George Scott has nominated a two-year-old as his most likely winner at Royal Ascot this week.
Speaking on Racing TV's Luck On Sunday programme, the Newmarket trainer stated he felt Staya had excellent claims of mounting a bold bid in Wednesday's Queen Mary Stakes over five furlongs.
The daughter of Havana Grey goes into the Group 2 contest following a striking debut success at Yarmouth on May 22 (replay below).
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Scott said: "Staya certainly would be my best chance of the week, she won impressively first time out. She's by a superstar stallion and she has the look and the feel of a filly with plenty of quality about her."
Scott could end up running 10 or 12 horses at the Royal meeting and his big Group 1 contender on day one is the lightly-raced three-year-old West Acre in the King Charles III Stakes.
He drops back to five furlongs having won two Group races over the minimum distance at Meydan earlier in the year, before a lesser effort when last sighted.
Scott said: "He's such an exciting, young horse, in the sense that he was electric at Meydan. He won the Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint after breaking the track record in the Blue Point, and I think by the time of the Al Quoz (finished eighth to Believing), his season was done.
"It's no secret, this horse got a fracture in the February of his two-year-old career and I promise you he was an absolute stand-out at that point, so really from when he started racing in October-time through to now, having already won a Group 2 and a Group 3, he's got a serious engine.
"This (Ascot) is a big step for him, stepping into a King Charles with all these proven horses. So all I've been saying to Michael (Blencowe, owner) is that let's see how he gets on, I'm sure he'll run a nice race and let's hope he looks at home in these circumstances - in Group 1 sprints.
"I think this is the beginning for him, I think this is the beginning of two or three years at the top level. Of course, it's a massive day and we'd love to see him win but if he could just run a really promising race then he's got the Flying Five, the race at Goodwood, the Nunthorpe and the Breeders' Cup which is always a fun trip.
"From the mid-summer onwards we'll be working back from Del Mar with him."
Talking through some of his other representatives at the big meeting, Scott said: "Caballo De Mar is going to run there (Copper Horse Stakes). He's been a winning machine, he's a horse that saves his best for the track and he won at Haydock the other day. We needed to win like this to get in the race and he's been bought by Victorious, but more really for the winter. I see him as a horse for the staying races in Dubai.
"I think he could make up into a Dubai Gold Cup horse, or certainly a Red Sea Handicap horse. He goes into Ascot in very good form, horses that clearly try hard clearly have a huge advantage.
"Phantom Flight will turn up and he'll run his race. You could see him running into the first five, I'm sure he'll run a pretty admirable race.
"Prydwen has been a star for us, he won the German Leger for us last year and picked up a hell of a lot of prize money. I think this type of horse does deserve to run in a race like this (Copper Horse Stakes), and we'll go forward with him.
"No Retreat is in the Royal Hunt Cup but he'll probably go for the Buckingham Palace. Watch My Tracer can run in the Buckingham Palace too.
"The stiff five (furlongs) will suit King Of Bears (in the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes). City House is a little bit of a sleeper, he's been a bit improver over the winter and he's by Night Of Thunder. I think he's got some upside."
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