Aussie stars head 15 declared for Diamond Jubilee

Brazen Beau winning the Newmarket at Flemington back in March. Image courtesy of @ABC 

Star Australian sprinters Brazen Beau and Wandjina head the stellar cast of 15 declared for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, the highlight of the final day of Royal Ascot 2015.

The pair will bid to give Australia a third victory in the last 12 runnings of this race, following on from Black Caviar in 2012 and Choisr in 2003. Brazen Beau has two Group 1 wins to his name back home, including the prestigious Newmarket Handicap last time out, while Wandjina was narrowly denied a second straight top level success when touched off in the All Aged Stakes on his latest start.

The Internationals are also represented by Undrafted, owned by star American football player, Wes Welker, and trained by Wesley Ward, who got off the mark for the week yesterday with Acapulco in the Queen Mary.

Runners closer to home are spearheaded by Mustajeeb, who already has a Royal Ascot triumph under his belt – the 2014 Jersey Stakes – and made the perfect start to the season with a comfortable victory in Group 2 company at The Curragh last month and last year’s runner-up, Due Diligence.

Tropics, who chased home Slade Power in the Darley July Cup last year, warmed up for this Group 1 tilt with a brilliant Listed win at Windsor three weeks ago.  His trainer, Dean Ivory, says of his chance: “Tropics broke the track record at Windsor last time, which was a bit of a shock as he was eased down near the line. It was his first run of the year and will have blown away a few cobwebs.

“He’s the best that I have ever had him and I think that there’s more to come. He’s a seven-year-old but he didn’t race until late in his four-year-old season and we haven’t got to the bottom of him yet. Last year [when he was ninth in this race] he raced up the middle on his own and then in the July Cup he just hit the front a bit too soon. If things go right for him on Saturday I think that he’s got a hell of a chance.

“The fast ground is a little bit of a concern but he’s won on it before and you’ve got to go where the races are – he doesn’t have that many opportunities through the year.

“He spent three months in Dubai over the winter but suffered an over-reach, which I would say is similar to a sprained ankle. I own him so made the decision not to run him out there, and we were able to treat it as a holiday for him. 

“Having my first Royal Ascot winner would be the pinnacle. It would be such a fantastic moment for me, my staff and my family. It would also be very emotional since Tropics carries the colours of my grandfather.”