The next Nature Strip? 'Best sprinter in the land' Joliestar lines up Royal Ascot bid with Newmarket strike

Chris Waller could have another Royal Ascot star on his hands after Joliestar teed up a possible tilt at Britain's summer spectacular in the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington. 

The four-year-old was sent off the 12-5 favourite to strike at Group 1 level again, having won the 2023 Thousand Guineas, and she sprinted clear to score by a length and a quarter under Damian Lane. 

Joliestar's impressive success left her connections pondering Royal Ascot. Waller famously enjoyed glory there with fellow Australian sprint sensation Nature Strip in the King's Stand – which is now the King Charles III Stakes – three years ago.

Waller's assistant and racing manager, Charlie Duckworth, told Racing.com: "Chris mentioned Ascot earlier in the week, and if she can go there it'd be amazing. We managed to achieve it with Nature Strip and to take her there would be really special.

"We had faith in her being the best horse today and it made the watch a little less stressful. She's got an electric turn of foot, and when she's at her best she's amazing. When she wins in that fashion, you think she's the best sprinter in the land."

Waller already had a live Royal Ascot contender in Switzerland before he finished sixth in the Canterbury Stakes at Randwick just 20 minutes before Joliestar's triumph. A tilt at the TJ Smith Stakes in Sydney next month could be next for the Newmarket heroine.

Duckworth added: "We've gone full circle with winning a Guineas and a Newmarket. With it being a Group 1 handicap, we were trying to protect Switzerland's value being a colt and this girl had her Group 1 already. She's a very good sprinter and wasn't crippled with weight." 

Australia also struck in the King Charles III Stakes with the Henry Dwyer-trained Asfoora last year, while sprinting great Black Caviar landed the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes in 2012.

Group 1 breakthrough for Charlton

Tom Charlton, the son of former Classic-winning trainer Roger, enjoyed his first Group 1 winner as a handler when Linebacker took the Randwick Guineas.

Charlton joined John O'Shea on a joint-licence last year and enjoyed a memorable strike when the three-year-old denied odds-on favourite Broadsiding by half a length.

Charlton said: "I know the tally of crossbar hits we've had in Group 1s the last few years, so it's great. I'm thankful to John and the ownership of our stable.

"I watched the race with my wife, she cries a lot, which makes it harder for me."

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