A STRAIGHT BATT
Speed king spot on for Ascot
BATTAASH is “bang on where he should be” for his title defence in tomorrow’s King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Charlie Hills faced a race against time to get the speedster back on track after he suffered a fractured joint in the winter.
William Hill make the sevenyear-old the 7-4 favourite to repeat his triumph of 12 months ago, and Hills said: “He’s bang on where I want him to be.
“He had the setback while he was wintering and that’s obviously not ideal when one is tackling a Group One race.
“But his weight is where I want it to be and I’m very happy with him. There’s nothing that is giving me cause for concern.”
The Lambourn trainer is drawing encouragement from
Battaash’s record on his first start of the season, which currently stands at five from five.
“This is his sixth season in training and he’s got a 100% first-time-out record coming into 2021,” added Hills, whose stable stalwart faces 14 rivals, headed by the Tim Easterbytrained Winter Power, a 9-2 shot with William Hill.
“Most of those were prep runs for bigger races but not last year because of the coronavirus. Racing didn’t come back until the start of June, so we had no option but to send Battaash to Royal Ascot for his first run of the year, and he was very impressive.”
Battaash gained his success in front of empty stands in 2020, but Hills believes the presence of 12,000 spectators will not work against the chance of Jim Crowley’s mount.
“Much has been made about the fact he’s been an excitable horse in the past but I think he’s more mature now, so I’m not worried about that,” he said.
“Battaash is a horse who was very close to Sheikh Hamdan’s heart, and I’d love him to win because the sheikh and his family have been so supportive to me.”
William Hill’s King’s Stand Stakes betting: 7-4 Battaash, 9-2 Winter Power, 15-2 Oxted, 9-1 Liberty Beach, Extravagant Kid, 14-1 Maven, Que Amoro, 16-1 bar.