King George Stakes 2013: Predictions for Win, Place and Show at Ascot

The 2013 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes will take place Saturday at Ascot Racecourse, and it should be a thrilling spectacle at one of Great Britain's most prestigious Grade 1 horse races.

According to the latest odds from William Hill, Cirrus Des Aigles is the prohibitive favorite at 6-to-4, so betting on him to win, place or show won't exactly give the best returns. However, there are several other horses entering in fine form who should challenge Corine Barande-Barbe's formidable contender.

Below is an overview of the general connections for each competitor in the eight-horse field, followed by predictions for who will finish in the money.

Note: Statistics and information are courtesy of Horse Racing Nation.

Predictions

Win: Hillstar (7-1)

The last time Hillstar made a start at Ascot, he flew into the lead down the final stretch from well back in the field to take the Grade 2 King Edward VII Stakes.

That's the type of closing speed required to pull off a victory in this prestigious race, and it seems the tandem of trainer Sir Michael Stoute and jockey Ryan Moore got it down perfectly the first time around.

Moore is getting the mount again, so there's no reason to discount Hillstar's prior win as much as the oddsmakers seem to be doing. While that was against slightly lesser competition, it was still impressive how well-timed Hillstar's break was.

A prior triumph seems to be enough for Stoute to stake £75,000 on the horse, per Channel 4 Racing:

JA McGrath of The Telegraph points out how Stoute has five previous winners in this race, which is tied for the most all-time. Thus, it's hard to question Stoute's professional judgment in this instance.

While the favorite is a seven-year-old thoroughbred, the fresher legs of this three-year-old colt were on display in his last outing. It will be enough to give Hillstar and his connections a second straight trip to the winner's circle, too.

Place: Cirrus Des Aigles (6-4)

Endurance is not a problem for this experienced horse in the one-meter, four-furlong turf track. Last year's wonderful win at the Dubai Sheema Classic is evidence of what Cirrus Des Aigles can do when he's at his best.

BBC Sport highlights the history that can be made if Cirrus Des Aigles crosses the finish first:

However, he is coming off of a fifth-place effort at the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, but it surprisingly doesn't have his stock down at all against this relatively modest field.

Well maybe it isn't surprising, actually, because never in his illustrious career has Cirrus Des Aigles not finished in the money after being out of the top three in the previous race, per Equibase.com.

That means this veteran gelding knows how to bounce back in a big way, and that should again be the case in this flat race.

Cirrus Des Aigles is too physically gifted to have a second consecutive poor run, though it will only be good for his 18th career second-place finish rather than his prospective 17th win.

Show: Novellist (4-1)

Although the win in France covered the same distance as the King George and was run against top-notch competition, it was more of a steady, methodical ride from Novellist.

That was good enough to win, but it wasn't an overly impressive run. The way the pace went allowed Novellist to cruise comfortably without many challenges from others. Traffic was also an issue in that regard.

For those who are familiar with the U.S. Triple Crown campaign, it is comparable to Oxbow's win at the Preakness Stakes.

In that marquee win, though, Moore was in the saddle, and he'll be aboard Hillstar this time around, who figures to be among Novellist's most formidable competition.

Novellist is a talented four-year-old who will still manage to finish in the top three, but the explosiveness of Hillstar and Cirrus Des Aigles' redemption will push him back to third.