There will be a number of new arrivals after Ascot

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The Australian flag has been flying high in the UK this week with the Goffs London Sales on Monday providing a newcomer to the racing scene for the spring. Asfoora saluted in the King Charles III Stakes to extend the outstanding record of Australian sprinters at the meeting. 

The horse racing bookmakers will have seen plenty of action at Royal Ascot this week, especially on Tuesday. It has been an interesting meeting with not only another winner for the raiding party but also a number of other horses who will be seen here in the spring. 

Asfoora wins the King Charles III 

It is the race that Australian runners have won the most, a 1000m contest with the ground on the quick side was always going to be a plus for a fast mare like her and it panned out perfectly for her despite the fact that she drifted a fair way right under pressure.  
 
Asfoora would not be one of the very top-rank sprinters here but it showed again that the quality of sprinters in Europe is not close to the level of Australian speedsters. It is more expensive for runners to go to Ascot these days and the prize money is never going to attract runners but the level of prestige of winning a Royal Ascot contest will continue to draw runners from Australia.  

Price/Kent new arrival a solid 5th 

A big weight at the top of the handicap proved too much for Kitty Rose but she did nothing wrong and will arrive in Australia with limited miles on the clock and should be able to improve on her already solid efforts in the tank. 
 
Royal Ascot was the fastest ground that she has run on but she handled it fine, with a pair of wins on good ground. She has placed efforts on soft and heavy as well so there are going to be lots of targets over 1600m that will suit her perfectly.  

Gai Waterhouse also brings home a Sandringham runner 

A little further back in the Sandringham was the Johnny Murtagh-trained Asian Daze who went through the sales on Monday. She is a little more exposed than Kitty Rose but she has a similar wide range of different going that she handles well which is going to be a big plus. 
 
She has some solid form over 1600m in Europe, not beaten far in a Listed race at Navan earlier in June. There is some stamina in the family that suggests that she might get a little further and that is going to be interesting if she runs over 2000m when she arrives.  

Chesham and Hardwicke runners coming to Australia 

There were two runners on Saturday that are also heading to Australia, both of them coming to Ciaron Maher. The first of those is Pentile Bay who is a two-year-old and finished second in the opening race on Saturday, the Chesham Stakes. While he was not competitive with the wide-margin winner, the ground could easily have been on the fast side for him given his debut win came on much softer ground. He looks like a 2000m type for the future.  
 
The other is Middle Earth who was third in the Hardwicke over 2400m. That distance did not look quite far enough for him on the quick ground that he enjoys, keeping on strongly all the way to the winning line. He looks a potential cup type once he arrives on these shores and a stronger gallop would help him which he would get at Flemington in November.  

It was great to see an Australian winner at Royal Ascot again this year and with the gulf in quality between the sprinters in the two countries, there will continue to be a draw to the prestige of a winner in Berkshire.