The feature race on Day 1 of Royal Ascot is the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes and our team of tipsters and writers have had their say on who is likely to come out on top on Tuesday afternoon. Check out their thoughts below, along with a new customer sign-up at Betfred, who are offering new customers a Bet £10 – Get £60 In Free Bets Bonus.
Andrew Mount
Not Golden Pal! He’s been over twice and been beaten. Of the British contingent, EXISTENT had little to race with last time on the nearside in the Temple Stakes. He’s 66/1 and in a race which should be suited by the strong pace on offer. I also want to be with MOONEISTA, who didn’t see out 6f on heavy ground in the Commonwealth Cup last year but still ran a respectable 40-1 sixth of 15. She impressed in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes on her latest start at the minimum trip and is another who is going to relish the very strong pace.
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Kate Tracey
If NATURE STRIP is on his ‘A’ Game they won’t see which way he goes in my opinion. He’s a quirky customer but if he wins this well he could go to the Platinum Jubilee 4 days later. I think he’ll just blast them.
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Joe Napier
The two global stars have both been talked up in messianic terms by their connections. Of the two, I prefer Nature Strip to Golden Pal, with the latter’s form on straight, British tracks being way below his best in the States.
That said, while the seven-year-old Nature Strip has won his last four starts over 6f in Australia, he has only won one of his last four over 5f and the potential front-end burn-up could create conditions which are ripe for a shock. The gamble I will be taking is on MAN OF PROMISE who is a bit of a fake home contender, having only run in Dubai since the start of 2021. However, his form when a rampant winner of a Meydan Group 3 in March was outstanding. Losing the benefit of the rail saw A Case Of You overturn that form in Group 1 company next time out, but only narrowly.
The drop to 5f could bring out even more given how hard they might go up with the pace. If able to translate his peak efforts in the Middle East, he could prove in a similar league to the international raiders.
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Jordan Arksey
This promises to be an epic renewal of the King’s Stand with the two International raiders dominating the current market. After being narrowly denied in the 2015 Diamond Jubilee Stakes with Brazen Beau, Australian trainer Chris Waller will be confident his sprinting star Nature Strip can provide him with a first Royal Ascot winner, whilst American sprint sensation Golden Pal will bid to emulate Lady Aurelia’s impressive 2017 performance for trainer Wesley Ward.
However, the relentless pace upfront should really benefit Henry Candy’s TWILIGHT CALLS, who appears to have his optimum conditions and is ideally birthed in stall 6. Whilst he is still looking for his first success at Group level, the four-year-old is certainly capable of mixing it with the top sprinters after producing eye-catching efforts recently in the Group 3 Place House Stakes and Group 2 Temple Stakes. Quick ground and a strong pace to aim at could see him produce a career-best on the grandest stage of all.
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Tom Aldridge
NATURE STRIP should take all the beating in this. Chris Waller has brought him over from Australia and the worlds top-rated sprinter should have too much class for his rivals here. His biggest danger is supposedly Golden Pal, but he’s disappointed on his two trips to England so far. Nature Strip is also entered in the Platinum Jubilee Stakes on Saturday so if he does win this, we could be treated to one more show before he jets back to Australia.
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Robert Plumbridge
A race where the cream rises to the top with recent winners including Battaash, Blue Point and Lady Aurelia. It’s hard to look past the top two in the market here in Nature Strip and Golden Pal with a lack of real depth from the home contingent. Despite Wesley Ward’s gushing praise for Golden Pal, there’s a niggling doubt about his ability to travel having been beaten twice on these shores. Instead, I’ll opt for the highly-touted NATURE STRIP, who could cement his name as the ‘World’s Best Sprinter’ here.
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