10:05 P.M. HK TIME (19.6.2012) King’s Stand Stakes (Group 1) S1-2 (3:05 P.M. LOCAL TIME) 5th Leg of the Global Sprint Challenge (19.6.2012) Ascot Racecourse - Turf Track – 1000 Metres (Straight) For Three-Years-Old and upwards. Weights: 3-y-o colts and geldings 124lb; fillies 121lb; 4-y-o and up colts and geldings 130lb; fillies 127lb. Total Prize Money (GBP) £350,000 1st £198,485, 2nd £75,250, 3rd £37,660, 4th £18,760, 5th £9,415, 6th £4,725. (23 Starters) Expert Column by Wally Pyrah INTERESTING FACTS 80% of winners were either first or second last time out Australian-bred runners have won 4 time with 2 seconds and 2 thirds in the last 10 years The draw could be important – you will need to be drawn on the same side where the pace runners will be BATED BREATH and SOLE POWER finished 1st and 2nd in the Temple Stakes at Haydock recently (best Sprint form so far in UK this season) but that was run in the only week of the year so far in the UK where the sun has been out, and the ground was officially firm – completely different to what they will encounter on Tuesday. Both these horses are confirmed fast-ground specialists - BATED BREATH finished fifth in last season’s Golden Jubilee Stakes on soft ground – which is 10lbs below his best mark. SOLE POWER was taken out of last season’s Nunthorpe Stakes due to good to soft ground conditions and is at least 14lbs worse on soft. He is a reliable top-class sprinter on decent ground (2nd in the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan) but ran moderately on softish ground at Royal Ascot last year. ORTENSIA has winning soft ground form but not at Group 1 level. She is unbeaten since joining Paul Messara’s stable (3 from 3) and held off SOLE POWER when winning the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meyden in March. Her hold-up style of racing should suit with a frenetic pace that is always generated in this sprint. WIZZ KID is a progressive French 4-Y-O who will be an emerging force in European sprinting this season. Her style of racing suggests she is tailor made for a fast-run 1000 meters at Ascot. Always best on soft ground, she beat the eventual King’s Stand Stakes winner PROHIBIT in a Chantilly warm-up race last year, missed Royal Ascot, and then her autumn campaign included a fast-finishing fifth to MARGOT DID after an interrupted passage in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York, a similar position in the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp (1000 meters) on quick ground, and then finally runner-up to DEACON BLUES in a Group 2 on Champions Day at Ascot. She recently outclassed her rivals when running away from opposition in her seasonal pipe-opener at Chantilly (PROHIBIT was 7th), and will be primed for this race. She will be very strongly supported on the day. MARGOT DID – winner of the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes last season, has good form at Ascot, is possible for the exotic bets. LITTLE BRIDGE had both BATED BREATH and SOLE POWER behind in eighth and ninth, when only fourth to Lucky Nine in the CX HK Sprint in December (JOY AND FUN dead-heat 2nd). His form this season has been reasonably consistent – winning the Bauhinia Sprint Trophy (1000 meters) and the CX Jockey Club Sprint (1200 meters). LITTLE BRIDGE has won four times in HK on either yielding or good to yielding ground. JOY AND FUN suffered an injury when running and finishing 13th in the King’s Stand Stakes a couple of seasons back. He finished third to ORTENSIA in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai in March, and does have experience at Ascot. STONE OF FOLCA caused an upset when the 50-1 outsider of twenty runners, comprehensively won the ‘Dash’ (Handicap) (1000 meters) at Epsom on Derby Day in an unbelievably fast time having been drawn with a negative barrier. Unfortunately he has a suspect temperament, but if in the right frame of mind, could run well at big odds. For anyone looking for a long-shot NIGHT CARNATION is worth a second look. The 4-Y-0 was very unlucky at Newmarket in April and has subsequently been showing encouraging signs on the Kingsclere gallops. SELECTIONS: WIZZ KID, LITTLE BRIDGE, ORTENSIA, & MARGOT DID - 14 - Expert Column by Wendyll Woods The King’s Stand Stakes is one of the most pulsating races of the week and one in which international raiders