All the top sprinters line up for the 2024 King Charles III Stakes, formerly known as the King’s Stand Stakes, and it looks to be an intriguing puzzle to work out. Our in-house tipster Steve Chambers has been given the unenviable task to decipher it and he previews the race here and picks his 1-2-3.
BIG EVS
(Tom Marquand/Mick Appleby)
A shock 20/1 winner of the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot last season, Big Evs was a revelation throughout his two-year-old campaign which culminated with a win at the Breeders’ Cup. A return victory in the Listed Westow Stakes at York will have him primed for this contest and his relentless nature from the front is sure to have some of these struggling a long way out, but can he hold on?
REGIONAL
(Callum Rodriguez/Ed Bethell)
A narrow winner of the Group 1 Sprint Cup at Haydock Park at the end of last season, Ed Bethell’s Regional will drop back to five furlongs to try and claim more top class success. Second in the Greenlands Stakes in Ireland on his seasonal reappearance, Regional is another that will come on for that outing, but could the drop back to five have him out of his comfort zone, as they are sure to go quick from the very start?
ASFOORA
(Oisin Murphy/Henry Dwyer)
Henry Dwyer’s multiple Group-winning Australia runner, Asfoora failed to land a notable blow when fourth in the Temple Stakes at Haydock, but the six-year-old is sure to improve on that effort. Travelling Australian raiders have managed to land this prize and Nature Strip was the last to grab the prize, so the classy mare has to be respected in a wide open field.
THE FIELD
George Boughey’s Believing was a fine winner of the Listed Achilles Stakes at York last time out and while this is a notable step up in class he is one that is going the right way. Tom Clover’s Rogue Lightning is another with a Listed win on his CV and is worthy of a mention, while Twilight Calls for Henry Candy finished second to the abovementioned Nature Strip in the 2022 renewal of this contest and he then finished fourth last season, so is hoping it’s third time lucky.
Clive Cox’s Kerdos was a surprise winner of the Temple Stakes last time out at 12/1 and this sort of test could be tailor-made for him, while last season’s 150/1 shock Norfolk Stakes winner Valiant Force and the consistent Seven Questions are another pair that add depth to what is a wide open market.
VERDICT
Big Evs was one of the stars of last season and he’s sure to be setting the early fractions in this event and is going to be tough to pass, but in TWILIGHT CALLS you have an experienced sprinter that has run well in this contest before and it could finally be his time in the limelight. Kerdos is another to keep on side as he won the Temple Stakes impressively last time out, but it’s Henry Candy’s charge that can land the prize.
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