaila landed the West Berkshire handler the Group 2 York Stakes, marking a memorable afternoon for the Farncombe Down team.

"It has to be the best day, it's still sinking in," Burrows said.

"The King George is one of the most prestigious races and to win against such a strong field makes it even better, it's a proud day for us all.

"The last two furlongs were quite nail-biting, I was leaping up and down shouting and hollering and I was hoarse afterwards.

"Given what Hukum's been through in the past 12 months, it was a pleasure to even be on the start line and so to win it was amazing.

"I like to think the race lived up to people's expectations, with the exception of the favourite all the horses ran close to their best and it was left to two of the older horses to battle it out and my goodness they were tough.

"Credit to the second horse, I thought a length-and-a-half down we might have pulled away and won by a length but it turned into a spectacle right to the line.

"I was passing the Newbury junction on the M4 when I was driving home from Epsom after he'd won the Coronation Cup when we got the call to tell us he was lame and we were in a bit of trouble, it was gutting.

"A lot of people, me included, considered retirement but I have to thank Sheika Hissa who said straight away she wanted to give him another season and he's come back and given us two career best performances.

"He's never been in better shape and he's looked good since getting home and so, God willing, we can look towards France and dare to dream."

Hukum is now the 7/1 third favourite for October's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in Paris, where he'll take on unbeaten home favourite Ace Impact as well as Timeform's highest rated horse and Japanese superstar Equinox.