Desert Crown will miss Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth II Qipco Stakes at Ascot due to a leg infection.

The 2022 Derby winner, who was off with an ankle injury for a year following his Epsom triumph, was beaten on his return by Hukum in the Brigadier Gerard at Sandown in May.

Sir Michael Stoute’s charge had been working well in the build-up to a clash with that rival at Ascot and was also set to take on this year’s Derby one-two Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel, along with the high-class filly Emily Upjohn in a mouthwatering renewal of the mile-and-a-half contest.

However, the four-year-old will now be rerouted to next month’s Juddmonte International Stakes at York.

Bruce Raymond, racing manager to the colt’s owner Saeed Suhail, said: “Desert Crown doesn’t run, he has got a leg infection.

“The plan is to go to York, but that is as much as I know.”

Hukum’s jockey Jim Crowley is excited to be part of Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth II Qipco Stakes and hailed one of the deepest renewals in recent years as “great for the sport”.

The Group One Ascot showpiece looks set to feature Derby one-two Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel, last year’s Epsom hero Desert Crown, defending champion Pyledriver and the first two home from the Coronation Cup, Emily Upjohn and Westover among others.

The Owen Burrows-trained Hukum, who won last year’s Coronation Cup before injury sidelined him for a year, returned to defeat Desert Crown in the Brigadier Gerard at Sandown in May.

With the ground currently described as good, good to soft in places at Ascot and rain forecast on Wednesday evening, connections of the Shadwell-owned Hukum are growing increasingly confident that the six-year-old will handle the white-hot opposition.

Crowley is happier when he lets his riding do the talking and the former champion jockey knows the quality of the opposition could not be higher.

“All I can say is that Hukum is in great form. It is a very, very good race – the best King George I’ve seen on paper for a long, long time, and it is great to be part of it,” he said.

“The horse is in great form going into the race and that is all we can ask for. If he is good enough, he is good enough.

“It is great to be part of it and great to be riding a horse with a chance in it.”

Hukum goes into the contest as the winner of six of his last eight races. The two defeats came by a head to Hamish in the September Stakes at Kempton in 2021 and by a length and three-quarters to Shahryar in the 2022 Dubai Sheema Classic.

After making a pleasing return at Sandown and following sustained support in recent days, he is now vying for favouritism with Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel with some bookmakers.

Crowley has ridden in most of the top races around the world, yet sees the mile and a half midsummer spectacular as one of the most eagerly-anticipated in recent times.

“I’m the same as all the other jockeys, really – it is going to be very exciting for a lot of people to watch and it is going to be very exciting to ride in it, but on the other hand, it is very important,” he said.

“It is great for the sport – it is what people want, isn’t it? It is our version of the Arc.

“No-one is ducking it, so that means everyone fancies their chances. It is when they don’t fancy their chances they start ducking it.”

Crowley added: “We are very happy with him and very respectful of the opposition, because it is a very good race. Any rain would not be a negative, it would be beneficial to him.”

Hukum’s connections will be content, with almost their ideal ground conditions on the cards.

Ascot’s clerk of the course Chris Stickels is expecting overnight rain into Thursday.

Speaking at 4pm on Wednesday, he said: “The going is good on the straight course, and good (good to soft in places) on the round course. We had two millimetres of rain on Monday and have not had any since.

“We are expecting rain this evening and through the night. The ground would be getting quicker as we speak – it would be getting close to good to firm now in places – but obviously it is going to rain, so, we won’t see that change. We are expecting between seven and 15 millimetres.

“Until we get the rain we don’t know what the going will be but 12 millimetres will probably make us good to soft.”

Simca Mille could bypass Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth II Qipco Stakes if conditions are not suitable.

The Stephane Wattel-trained four-year-old has won twice at Group Two level – at ParisLongchamp and Chantilly – this term, latterly producing an eye-catching turn of foot to land the Grand Prix de Chantilly by an easy three and a half lengths under Alexis Pouchin.

It promises to be a high-class renewal of the King George, which features this year’s Derby one-two Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel, along with 2022 Epsom hero Desert Crown and defending champion Pyledriver.

However, with an unsettled forecast and ground that is officially described as good to soft, soft in places on the round course, a decision on Simca Mille’s participation will be made on Thursday morning.

Wattel said: “The ground might be a concern. A final decision will be made on Thursday morning.

“We have prepared toward this race for a long time. I know the competition is very, very high and it will be a fantastic race.

“I don’t mind competing with the very difficult competition – if the horses are better, then they are better – but I want to have the best conditions for my horse to handle correctly, which at the moment is a concern.

“It is going to be a fantastic race and it will be great for the public and fun for all the sportsmen to see such good horses, but for Simca Mille, he needs fast ground and I doubt we will get fast ground.

“It is difficult to put a percentage on it, and I don’t want to say too much about it. A final decision will be made on Thursday morning. I am not the only one (to make the decision).”

Should last season’s Group One Grand Prix de Paris neck runner-up not take his place in the King George line-up, he could head to Germany or stay closer to home.

Wattel added: “He is entered in the Grosser Preis von Berlin (at Hoppegarten on August 13) in Germany, which is a Group One, but I would say I will be very happy, even if it is only a Group Two, he has the Grand Prix de Deauville (August 27), which for a Deauville-based trainer is an important race also.

“He has had fantastic results at Longchamp, so we will keep an eye on the Arc, if the ground is suitable for him.

“My concern is to have too difficult a race in the King George and leave his race there, on ground that is not his optimum.”