Aussies Seeking More Royal Ascot Sprint Glory

In recent years Royal Ascot’s major sprint events have been targeted by the very best Australian sprinters who have proved particularly difficult for the home team to deal with, writes Elliot Slater.

In particular the five furlong Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes, now part of the Global Sprint Challenge, has been farmed by Australian horses, following the initial success of the mighty Choisir, winner of the race in 2003 and who famously followed up five days later by taking the other Group 1 sprint at the fixture, the six furlong Golden Jubilee Stakes, another Global Sprint Challenge event.

Choisir’s breakthrough victory for horses from the southern hemisphere encouraged a number of subsequently successful Australian challengers, including Takeover Target, Miss Andretti, and last year Scenic Blast. Whilst only Choisir managed to land the famous double, another long distance traveller to win a major sprint at the fixture was Cape Of Good Hope, champion sprinter of Hong Kong, who ran away with the 2005 Golden Jubilee Stakes.

Punters looking ahead to the 2010 Royal Ascot meeting will doubtless be keeping a close eye on the plans of the leading overseas sprinters and factoring in their potential performances against those of the locals from Britain, Ireland and France.

Over the years, the Kings Stand Stakes in particular, has been won by some of the great names in European sprinting – Habibti (1984), Last Tycoon (1986), Dayjur (1990), Sheikh Albadou (1992), Lochsong (1994), to name but a few, but in the last seven renewals, as well as the Australian domination there was the astounding 2008 success of unconsidered Spanish sprinter Equiano who defied all Royal Ascot betting odds.

Probably more than any other race at the whole Royal Ascot fixture, the King’s Stand Stakes has become the truly international event that attracts the world’s best over the distance.