Odds and betting predictions for the 2023 King's Stand Stakes
This Group One takes place on day one of Royal Ascot on Tuesday 20th June
Highfield Princess and Twilight Gleaming feature in our selections
Expired
Highfield Princess runs away with the Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh. (Getty)
The second Group One staged on the opening day of racing at Royal Ascot is the thrilling King's Stand Stakes. Many of the sport's fastest horses have won this historic five-furlong contest and this year's contest features top sprinters from Britain, Ireland, Australia and the USA.
Here's our free guide to the 2023 King's Stand Stakes, including our best betting tips.
Given how Nature Strip dismantled the field in last year's King's Stand Stakes, the Aussie raiders have to be treated with serious respect. Coolangatta beat an under-par Nature Strip when scoring in the Group One Black Caviar Lightning back in February. Cannonball has taken the handicap route to Royal Ascot, winning a Group Three before securing a third-place finish in the Group One Kia Ora Galaxy.
Australian sprinters are bred for speed and neither Coolangatta nor Cannonball will be inconvenienced by fast ground. HIGHFIELD PRINCESS has also shown smart form on fast ground over the past 18 months and you could argue that, at 5/2, the favourite represents a decent amount of value.
Highfield Princess opened her account at Group One level with victory in the Prix Maurice de Gheest last August. John Quinn's filly then proved she has stacks of five-furlong speed with wins in the Nunthorpe and the Flying Five, before running a blinder when fourth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint.
Jason Hart's mount carried a penalty into her reappearance in the Duke Of York Stakes. Highfield Princess drifted out to 5/1 before the off, suggesting connections felt she would need the run, only for Quinn's mare to run another screamer and finish a close second.
Highfield Princess is by far the highest-rated sprinter in this field and she's won more Group Ones than the rest of the field put together. If she's come on for that run at York as expected, then it'll take a very good one to thwart the favourite in this year's King's Stand.
Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. celebrates after riding Twilight Gleaming (R) to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint in 2021. (Getty)
2023 King's Stand Stakes Tip 2 - Twilight Gleaming
It's not just the Australians who need to be watched closely in this Group One. US trainer Wesley Ward will run speedy filly TWILIGHT GLEAMING, who finished a close second in the Queen Mary Stakes back in 2021, before rounding off her two-year-old campaign with victory at the Breeders' Cup.
After a stop-start campaign in 2022, Twilight Gleaming resumed winning form on her return to action in the Giants Causeway Stakes at Keeneland. Irad Ortiz Jnr's mount was always in control of that Listed contest, kicking clear in the closing stages to win by two easy lengths, clocking a state-record time in the process.
Ward immediately identified the King's Stand as Twilight Gleaming's objective and waxed lyrical about this daughter of National Defence in Wesley's pre-Royal Ascot Stable Tour. At 20/1, Ward's raider offers stacks of each-way value.
Live Stream
If you want to watch this historic sprint live on your mobile or tablet, then check out our King's Stand Stakes Live Stream page.
Verdict
Highfield Princess is our best betting tip in the 2023 King's Stand Stakes. We've also backed Twilight Gleaming at an each-way price.
1: Highfield Princess 2023 King's Stand Stakes Best Bet @5/2 at QuinnBet - 20 Units
2: Twilight Gleaming 2023 King's Stand Stakes Value Bet @20/1 at bet365 - 5 Units
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