Some of the world’s quickest equine performers will grace the Ascot turf on Tuesday as the Group 1 King's Stand Stakes sees nineteen high-class sprinters take each other on for Royal meeting glory.
The race returned to the Southern Hemisphere last season when Nature Strip ran out a commanding winner for Australia and they look to hold a strong hand once more with both Cannonball and Coolangatta lining up. The home contingent looks to be led by Highfield Princess and three-year-old filly Dramatised, while Wesley Ward's Twilight Gleaming adds international spice.
Nature Strip could hardly have been any more impressive when winning this contest twelve months ago and it only seems fitting to start with the two Australian raiders. Cannonball looked impressive when landing a Group 3 handicap at Rosehill on his debut for this yard in March but failed to better that form when third over the same course and distance in a Group 1 handicap just a week later. The forecast rattling conditions however will certainly play to his strengths and connections do seem bullish of a big run.
That said, Coolangatta looks to hold the stronger claims of the Aussie duo on the back of her narrow success in the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning at Flemington in February. The Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained filly remains completely unexposed over the five-furlong trip and although she reportedly didn't come up to scratch in one recent piece of work, any Australian sprinter has to be respected and she may yet prove up to this level.
Karl Burke has arguably assembled his strongest-ever Royal Ascot team and stable star Dramatised commands the utmost respect. The daughter of Showcasing showed her rivals a clean pair of heels when blitzing the Group 2 Queen Mary field at this meeting last summer. It's fair to say she raced on a very favourable part of the track when taking out the Group 2 Temple Stakes at Haydock on her reappearance, but she gets plenty of allowances here being a filly and three-year-old and deserves her place towards the fore of the market despite Lady Aurelia being the only filly to land this contest in the last decade.
John Quinn's superstar mare Highfield Princess looks like the pick of the home contingent and undoubtedly deserves her place at the top of the market. The daughter of Night Of Thunder remains unbeaten over five furlongs on turf and looked ultra-impressive when winning the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York last season. She followed that up with a comfortable victory in the Group 1 Flying Five at the Curragh and achieved everything that could have been expected of her when runner-up in the Group 2 Clipper Stakes at York on her return. The drop back to five furlongs looks a major positive and with an official rating of 119, she looks the one they all have to beat.
John Ryan's progressive Manaccan deserves his place in the line-up. The lightly-raced four-year-old ran well on ground softer than ideal in the Group 3 Palace House Stakes at Newmarket on his reappearance and has plenty of solid course and distance form as a three-year-old.
Of those at bigger prices, Twilight Calls found only the brilliant Nature Strip too strong in last year's renewal and although he hasn't been at his best on both starts this season, it's not out of the question that he could get involved with ground to suit.
WIN: HIGHFIELD PRINCESS (General 5/2)
DARK HORSE: TWILIGHT CALLS (General 20/1)
