LJ Confidential: the three ‘must see’ races from Royal Ascot

From the annual Australian invasion on day one, through to Wellington on the final day and a middle-distance showdown in-between, Asian Racing Report’s Andrew Le Jeune has selected his three races to watch over the fabulous five-day meeting.

Cannonball will represent Australia competing in this year's King's Stand Stakes (Photo: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)

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Twenty years ago this week Choisir tore up the turf at Royal Ascot, blazing a trail with a memorable sprint double.

When Paul Perry’s tank-like chestnut dominated the King’s Stand Stakes over five furlongs on Tuesday and backed-up to clinch what was then known as the Golden Jubilee Stakes over the straight six on Saturday it captured the imagination of Australian owners, trainers and jockeys.

It stamped Choisir as a dual-hemisphere stallion but the lure of Royal Ascot is about much more than prize money for the Antipodean raiders. The proof is that among the Australian sprinters since Choisir to win the King’s Stand Stakes, a low-prizemoney event by Australian standards, are geldings like Takeover Target (2005), Scenic Blast (2009) and last year’s winner Nature Strip.