Aidan O'Brien looking forward to King George test with Jan Brueghel

July 9, 2025

Aidan O’Brien is looking forward to a crack at the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes with Coronation Cup hero Jan Brueghel.

Jan Brueghel is the 5/2 ante-post favourite with the best horse racing betting sites for the Ascot showpiece, Britain’s most prestigious open-age flat race worth over £1.25 million.

The four-year-old asserted his position as one of the elite middle distance performers with a gritty victory over Calandagan in the Coronation Cup at Epsom last month.

O’Brien told the Racing Post: “All is good with Jan Brueghel and he’s very well. Everything is being geared towards the King George for him and Ascot is the plan.

“We were obviously delighted with him at Epsom and everything has gone well with him at home since then.”

He will look to emulate his late sire Galileo in winning the race, who did so during his Classic campaign 24 years ago. O’Brien hasn’t landed this prize since Highland Reel took the spoils in 2016.

The nature of the Ascot track with a stiff uphill finish means you usually need a stout type who stays further than the 1m 4f trip to win a King George, which in theory should play into the favourite’s hands.

Jan Brueghel went unbeaten in his debut season as a three-year-old, culminating in St Leger glory over 1m 6½f at Doncaster last September when beating stablemate Illinois by a neck.

O’Brien had planned to run him in the £4 million Melbourne Cup that November – later describing the horse as ‘probably the biggest certainty ever’ to win the race – before he was scratched by Racing Victoria vets in the days prior.

St Leger hero Jan Brueghel bounces back and holds off Calandagan in a thrilling @Betfred Coronation Cup for Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien! pic.twitter.com/Q2b4RDfisS

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 6, 2025

The Ballydoyle handler didn’t rule out the possibility of dual Derby hero Lambourn running in the race, which would certainly give stable jockey Ryan Moore plenty to think about as to who to ride.

“We still have one eye on the King George for Lambourn and we will have for the next week or so. We’ll make a decision on it then, but I wouldn’t necessarily rule him out of it yet.

“It’s still a possible, but no decision has been made.”

Calandagan is set to oppose Jan Brueghel once again, arriving off the back of his maiden Group 1 success in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud at the end of June.

It looks a straight match between the pair, but preference must be with the Coronation winner who looks tailor-made for this test in comparison to the Aga Khan hope who is likely more effective over ten furlongs.