Australian sprinters back among the international entries at Royal Ascot

Aussie aces in line for sprint targets

It’s ten years since Black Caviar scrambled home in dramatic fashion in the Golden Jubilee Stakes to keep an unbeaten record which she retained until retiring after 25 races.

She was just the latest of several top Australian sprinters to be successful at Royal Ascot earlier this century and, after an absence, there could be a strong challenge from down under again this year.

Chris Waller has the high-class pair Nature Strip (Timeform rating 128) and Home Affairs (126) entered in both the King’s Stand Stakes and what is now the Platinum Jubilee. Eight-year-old Nature Strip is the longer-established star of the two with a formidable career record of 20 wins from 37 starts and earnings not far short of £10m. Clearly still a force despite his advancing years, he was rated Timeform’s joint-best horse in Australia in 2021.

Nature Strip’s colossal bank balance was boosted when he won the Everest on his third attempt at the world’s richest turf race at Randwick last October, holding on for a neck win after making the running. But that’s just one of a string of high-class efforts he has put up – five or six furlongs seems to come alike to him – since he emerged on the sprinting scene in Australia late in 2019.

His latest victory came back at Randwick in the T. J. Smith Stakes at the beginning of April, registering a third successive win in that Group 1 contest which was won twice by Black Caviar and once by another Royal Ascot winner Takeover Target. Travelling comfortably in front, Nature Strip had more to spare on this occasion, drawing three and a quarter lengths clear at the line.

Home Affairs has emerged as a much younger challenger to his stablemate in the top sprints. He finished down the field in the Everest but put up a high-class performance against fellow three-year-olds when gaining his first Group 1 success in the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington just a fortnight later.

At the same track, Home Affairs then gained a narrow verdict over Nature Strip in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes in February, showing good speed throughout after Nature Strip had been squeezed out leaving the stalls and then holding his late challenge by a short head.

While Home Affairs has been beaten since at Flemington, finishing mid-division in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap, The Lightning has been a significant race for Australia’s successful sprinters at Royal Ascot, as all of them have won it, Black Caviar doing so three times to have her name added to the race.

Ward leads US challenge once more

More recently, successful raids on Royal Ascot’s sprints have come from America rather than Australia, and specifically from Wesley Ward who no longer relies on solely on his two-year-olds.

He has Campanelle (117) entered up in both the big sprints after she won the Queen Mary two years ago and was awarded the Commonwealth Cup at last year’s Royal meeting. Campanelle made a successful reappearance in a Listed race at Keeneland in April, but the stable’s number one sprinter – the best he’s trained, says Ward – is Golden Pal (129).

Those who’ve seen him in Britain could be forgiven for some scepticism about Ward’s assessment as Golden Pal has been beaten on both his previous starts over here, but those have been his only two defeats since his debut.

He was beaten a neck in the Norfolk Stakes on a first visit to Royal Ascot two years ago, a fine effort on just his second start, but was a disappointing favourite when coming back for last year’s Nunthorpe at York, having the early pace to head one of our fastest sprinters Winter Power but not staying in front very long before she took over and went on to win.

Back home, however, Golden Pal has looked better than ever since and had far too much speed on the very firm ground at Del Mar for European Group 1 winners Emaraaty Ana, A Case of You and Glass Slippers in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

He too made a successful reappearance at Keeneland in April, blitzing his field from the front again in the Grade 2 Shakertown Stakes to win by nearly five lengths with his Norfolk conqueror The Lir Jet among those he left trailing. Although Golden Pal is entered in the Platinum Jubilee as well, the King’s Stand looks his race, though the big question is whether, even over the minimum trip, Ascot’s stiff finish will leave him vulnerable in the closing stages.

Another Breeders’ Cup winner with a Royal Ascot entry is Pizza Bianca (107), winner of the Juvenile Fillies Turf, who’s entered in the Coronation Stakes for Christophe Clement.

She could re-oppose Cachet there, having had the future 1000 Guineas behind her in a close fourth when showing a good turn of foot to win at Del Mar last October. Although successful on her latest start at Pimlico, Pizza Bianca’s form to date looks no better than useful and Irish 1000 Guineas winner Homeless Songs looks the one they’ll all have to beat in the Coronation.

What has Japan got in store?

Japan registered their first successes at the latest Breeders’ Cup so could they make a similar breakthrough at Royal Ascot

Grenadier Guards (119) looks up against it in the Platinum Jubilee – he’s a Group 1 winner in Japan, but over a mile at two – whereas Shahryar (125) could be more interesting in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. He won last year’s Japanese Derby in race-record time, albeit by just a nose, and ended last season finishing a creditable third in the Japan Cup behind Contrail who’d won the previous season’s triple crown in Japan.

Shahryar’s first start outside Japan resulted in another narrow win when holding on by a neck from Godolphin’s Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Yibir in the Dubai Sheema Classic after getting first run.

While that was a bunched finish, it involved plenty of good horses, including the recent Coronation Cup one-two Hukum and Pyledriver and the Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Alenquer, all those in the first seven. Shahryar’s two big wins have come at a mile and a half but he’s by no means short of speed.

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