have a strong record in. It is a shame that prevailing weather conditions could scupper the chances of Roger Charlton’s sprinter BATED BREATH. He broke the track record on very quick ground at Haydock in the Group 2 Temple Stakes recently and may not even take his chance in this if the going remains on the soft side. SOLE POWER was second in the Temple Stakes, but this classy sprinter’s best form is also on quicker ground. That said, these two have plenty of class and are likely to play a part in the finish, despite the ground being not as they prefer. Aussie raider ORTENSIA beat SOLE POWER in Dubai with a degree of comfort. Australia have claimed this race four times since the year 2000 and they have a live chance of adding to that tally here. This mare has been victories on her last three starts and also has winning form where ‘soft’ has been in the going description. LITTLE BRIDGE comes to the UK on the back of two impressive performances at Sha Tin, most recently winning the Group 2 Sprint Cup as a short priced favourite. There is a slight suspicion that the five years old is more suited to a slightly longer distance, but he, along with fellow Hong Kong raider JOY AND FUN, is a fascinating contender. It’s also worth noting that this will be LITTLE BRIDGE’s first run away from his home track in Sha Tin. JOY AND FUN defeated LITTLE BRIDGE in 2011 when receiving weight, but could only manage fifth behind Danny Shum’s sprinter clashed in the Group 2 Jockey Club Sprint two months later. JOY AND FUN is now a nine years old, but put in a very pleasing run when a fast finishing third behind the re-opposing SOLE POWER and ORTENSIA at Meydan. He may struggle to reverse that form, and we must also take into account the strenuous campaign already taken in at home, by the two raiders from Hong Kong. WIZZ KID’s second to DEACON BLUES on British Champions Day looks excellent form in the context of this race. The four year old filly is arguably much better back at the minimum distance, having already won two Group 2 contests at the trip. SELECTIONS: ORTENSIA, BATED BREATH, WIZZ KID & SOLE POWER Tipsters' Selection Julian Muscat David Ashforth Anthony Kemp William Hughes (Racing Post) (Racing Post) (Turf TV) (World Racing Service) 2 Bated Breath 2 Bated Breath 18 Ortensia 19 Wizz Kid 18 Ortensia 18 Ortensia 2 Bated Breath 5 Joy And Fun 10 Prohibit 5 Joy And Fun 19 Wizz Kid 18 Ortensia - 15 - 自命不凡 肯迪 130 奧丹尼 (20) Lifetime : 14 (5-2-0) Turf : 14 (5-2-0) NH Rules : 0 (0-0-0) 1 2012 : 1 (0-0-0) Non-Turf : 0 (0-0-0) GF+ : － AMOUR PROPRE (GB) 6 ch g H Candy (Int'l Rating 111) D O'Neill 1st Up : － Dist : 14 (5-2-0) G : － Paris House (GB) - Miss Prim (GB) (Case Law (GB)) Earnings : HK$1,768,895 Track : 3 (1-0-0) Y : － (30.0) Owner(s): Simon Broke And Partners Trk/Dist : 3 (1-0-0) S/Hvy : － Pos Date Race Details Track Dist/Course/Going Wt. Jockey Dr Race Time Finish & Odds Gear Winner/Second/Third Comments Margin 12/15 29Jul10 Audi King George Stakes 3yo+ GOO, GB 1000 St G 126 D O'Neill 5 0.57.22 12 6.5 12/1 Borderlescott (GB) 126 lw: racd towards nr side: wl on terms: effrt 2f out: G2 GBP98,470 Turf Group Therapy (GB) 126 wknd fnl f Astrophysical Jet (GB) 119 2/13 9Jul11 John Smith's City Walls Stakes YOR, GB 1000 St G 126 D O'Neill 6 0.58.37 2 0.3 8/1 Masamah (IRE) 126 trckd ldrs: hdwy 2f out: rdn to chal over 1f out: ev 3yo+ Turf Amour Propre (GB) 126 ch tl drvn and nt qckn nr fin Listed GBP29,511 Hamish McGonagall (GB) 126 2/11 28Jul11 Audi King George Stakes 3yo+ GOO, GB 1000 St GF 126 D O'Neill 11 0.56.67 2 1.8 6/1 Masamah (IRE) 126 chsd ldrs: rdn and nt clr run over 1f out: swtchd rt G2 GBP83,616 Turf Amour Propre (GB) 126 and hdwy 1f out: chsd wnr jst ins fnl f: r.o u.p but Group Therapy (GB) 126 no imp fnl 100yds 1/8 28Aug11 Market Slide Flying Five Stakes CUR, IRE 1000 St G 129 D O'Neill 4 0.58.34 1 1.8 15/8F Amour Propre (GB) 129 a.p: disp ld 1/2-way: led 1f out: drvn out and kpt 3yo+ Turf Sole Power (GB) 134 on wl ins fnl f G3 EUR57,500 Roicead (USA) 129 4/7 1Jun12 Multiplex Achilles S. 3yo+ HAY, GB 1000 St GF 129 D O'Neill 3 1.00.36 4 4.3 15/8F Excelette (IRE) 117 w ldrs: kpt on same pce fnl f Listed GBP33,000 Turf Spirit Quartz (IRE) 129 Noble Storm (USA) 129 Generally disappointing since winning four of his first five races in 2008 and 2009 but lightly raced and showed more consistency last season.