Royal Ascot: Extravagant Kid finishes 3rd in King's Stand
Extravagant Kid’s third-place finish in the Group 1 King’s Stand sprint provided America its best result on the first day of Royal Ascot in England.
Trained by Brendan Walsh and ridden by Frankie Dettori, Extravagant Kid (14-1) raced in mid-pack most of the way before closing in on the leaders, finishing two lengths behind late-closing winner Oxted (7-2) and a neck from the long-shot runner-up Arecibo (45-1). The favorite Battaash (7-5) was fourth.
“I thought he ran great,” Walsh told Horse Racing Nation after watching the race on TV in Kentucky. “To go over there and run against those horses and run third like that, you can’t help but be over the moon. He’s a great little horse.”
An 8-year-old gelding owned by David Ross and sired by Kiss the Kid, Extravagant Kid was racing for the first time since he won the March 27 Al Quoz Sprint (G1) on the Dubai World Cup undercard.
“He just shows up every time,” Walsh said. “I couldn’t be happier with him.”
Walsh said Extravagant Kid is entered to race in the July Cup (G1), a six-furlong race July 10 at Newmarket, England.
“We’ll take in today and see how he comes out of it,” Walsh said. “We’ll think about it and go from there.”
Maven (39-1), a Wesley Ward-trained colt that was the other U.S. starter in the King’s Stand, was 11th in the field of 16.
Another horse from the Ward stable finished out of the money in the preceding race. Kaufymaker (7-1) led early and was on even footing with a quarter-mile to go before finishing eighth in the Coventry (G2), a straight six-furlong sprint for 2-year-olds that was won by Berkshire Shadow (11-1).
An 11-time winner in 12 previous trips to Royal Ascot, Ward has three horses entered on Wednesday’s card. Twilight Gleaming (11-4) is the current favorite for the Queen Mary (G2), a five-furlong dash for 2-year-old fillies at 9:30 a.m. EDT. Ruthin (9-4) is the favorite and Golden Bell (9-1) the second choice in the Windsor Castle, a five-furlong, listed stakes for 2-year-olds at 12:35 p.m.
Races at Royal Ascot run from 9:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. EDT on Wednesday and will be shown live on NBCSN and TVG.