When discussing the illustrious winners of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, one name that inevitably comes up is Generous.
This recognition is underscored by the Qipco Diamonds & Pearls Award he received for his remarkable performance in the 1991 edition of this prestigious Ascot event—a title that was claimed by Lammtarra the previous year.
Trained by Paul Cole and owned by Prince Fahd Salman, the Caerleon colt was already a familiar face at Ascot, where he not only debuted with a victory but also finished as the runner-up in the Coventry Stakes during the Royal meeting.
Generous capped off his juvenile season with a triumphant win in the Dewhurst Stakes, and he made an even greater impression the following year in his Classic season.
He dazzled in the Derby, clinching victory, before securing the Irish equivalent, and then it was off to Ascot once more for King George, where he was sent off as the 4-6 favourite under the guidance of Alan Munro.
In a stunning display, he won by a commanding seven lengths over Sanglamore, the previous year's French Derby champion—an effort that has only been surpassed once in the race's storied history, by Harbinger in 2010.
Cole described Generous as “the most important thing that’s ever happened to me”, adding “How often do you get a horse like that?”.
Remembering his former stable superstar, who died in 2013 at the age of 25, he said: “The only pressure with him was that he was a very excitable horse and sweated a lot. He sweated a lot before the race (King George) and it makes you worry when a horse sweats. In the event, it didn’t affect him at all. He was an excitable horse, a chestnut with all the making of something that is going to get a little bit on his toes. It’s all a bit of a muddle what happened that day. Looking back on it, of course, you remember things, but when it’s all happening you’re really on edge. He won a lot of his races by six or seven lengths, and it could have been almost double that. He was a very, very talented horse. He rewarded us with his wonderful performances. To draw clear in the Derby and those other races when he put the acceleration down, they were amazing performances. He was Generous by name and generous by nature. It’s an honour to have trained him and as he’s one of the best Derby winners there’s ever been, I’m very proud to have been associated with him.”