Little Bridge Captures King's Stand

AN international success was widely forecast in the King's Stand Stakes but perhaps not via Little Bridge (Danny Shum/Zac Purton), who became the second Hong Kong-trained horse to win at the royal meeting when flooring a cosmopolitan field for the Group 1 sprint.

After tracking the leader Tangerine Trees, the five-year-old took control of the race at the furlong marker, quickening up best of all to beat Bated Breath by three-quarters of a length with Sole Power another length away in third.

Black Caviar's jockey Luke Nolen got a useful taste of the Royal Ascot straight when partnering Medicean Man into fourth for British-based compatriot Jeremy Gask but heavily fancied Ortensia let the side down for the Aussies when she failed to mount a serious challenge.