1959 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes


9th King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes
Ascot, 18 July 1959
won by Alcide

The 1959 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes was a horse race held at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday 18 July 1959. It was the 9th running of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

The contenders

The race attracted a field of eleven runners, four trained in the United Kingdom, five in France, one in Ireland and one in Germany. The favourite was the Cecil Boyd-Rochfort-trained Alcide, a four-year-old colt owned by Sir Humphrey de Trafford who had been a hot favourite for the previous year’s Epsom Derby, but could not run in that race because he was most likely ‘got at’ and had received a savage blow in his box, which had broken one of his ribs. The Irish challenger was Gladness. France was represented by Balbo, Al Mabsoot, Chief, Ascot Gold Cup-winner Wallaby II and Amourrou. The German challenger was the five-year-old Orsini, winner of the Deutsches Derby. Orsini's 5th place would be the best performance of a German-trained horse in the race until Danedream's success in 2012. Apart from Alcide, the best of the British-trained runners appeared to be the Epsom Oaks second Cantelo. The other runners were Pindari, owned by H. M. The Queen, and the filly Mirnaya.

The race

Alcide was last into the straight, but, admirably ridden by William Carr, won comfortably.

Race details

* Abbreviations: nse = nose; nk = neck; shd = head; hd = head; dist = distance; UR = unseated rider

Winner's details

Further details of the winner, Alcide