Entries from across the globe have been received for the eight Group One races at Royal Ascot, including stars from Australia, Hong Kong and the USA.
The potential raiding party from the USA includes Brad Cox's Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint heroine Caravel and the Wesley Ward-trained duo of Love Reigns and Twilight Gleaming. All three made winning returns at Keeneland last month.
Ward said: “Love Reigns and Twilight Gleaming are doing great. They are both coming off nice comeback wins and their owner Barbara Banke [of Stonestreet Stables] is really looking forward to getting them over there. She loves Ascot as much as me and we are all excited.
“I was really happy with Love Reigns in the Limestone Stakes. She had to switch a couple of times in the run but showed a great attitude to get up on the line, while Twilight Gleaming showed a lot of speed in her comeback race.
“Twilight Gleaming will definitely go for the King's Stand Stakes, whereas Love Reigns will have an entry there and in the Commonwealth Cup.”
Eight of Ward's 12 Royal Ascot winners have come in two-year-old races and his team of juveniles this year will be led by runaway debut winner American Rascal in the G2 Norfolk Stakes. The Curlin colt is the first foal out of G2 Queen Mary Stakes and G1 King's Stand Stakes winner Lady Aurelia.
Ward added: “American Rascal has come out of his first race in super shape. The team at Stonestreet really liked him and it was exciting to see him produce a performance like that.
“Fandom looks another good prospect after his debut win on the grass and we also have some nice two-year-olds to run at Belmont, so we will see what else unfolds in the coming days.
“Bledsoe has already travelled over to England and will run in a novice race at Ascot on 13th May. He won America's first two-year-old race of the year on the dirt at Keeneland but his mother Shrinking Violet was a multiple stakes winner of the turf, so we are looking forward to getting him on the grass.”
Classic Causeway could be a rare US-trained runner in the 10-furlong Prince of Wales's Stakes. The son of Giant's Causeway has proved an able campaigner on both turf and dirt for Kenny McPeek, with his most notable success coming at the expense of Nations Pride in the G1 Belmont Derby last summer.
McPeek said: “Classic Causeway had a nice run first time up this year on the dirt at Oaklawn. Then we came back for the Oaklawn Handicap and he was off the board, so we have decided to switch back to the turf.
“He is going for a prep race in Kentucky on 3rd June in the Arlington Stakes and, if he runs well there, we will point him towards the Prince of Wales's Stakes.
“I think the turf is his preferred surface but equally he is a horse who has to have the tactics his own way. If he has time to breathe on the front, he can be very tough to catch, as he showed in the Belmont Derby last year.”
Another USA entry to note in the Commonwealth Cup is the Jorge Delgado-trained New York Thunder, who made it three wins from as many starts with an impressive display at Woodbine last weekend.
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