Aussie Horses continue to blast rivals at Ascot

Scenic Blast winning the King's Stand Stakes

Scenic Blast stamped himself a world champion today by winning the Kings Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot last night. He showed he was a horse to be reckoned with during the Melbourne Autumn racing carnival, when he won the Newmarket Handicap and the Lightning Stakes, so it’s really no surprise that he continued his winning ways in England.

He came onto the local scene from Western Australia a couple of years ago but impressed Melbourne pundits with his exploits this autumn. His stable mate and relative, Scenic Shot has also been making a name for himself in Queensland winning a trio of races. Their shared parentage is through the now deceased stallion Scenic, also sire of Viewed, last year’s Melbourne Cup winner. Valerie, on her Foolish Pleasure blog is delighted with the exploits of Scenic’s offspring as Scenic is a grandson of her favourite horse Foolish Pleasure after whom her blog is named. Valerie has a video of Scenic Blast’s Kings Stand victory.

It’s always good when an Aussie bred racehorse wins overseas. Last year Haradasun won the Queen Anne, and the year before Miss Andretti blitzed her rivals in the King’s Stand as did the grand old Takeover Target the year before. Takeover Target, the subject of an archetypal rags- to-riches story which is mooted to become a film, will be running at Ascot on Saturday. A rising ten year old, it could be his last tilt at overseas glory so I wish him the best of luck.

On the local racing scene, the Queensland winter carnival winds up on Saturday with the final Group One race of the autumn/winter season. The Winter Stakes for fillies and mares over 1400 metres has a classy field of contestants, including several group one winners. It all depends on track conditions whether Forensics runs as she will not start if it is wet, neither will smart filly Ortensia. However, that still leaves a good field with Absolut Glam last year’s winner, the Tasmanian filly Tempest Tost, Serious Speed, Chinchilla Rose, Marveen and the interesting Saint Minerva who recently beat a group of handy colts over a longer distance (2200 metres), so she may not be suited to this race, but has a chance if it is a really heavy track.