Royal Ascot: Can anyone take the Biscuit?
Never mind feathers and foppery, it’s hats of the corked variety that are likely to be de rigueur in Berkshire this week. Aussies have been making a habit of ruling at Royal Ascot, and a four-pack will be aiming to start the XXXX party on Tuesday. The King’s Stand Stakes over the minimum trip of five furlongs is the first port of call for the speedballs Bentley Biscuit, Takeover Target, Miss Andretti and Magnus. After that it’s the six-furlong Golden Jubilee Stakes on Saturday, no worries. Australian sprinters are now acknowledged as collectively the best in the world. But it was only four years ago that Choisir sensationally advertised their worth in the mother country by taking both Royal Ascot prestige contests. This year’s awesome foursome have already won 13 Group One prizes and more than £3.5m between them. Gai Waterhouse, trainer of Bentley Biscuit, puts their prowess down to one of Australia’s major assets. “We have oodles of hours of sunlight,” she said. “That affects everythi
