Royal Ascot: Antipodeans Measure Up

Gary Crispe
17 June 2012

Connections of Black Caviar are expecting victory in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes

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Timeform's Head of Australia, Gary Crispe, assesses the Antipodean charge at this year's Royal Ascot meeting...

The Aussies will have their strongest representation when champion unbeaten sprinting mare Black Caviar showcases her talent...

Ever since nuggetty sprinter Choisir took Royal Ascot by storm in 2003 with jaw dropping wins in both the King's Stand Stakes and Golden Jubilee Stakes, Australian trainers and owners have targeted Europe's biggest racing carnival.

But perhaps this year, the Aussies will have their strongest representation when champion unbeaten sprinting mare Black Caviar showcases her talent in front of Her Majesty, The Queen in the year of her Diamond Jubilee and in a race named to mark the historic occasion of the Monarch's long reign.

In recent times many of Australasia's top gallopers have ventured to the UK to race at Royal Ascot, most performing with distinction at the elite level. Classy types like Takeover Target, Magnus, Miss Andretti, Scenic Blast, Bentley Biscuit, Nicconi, Haradasun, Starcraft, Elvstroem, Alverta, Starspangledbanner, So You Think and Star Witness have been among those that have impressed UK racegoers.

Two that travelled to the UK but did not make it to Royal Ascot owing to travel sickness were outstanding three-year-old sprinters and now champion sires Fastnet Rock and Exceed And Excel.

The UK perception that Australian bred sprinters were superior to their European counterparts is now accepted, backed up by several outstanding Royal Ascot performances, with the antipodeans winning four of the last seven King's Stand renewals courtesy of Choisir, Takeover Target, Miss Andretti and Scenic Blast.

The Diamond Jubilee has proved a little more elusive with just Choisir and Starspangledbanner (yes we will claim him) winning in the same period but others have gone close to winning such as Takeover Target and Star Witness.

But the Aussie invasion is not solely restricted to the sprints at Royal Ascot. Australian and New Zealand bred gallopers have also raced well in races like the Queen Anne Stakes, Prince Of Wales's Stakes and of course the Eclipse Stakes.

Haradasun scored impressively in the 2008 Queen Anne Stakes while Starcraft was third in the 2005 renewal at York behind crack European gallopers Valixir and Rakti.

The globetrotting Elvstroem was also third in the 2005 Prince Of Wales's Stakes and, of course, last year So You Think was just touched off by Rewilding. Could this year's race be another first?

Past Aussie winners of the King's Stand Stakes and Diamond Jubilee Stakes have all landed in the UK with high Timeform ratings earned in races such as the Lightning Stakes, Oakleigh Plate or Newmarket Handicap.

Choisir came to the UK with a Timeform rating of 126 off his 2003 Lightning Stakes win. He ran to exactly that figure winning the prestigious sprint double at Royal Ascot.

After running second to Oasis Dream in the G1 July Cup, Choisir was retired to stand at Coolmore Stud where he has been a successful stallion.

Takeover Target was a magnificent sprinter for Australia. Timeform rated 125 off his 2005 Newmarket win, and rated 126 for winning the 2005 King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot (the first renewal on the redeveloped racecourse) before continuing to race well at three consecutive Royal meetings with performances that further included placings in both the Diamond Jubilee and King's Stand Stakes.

Takeover Target also became the first Australian-trained sprinter to win in Japan, taking the 2005 G1 Sprinters Stakes defeating the champion HK sprinter Silent Witness, again rating to 126. He was also successful in the G1 Krisflyer in Singapore in 2008.

Outstanding sprinting mare Miss Andretti was Timeform rated 126p winning the G1 Newmarket Handicap at Caulfield prior to demolishing a classy King's Stand line up that included Mangus and Takeover Target by almost two lengths. That performance earned her a new peak Timeform rating of 127.

Talented sprinter Scenic Blast has the distinction of recording the highest Timeform rated winning performance by an Australasian galloper at Royal Ascot, running to 128, trouncing the 2009 King's Stand field defeating subsequent July Cup winner Fleeting Spirit.

The highest rated runner to race at Royal Ascot from down under has been So You Think, Timeform rated 133. Now under the care of champion Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien, So You Think has won several races in Ireland and the UK including four at group one level, the most significant being the 2011 Eclipse Stakes defeating Epsom Derby and Arc winner Workforce.

That victory by So You Think was the first on British soil by a non European bred at 10 furlongs or longer since 1929 when USA performer Raleigh Court took out the Coronation Cup at Epsom.

However, the Australasian representation this week goes to another level with the appearance of unbeaten champion mare Black Caviar Timeform rated 136 - the equal top rated filly or mare in Timeform history.

Indeed she is in very elite company, but we must not forget our other mare Ortensia and of course So You Think who will attempt to put his record straight at Royal Ascot.

So You Think will again contest the Prince of Wales' Stakes while Dubai G1 winner Ortensia will tackle the King's Stand Stakes.

Not since the mighty Phar Lap raced with success in America in 1932 has Australia sent a world champion thoroughbred to race abroad, so a lot hinges on the shoulders of the powerfully built Black Caviar to uphold the tradition set by Phar Lap.

The overall Australasian representation this week cannot get any better and it is possible that Australia could be in for a record three group one victories at Royal Ascot, again winning both the Sprints but with different horses, Ortensia and Black Caviar while So You Think could atone for his Prince Of Wales's defeat last year. (Choisir won both sprints in 2003 but only the Golden Jubilee was a G1 at that time).

But the Australian interest will not stop with the aforementioned. Other races over the five days like the G2 Hardwicke Stakes over 2400m are likely to hold significant Australian interest with 2011 Melbourne Cup quinella pair Dunaden and Red Cadeaux possible contenders as well as other potential candidates for the Melbourne Spring.

Australian racegoers have much to look forward to over the five days of this Diamond Jubilee Royal Ascot.