Leung Ho Yin, Simon's Bio
Simon is a well respected full-time thoroughbred racing commentator specializing in pedigree and overseas international racing. He is currently the presenter on several racing television programmes including, ‘Horse Racing – Results’, ‘Simulcast Preview'’ and Simulcast oversea races.

Ascot Racecourse – Track Analysis (King’s Stand Stakes Day):

Racing in a clockwise direction, the world-renowned Ascot Racecourse at south-west of London, is a triangular venue so distinguished of its enormous track width, featuring on top of which a 1600m home chute to accommodate straight contests at up to a mile.

For the featured 1000m King’s Stands Stakes, the 1200m Coventry Stakes, and the 1600m Queen Anne Stakes – all staged on the straight course – starting positions are numbered reversely back in, where high post numbers draw the stands side. When it comes to over-subscribed fields disputing the early lead on a firm track, and for one contest too many in this Royal meeting through the years, this particular stands side is the better place to be; that being said, a rainy day would easily see this strip play in reverse.

To the oval meanwhile, the 1594m St James’s Palace Stakes – over the Old Mile Course – will see the sophomores disputing through a strip of 900m before taking the only turn – and a wicked one for sure, just before setting sail for home – and horses getting “hung out to dry” will have a hard time finding their way back into contention. Then, for the 1993m Wolferton Stakes and the 2831m Copper Horse Stakes (Handicap), runners will whip around the turn shortly after the break. Still, thanks to a more sedate pace as per usual in deep routes – the same conditions that apply in the 3991m Ascot Stakes (Handicap) – horses breaking from out wide still have plenty of time to position properly.

In all, be it straight dashes, or cruising around the full circuit, fields will have to fight for Ascot glory through that gruelling 500m-plus homestretch, where another steep, sapping ascent suddenly looms in large right before the finish. On top of all the undulations throughout this course, front-runners do need more than a gargantuan effort to take the field all the way home.

In last year’s King’s Stands Stakes, when the official going was labelled “good to soft”, prohibitive favourite BATTAASH, who winged it right from the go on the stand’s side, decimated his opposition by the 200m marker, and simply cruised home first, whereas the late-surging EQUILATERAL, LIBERTY BEACH and TIS MARVELLOUS, all in a futile chase on BATTAASH home, also on the stand’s side, could only check in second through fourth.

With London basking in the sun as of late, through the weekend and towards Tuesday, firm turf would most probably be on deck for the first day of Royal Ascot this year. As the untouched strip is kept pristine, forwardly-placed runners are still favoured, particularly in sprinting contests.

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