'The sky's the limit' - confidence growing as Aussie sprinters get a feel for Ascot

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Royal Ascot's straight played host to an early sight of sprinting heavyweights on Friday morning as Australian favourites Overpass and Joliestar stretched out in a public gallop before next week's Group 1 targets.

The pair arrive carrying lofty expectations, but also very different stories. Overpass will be a first runner in Britain for Bjorn Baker, while Joliestar represents the internationally proven Chris Waller.

Speaking after Overpass had completed his gallop before his run in the King Charles III Stakes on Tuesday, Baker said: "Visually, I thought he looked pretty good. It's always hard to get a line on it because the undulations make it fairly different to what we do every day, but he was good through the line.

• Watch: Overpass gallops at Ascot ahead of next week's royal meeting

"I think he's travelled over as well as we could have hoped for. Conditions-wise, he's great, and it hasn't knocked him about too much."

Ascot provides a very different test to most Australian tracks. Flemington stages straight-course races, but Ascot's stiff finish presents another challenge altogether.

Overpass: sports notable white blazeCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

"He's been down the straight at Flemington a few times and we've got a straight track at Warwick Farm that he's been on a number of times at home," said Baker. "I think he's probably a little bit better suited to a straight race in terms of experience than I thought."

Baker has enjoyed a terrific 14 months, recording five Group 1 victories in Australia, including the Doncaster Mile, Sydney Cup and Australian Derby, and a Royal Ascot success would be another feather in his cap.

"To have a runner here is special for myself, all the connections and my team back home," he said. "It's one of, if not the greatest carnival in the world, at what I think is the most beautiful racecourse in the world, with so much history."

He added: "I think Overpass is here in really good order. You've got to respect the locals and I think there's a French horse or two coming over as well. They're always hard to beat and they're always set for these big races."

Overpass also holds an entry in Saturday's Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, although the King Charles III is the primary target.

"They don't call me 'Backup Baker' for nothing," said the trainer. "The King Charles III is the plan. If he happened to run well and recover very well, we could consider the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes."

'We've been working back from Ascot for quite a long time now'

Joliestar gallops in front of an empty Ascot grandstand under Chris HarwoodCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

While Baker arrives as a Royal Ascot rookie, Waller is no stranger to international success. The trainer won the King Charles III Stakes with Nature Strip in 2022, while Brazen Beau and Home Affairs ran in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes in 2015 and 2022 respectively.

This year, Waller relies on Joliestar, a five-time Group 1 winner who heads the betting at around 9-4 for Saturday's six-furlong Group 1.

• Watch: King Charles III Stakes favourite Joliestar gallops at Ascot

"We didn't ask her to do a massive amount this morning," said assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth. "It was more about her getting familiar with the surroundings and a bit of a confidence booster.

"It's her first fast bit of work since arriving and she's due to gallop again next week, so it wasn't her final hit-out, just a nice pipe-opener."

Charlie Duckworth: "She's one of the best sprinters in Australia"Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Duckworth said of preparations back home: "We sent her to a pre-training farm in New South Wales called Hermitage and used their hill track to try to get her used to the gradients before we came over.

"We've been trying to work back from Ascot for quite a long time now, and she's taken it all in her stride. 

"She's one of the best sprinters in Australia and she's won similar races to the ones Nature Strip won before he came here. While you can't compare different years and different races, that's the only guide we've really got and it suggests her form is good enough to be competitive.

"We've just got to be confident our horse is good enough, which we think she is."

'He's quick, that's for sure'

Racing Post reporter Oliver Barnard's view from the gallops morning

There is something quite special about standing in an empty Ascot grandstand with Bjorn Baker pacing nearby as the sound of a thundering Australian sprinter comes up the straight.

First up came Overpass, who had looked a picture beforehand, showing little impact from a journey of more than 10,000 miles. Baker and his team have every right to be excited ahead of Tuesday's King Charles III Stakes. The seven-year-old hit the line with purpose. He's quick, that's for sure.

Joliestar followed shortly afterwards and, while perhaps not quite as visually striking as Overpass, she was impressive in her own way. The Cambridge Stud star carried herself with confidence as she made her way around the parade ring and looked every inch a mare at ease with her surroundings.

It later emerged that Joliestar is due to gallop again next week, which perhaps explains why Overpass's workout left the stronger immediate impression. However, listening to those closest to her, there is little doubt why she heads the market for Saturday's Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.

Overpass in the pre-parade ring followed by JoliestarCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Work-rider Chris Harwood certainly sounded convinced.

"She has a very long stride, 8.2 metres I believe, which is very rare, especially for a sprinter," he said. "It's really only in the last 12 to 18 months that she's matured, come into her own and got this new sense of confidence. She really believes in herself now.

"I think the sky's the limit because she just keeps improving with every run."

As for Joliestar's owners, Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay clearly regard the mare as something special. While chatting after the gallops, Lady Jo was clutching this year's Royal Ascot media guide, which features Ombudsman on the cover.

"That'll be Joliestar next year," I suggested.

"That's the dream," came the reply.

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