William Buick is backing the globetrotting Rebel’s Romance run a big race in his bid to further an “already glittering” CV in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
Charlie Appleby’s six-year-old has won 13 of his 19 career starts, a record which includes victories in no less than six different countries.
In 2022 he enjoyed back-to-back Group One triumphs in Germany before taking out the Breeders’ Cup Turf in America, while 2024 has already yielded big-race wins in Qatar, Dubai and Hong Kong.
Rebel’s Romance is five from five in Britain, and while he has plenty on his plate on what will be his first start on domestic turf in almost exactly two years, Buick is expecting a bold showing.
“He’s been a top horse from when he was a three-year-old,” he told Sky Sports Racing.
“Obviously he’s had an extraordinary year so far this year, but it’s easy to forget that he is a Breeders’ Cup Turf winner. That was a couple of years ago, but he’s a very good horse and at the age of six he’s arguably better than ever.
“Charlie and the team have done a fantastic job with him. Charlie was very clear in his campaign this winter – he found a very good opportunity for him at Kempton, where he had a nice confidence booster, he really made the most of that and took his travelling really well.
“He started off in Qatar, then to Dubai and then to Hong Kong. I saw him when he got back from Hong Kong and he looked even better than when he went there, so he’s taken it really well and I’m just thrilled that he’s being given his chance in this country now.”
Bookmakers reported support for both Rebel’s Romance and Ralph Beckett’s Bluestocking on Tuesday afternoon, trimming both from 7/2 from 4/1 behind their 5/4 favourite Auguste Rodin.
The latter disappointed behind Rebel’s Romance in the Dubai Sheema Classic earlier in the year, but showed his true colours in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot last month and Buick is intrigued to see how his mount fares against him back in the UK.
He added: “He’s a little bit hard to measure up against some of the horses here. He’s actually unbeaten in this country, but he’s never raced at Group One level, so it is a little bit hard to measure him up.
“If you go off the form of his Sheema Classic win, that’s absolutely out of the top drawer. Obviously Auguste Rodin didn’t perform to his best that day and we've seen a much better horse since.
“I think it’s fascinating and it’s a race he certainly deserves to take his chance in. It would be lovely to add to his already glittering CV.”
Buick continued: “The King George is a midsummer highlight. The Derby winner always used to turn up, as obviously Adayar did, and the three-year-olds are always the main dangers in the King George as the weight allowance probably sways in their favour if they are of that calibre.
“Sunway is obviously a three-year-old and is going to get a lot of weight so it’s going to be interesting, but it’s a good King George, as you would always expect it to be.
“He wouldn’t want soft ground – he’s a top of the ground horse and a good mover, so if the forecast stays as it’s supposed to do I think that should suit everybody.
“Don’t forget he’s a UAE Derby winner on dirt as a three-year-old, so he’s a pretty versatile horse."
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