King’s Stand Stakes (Group 1)

HE’S a horse who tends to split opinions, and his occasional failure to run his race has cost punters dear over the years, but Battaash (Charlie Hills/Jim Crowley) is quite simply one of the best five-furlong performers of the post-war period.

He was absolutely imperious in brushing aside a relatively weak field for this Group 1 contest, never looking like taking a false step at any stage, and winning well within himself. He had two and a quarter lengths to spare over stable-companion Equilateral (James Doyle), who got up on the line to deny Liberty Beach (John Quinn/Jason Hart) the runner-up spot.

Dominate

Backers who took 5/6 never had a moment’s worry throughout, and Battaash looks set to dominate the division again. As a gelding, he will race as long as he’s able to rack up wins at pattern level, and with no sign of him losing that brilliant speed, he can match his brilliance with a longevity rarely known in flat-racing circles. The remarkable thing about his is that he has regularly been clearly superior to all his rivals at the minimum trip, but this was just his third Group 1 win. The feeling is that the quirks of temperament which held him back as a younger horse – and which led to him being gelded in the first place – are being ironed out with maturity, and with all his ability still intact, the big prizes will accumulate.

Coveted prize

This was a first win at Ascot for Battaash, and he was finally winning this coveted prize after near misses in 2018 and 2019 at the hands of Blue Point, having finished well held in the Norfolk Stakes as a juvenile.

It was also, remarkably, a first win for his veteran lad Bob Grace, who has been in the game for almost 40 years, and has led up countless winners, but never until now at Ascot, royal or otherwise.

Notions that he might be the gelding’s bad-luck charm were thrown out the window forever, and there is no doubt that the affable Bristolian has played a huge part in keeping Battaash sweet throughout his lengthy career. Goodwood and an attempt to win the King George V Stakes for a fourth time beckons next for the pair.

Equilateral gave Hills a cherished one-two in the contest, and looks better than ever. He used to be inconsistent, but has run up to his best form on all three starts this season, and he should be easy to place in lesser races than this, with just a listed race to his name in 2019.

Liberty Beach was backing up quickly after winning a fillies’ listed race at Haydock, and deserves plenty of credit, shaping second best on the day.

She was an impressive winner of the Molecomb Stakes last year, and a return to Goodwood should suit her given her speed. She has been well handled by John Quinn.