Gold Coast trainer Toby Edmonds is expecting his speedy mare Houtzen to save her best until last when she takes on Europe’s best sprinters in the Group 1 £500,000 King’s Stand Stakes (5 furlongs) on Day One of the 2019 Royal Ascot Carnival in England.
Houtzen, above, has drawn barrier eleven in the 2019 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in England. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Edmonds is certain that Houtzen can mix it with the best and can see her taking a sit behind the pace before producing a strong finish at the end of the five furlong dash down the straight Royal Ascot course.
“She’s pretty quick so we’ll be happy to take a sit off them and then she’ll be strong late and she’s quite tough to get past,” Edmonds told the Herald Sun.
High profile Aussie jockey Kerrin McEvoy will be having his first race day ride on Houtzen who drew barrier eleven in the twelve horse King’s Stand Stakes field which includes last year’s winning trifecta Blue Print, Battaash and Mabs Cross.
“It’s going to be very competitive, but our filly is very, very sharp,” Edmonds said.
“It’s a testing track and that’s why we’re here so early, we don’t have that type of track back home, with the inclines and all the rest of it.”
Trent Edmonds is in Newmarket preparing Houtzen for her Royal Ascot debut and said that the mare was impressive in her trackwork last Tuesday and is looking forward to the occasion.
“She galloped (last) Tuesday and it was as good as she can go. She’s in great form,” Trent Edmonds said.
Houtzen will be first up in the King’s Stand Stakes after not racing since finishing tenth of thirteen in the $1m Magic Millions Snippets (1200m) at the Gold Coast in January and is currently marked at $16 with Ladbrokes.com.au.
The Charles Hills trained Battaash heads the market order at $3 to reverse last year’s result with the Charlie Appleby trained Blue Print who is on the second line of betting at $3.80 while last year’s third placegetter Mabs Cross and the Aidan O’Brien trained Sergei Prokofiev share the next line of betting at $9.
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