Telescope is set to run at Royal Ascot before returning for the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

By Simon Jackson.

The Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes has attracted 31 entries for the £1.15million contest that includes last year’s runner up Telescope.

The son of the 2001 Derby winner Galileo finished second to Taghrooda in 2014 and appears likely to follow the same path to the mid-summer showpiece by contesting the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot which he won last year.

Telescope was second on his comeback this season before landing the £100,000 Listed Al Rayyan Stakes by six lengths at Newbury and the Sir Michael Stoute-trained five-year-old is reported to be in good order ahead of the Royal meeting.

“Everything is going really well with Telescope and Sir Michael is very pleased with the way he came out of the Newbury race,” Harry Herbert, managing director of owners Highclere Thoroughbred Racing’s Wavertree Syndicate, said.

“His next target was always going to be the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot and touch wood that is where he will be running next week. He seems in very good form, is holding his condition well and everyone at Freemason Lodge is more than happy with him.

“The King George will also definitely come into play. As with all Sir Michael horses, it’s one step at a time but the King George is definitely his midsummer target providing he shows his best in the Hardwicke Stakes.

“He is not short of speed but he seems more at home over 12 furlongs. He likes a strong run race and Ascot seems to suit him. He has never run a bad race there.”

Read ‘Horse Talk with Simon Jackson’ at London24 for the latest horse racing news.