American rival takes King's Stand
Queensland welcomes $11.5b merger
American challenger Lady Aurelia was the stunning winner of the £400,000 ($698,000) King's Stand Stakes on day one of Royal Ascot.
Wesley Ward's filly produced a jaw-dropping performance to win the Queen Mary Stakes at last year's meeting.
She was a 7-2 shot to beat her male counterparts and elders on her return to the track, and managed just that in glorious sunshine.
With John Velazquez taking over in the saddle from the injured Frankie Dettori, Lady Aurelia did not make as fast a start as 12 months ago.
However she soon made up the ground and tacked across from her high draw to take over the lead from Take Cover.
Last year's winner Profitable came home well, but Lady Aurelia extended her advantage in the final 100 yards and passed the post three lengths in front. Marsha, the 11-4 favourite, was third.
Meanwhile, Michelle Payne believes Kaspersky can cause a stir in the Emirates Stakes at Flemington in November after his excellent fifthplace finish in the group one Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot. Racing Queensland has applauded the Australian Competition Tribunal’s decision to to approve the A$11 billion ($11.5b) merger of Tabcorp and Tatts Group.
The decision was handed down by Justice Middleton of the ACT at the Federal Court in Melbourne on Tuesday.
RQ chief executive Eliot Forbes said the Tabcorp/Tatts combination
The Melbourne-Cup wining jockey gave the six-year-old colt a stellar ride in a hotly contested 1600m opener at the five-day meeting, hitting the line strongly behind odds-on favourite Ribchester, who set a new track record.
Another steaming hot day in the London area ensured a fast-paced track on the straight mile course and after a slow start out of the gate, Payne had Kaspersky in the frame for would deliver a big bonus for the Queensland racing industry.
“RQ signed a deed of understanding with Tabcorp in March to ensure that the merger would bring meaningful benefits to the Queensland racing industry.”
As part of the Deed of Understanding, Tabcorp committed to an increase in capital investment in the Queensland wagering business (cur- a place coming into the home straight.
However, she wasn’t able to coax him past Mutakayyef, Deauville and Spectre, who finished in the minor places. Payne believes her mount, trained by British-based Australian handler Jane Chapple-Hyam can make a splash in Melbourne, which is where he’ll head later this year.
“If he comes over for the old Emirates Stakes he’s going to be a real live chance.” rently UBET) across retail and oncourse wagering facilities, as well as committing to implementing increases in investments in technology, sponsorships and marketing.
“The majority of our funding comes from the Queensland wagering business, so this agreement is important to underpin future returns,” Forbes said.