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Several Royal Ascot Day 1 runners are related to Aussie-trained recruits.
Australian interest in this year's Royal Ascot meeting rests mainly with the Henry Dwyer-trained Asfoora, but there are a number of other of relations to gallopers Aussie racing fans know well who will be in action.
One of Asfoora's rivals in the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes (1006m) is a half-sister to a gelding who has won four races in Australia.
Vadream, a six-year-old Brazen Beau mare trained by Charlie Fellowes who has won two Group 3 races, is a half-sister to Aramco, a five-year-old son of Sea The Moon in the Mick Price and Mick Kent Jnr stable.
Aramco is at his best over distances much greater than the King Chales III Stakes with his two city wins both coming over the Flemington 2000m.
Both are out of the Shamardal mare Her Honour.
Vadream comes through the same lead-up race as Asfoora, the Group 2 Temple Stakes (1005m) at Haydock, in which she finished second last and is a $71 chance in the King Charles III Stakes.
Others engaged on Day 1 at Royal Ascot with close connections to gallopers who have competed in Australia include:
Race 1 – Docklands
The son of Massaat is a half-brother to Harbour Views, who burst onto the scene with a plunge victory at the 2019 Warrnambool May Racing Carnival and went on to win at Listed level and was placed in a G2 Feehan Stakes.
Docklands, who won the Britannia Stakes at last year's Royal Ascot meeting, and Harbour Views are both out of the Mark Of Esteem mare Icky Woo, who is also the dam of Ickymasho, a Group 3 winner in the United States.
Race 5 – Law Of The Sea
The Ian Williams-trained son of Golden Horn is a half-brother to Le Don De Vie (Leroidesanimaux), who has been down the track at two runs this campaign but has won a Warrnambool Cup and Caloundra Cup at Listed level and was runner-up in the 2022 Group 1 The Metropolitan.
Race 6 – Certain Lad
A son of Clodovil and Chelsey Jayne, Certain Lad is a half-brother to a couple of horses who have been seen in Australia.
The first of them was The Statesman, a son of Zoffany whose biggest win in Australia came in the 2021 Galleywood Hurdle, while his younger half-brother Jack Regan (Henry The Navigator) was a two-time Sandown midweek winner for Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young.
Alsakib, an Andrew Balding-trained four-year-old, is a half-brother to Weary, who was Group-placed in Europe but earned the bulk of his $900,000-plus in Australia. He won a Group 2 Expressway Stakes and Group 3 Doncaster Prelude and was Group 1-placed in both the Doncaster Mile, All Aged Stakes and Doomben Cup.
Weary was trained by Chris Waller, who currently has in his care Buckaroo, who is a half-brother to Kihavah, a seven-year-old son of Harbour Watch who has won seven of his 34 starts.
