3 minute read
Sam King takes a look at the King Charles III Stakes on the opening day of Royal Ascot.
Last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint hero Big Evs is the obvious starting point and it's easy to see why he'll have plenty of supporters on day one. An emphatic winner of the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes over the course and distance as a two-year-old, Big Evs clearly holds no issues with the track, nor the expected quick ground. Michael Appleby's star returned with a routine success in Listed company at York, but he produced a decent figure that day and should come forward for the outing.
However, there are some question marks surrounding the market leader and enough to make him opposable at the prices in my opinion. His sole defeat to date came when he was virtually tailed off in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York last year. That was his first start outside of two-year-old company and even in receipt of 24 lbs, he looked all at sea. Plenty will be happy to put a line through that performance and they may prove correct to do so, but despite the fact he receives 6 lbs from his rivals, I still have reservations as he steps out of his age bracket for the second time in his career against more seasoned sprinters for a yard that is just 1-38 with their runners in the last fortnight.
There are plenty of plausible alternatives should you not want to side with Big Evs, one of which, Regional, stands out for me. Ed Bethall's upwardly mobile sprinter has won three of his last five outings including a breakthrough Group 1 success in the six-furlong Sprint Cup Stakes at Haydock last season.
He failed to see out a stiff six-furlongs when collared late on in the Greenlands Stakes at the Curragh on his reappearance in May but that was a valiant effort, and it will surely have put him spot on for this. The drop back to five furlongs on a stiff track like Ascot will really play to his strengths and he's drawn up amongst the pace in stall fifteen. An official mark of 114 makes him the highest-rated performer in the line-up, albeit he has to give 6 lbs to Big Evs, and I wouldn't at all be surprised if he went off favourite come this 3.45pm (UK) this afternoon.
Of those at bigger prices, Wathnan Racing's Rogue Lightning looked in need of the run when sixth behind Kerdos, Seven Questions and Asfoora in the Temple Stakes at Haydock last month. Tom Clover's unexposed four-year-old could prove the pick of those reopposing from Haydock, with the return to quicker ground also expected to suit.
The Australian raider Asfoora will have to build on what she did at Haydock, but she's got plenty of decent form in the book from her home country and is more than entitled to improve for the experience given she was likely still acclimatising.
The ground appears to have come good for the likes of Twilight Calls, who has a habit of running well in this contest having finished second to Aussie star Nature Strip in 2022 before an unlucky fourth the following year. The ground at Newmarket for his reappearance in the Palace House Stakes would have had too much juice in it for Henry Candy's solid yardstick and if getting away on terms (can start slowly), it would be by no means surprising if he ran well.
There are few trainers in better form at present than George Boughey with the Hamilton Road-based handler operating at a tasty 40% (14-35) strike rate with his horses over the last fortnight. A decent surface looks to bring out the best in her and it's impossible to leave the daughter of Mehmas out of the equation following her impressive triumph in the Listed Achilles Stakes at Haydock just ten days ago.
In conclusion, I'm happy to leave Big Evs alone at the prices given this represents by far his toughest task to date, while Michael Appleby's stable form is also a slight concern. A stiff five furlongs on quick ground at Ascot should be right up Regional's street and Ed Bethall's charge, who is the only other Group 1 winner in the line-up alongside Big Evs, can come out on top by going one better than he did at the Curragh on his return.
