The 1975 King George & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes is widely remembered as the race of the century, a titanic duel between two outstanding middle-distance horses: Grundy, the brilliant Derby and Irish Derby winner trained by Peter Walwyn, and Bustino, the tough, battle-hardened stayer from Dick Hern’s powerful yard.
From the outset, Hern deployed team tactics with Bustino’s pacemakers forcing an unrelenting gallop. The result was a brutally true-run contest that drew every ounce of stamina, courage and class from the principals. Rounding the home turn, Bustino struck first, surging to the front and appearing to have slipped the field. But Grundy, ridden with supreme patience by Pat Eddery, gradually reeled him in.
What followed was an unforgettable, stride-for-stride war up Ascot’s straight. Bustino refused to yield; Grundy, digging deeper than ever before, kept inching past. In the final yards, the Derby hero struck the decisive blow, winning by half a length in a race that shattered the course record and left both horses utterly spent.
The 1975 King George remains a touchstone of the Sport of Kings: two champions at the peak of their powers, running themselves to the limit in a contest that defined an era and still echoes through racing history.
