NEWS
Australian quartet poses threat in King’s Stand
Posted: Monday, June 18, 2007 11:31 AM
MISS ANDRETTI
Racing Post photo
by Tony Smurthwaite
Four of Australasia's most fearsome speedballs add great spice to the big sprint on the opening day of Royal Ascot, the $395,299 King's Stand Stakes (Eng-G2) at five furlongs, on Tuesday.
They dominate the wagering just as much as they have dominated the buildup to the race, with most attention focused on Miss Andretti rather than Takeover Target, who is back for more having won the race—the British leg of the Global Sprint Challenge—in 2006.
Miss Andretti, a five-year-old Ihtiram mare who is trained by Lee Freedman, is seeking a fourth consecutive success in Group 1 company. Magnus and Bentley Biscuit, who is also on a Group 1 hat trick, complete the heady assault from Australia.
All four have been lodging in Newmarket and may well have brushed shoulders on the gallops with one of their chief rivals, last year's short-head runner-up, Benbaun, trained by Mark Wallace.
Representatives from Ireland and France add further interest in a field of 21.
HenrytheNavigator, who holds the dubious honor of being favorite with Ladbrokes for the 2008 Stan James Two Thousand Guineas (G1), will need to defeat 17 winners if he is to retain his unbeaten record in the $158,119 Coventry Stakes (Eng-G3), also on Tuesday.
Trained in Ireland by Aidan O'Brien, Sue Magnier's Kingmambo colt won his debut at Gowran Park on May 6 by seven lengths in effortless style.
Nine of his Coventry Stakes rivals are unbeaten, and the race looks sure to provide the star of the juvenile scene in Europe to date.
Tony Smurthwaite is a Europe-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent
