OISIN MURPHY could be set for the box office ride on Derby hero Desert Crown in what’s shaping up to be the best race of the season – the King George at Ascot.
Richard Kingscote has ridden him for all four of his runs so far but Star Sports believe Murphy could be a surprise call up.
Desert Crown on his way to winning the Derby last yearGetty
Desert Crown won the Derby on just his third career start but has only hit the track once due to a host of minor issues.
Beaten in the Brigadier Gerard at Sandown by Hukum, he then suffered a setback that prevented him from running in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes.
Frankie Dettori was set to ride him for that Royal Ascot assignment and with that in mind, Star Sports believe Kingscote could be dethroned again.
Luke Tarr, Head of PR at Star Sports, said: “It would seem likely that Richard Kingscote will ride Desert Crown in the King George, but it’s not guaranteed with plenty of viable candidates waiting in the wings.
“Oisin Murphy has ridden plenty of winners in the Saeed Suhail colours and, at 3-1, we think there’s a strong chance he is given the chance to ride last year’s Derby winner.”
Star Sports make Godolphin duo William Buick and James Doyle 11-2 to take the ride, while Tom Marquand is a 6-1 poke.
Dettori and Ryan Moore are 25-1 chances but with are almost certain to be riding other horses.
The King George has been talked up as a race of the season contender and it’s not hard to see why.
This year’s Derby one-two Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel are set for a rematch, while Emily Upjohn and Hukum have also been slated for the race.
That’s without mentioning last year’s winner Pyledriver, who decimated his rivals on return from a big absence.
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