Shea Shea and Reckless Abandon top 19 runners in the King’s Stand Stakes

Can Reckless Abandon provide a home victory in the King’s Stand Stakes? Image courtesy of racingfotos.com.

The King’s Stand Stakes, race two on the opening day of Royal Ascot and race two in the Sprint division of the QIPCO British Champions Series, looks wide open.

The ground is going to be crucial. More rain yesterday saw it turn Good at Ascot and there could be rain tomorrow which, if heavy, could move it to the softer side of Good.

If it stays on the fast side, confidence in the likes of Kingsgate Native and Swiss Spirit, first and second in the Betfred Temple Stakes, race one in the Sprint category, would be quite high, but if it softens their chances would be greatly reduced.

Reckless Abandon, who was conceding weight to all the other horses and was only narrowly beaten in third in the Temple Stakes, won’t mind the ground and has to have a huge chance.

The Clive Cox-trained colt was unbeaten prior to that defeat on his first run of the season and he looks a sprinter to follow.

Spirit Quartz, a stable companion of Kingsgate Native, won in France last time and is clearly hitting peak form, but prefers a flat track.

The worthy favourite is South African sprinter Shea Shea, who is well clear in the international ratings.

His trainer, Mike De Kock, is very bullish about his chances after supervising his two impressive wins in Dubai in March.

Aussie challengers have a great recent record in the race – four wins in the last 10 years – and while Shamexpress can’t be discounted, his form doesn’t look as strong as the previous winners from ‘Down Under’.

One challenger worthy of a special mention is Pearl Secret.

The apple of trainer David Barron’s eye, he is confident of big things for the colt this season, but he needs a little bit of give in the ground to be seen at his best.

If the rain comes on Monday, he would certainly be a player.

Another with a big chance is Irish raider Sole Power.

He started at a very short price in the Betfred Temple Stakes, but with the field splitting, he saw daylight far too early.

A big field on Tuesday and Johnny Murtagh back in the saddle, he must have a very good chance of going close as long as the ground rides Good or faster.

He ran really well in this race last year, finishing a close third on Good-to-Soft that was definitely not ideal for him.

Only three of the last 10 winners have been trained in the UK, so Shea Shea, Shamexpress and Sole Power have that on their side.