Starspangledbanner targets Ascot

ROYAL ASCOT 15-19 June
Coverage: First five races daily on BBC TV and BBC Sport website (UK users only), big-race commentaries on BBC Radio 5 live Results: bbc.co.uk/racing

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Starspangledbanner and jockey Danny Nikolic celebrate a win in Australia.

Trainer Aidan O'Brien is confident Starspangledbanner can show his true colours in Saturday's Golden Jubilee Stakes on the final day of Royal Ascot.

The race forms part of the Global Sprint Challenge.

The Australian recruit impressed down under and was fifth on his Ballydoyle debut in the Duke of York Stakes at York over six furlongs.

He again faces the York winner Prime Defender, as well as the second and third Showcasing and Main Aim.

But O'Brien believes the Choisir colt, who will be ridden by Johnny Murtagh, has got plenty of improvement in him.

"When he ran at York he hadn't been with us that long and we were just running him to get him started," he said.

"We were happy with his run, he ran a nice race and he came back from York very well. We've been happy with him since.

"He shows loads of speed at home, but he is a horse that gets six furlongs well.

"He got a little bit tired at York, but that would be understandable and we gave him an easy three weeks so he was just ready to run, but we were very happy with him."

606: DEBATE Give your reaction to the Golden Jubilee Stakes field

Prime Defender's trainer Barry Hills will be hoping his York triumph was no fluke and his son and assistant Charlie is confident of a bold show.

"He was very good at York and we've now got to try and show everyone that wasn't a one-off," said Hills.

"He won the time before at Haydock and I think that just gave him a bit of confidence, which showed last time.

"He has looked great since then and has come out of the race in really good form.

"His work is very solid and apart from the foreign raiders he has beat them all before. I'm very hopeful he'll run a big race."

Showcasing and Main Aim are both owned by Khalid Abdullah and according to his racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe both could figure.

"I think that Showcasing has a bit more zip than Main Aim," he said.

"Main Aim is quite a versatile horse, he can run over anything between six furlongs and a mile and I probably think six-and-a-half to seven furlongs is his best."

The Jeremy Noseda-trained Fleeting Spirit makes her third visit to the Royal meeting having been placed in the last two renewals of the King's Stand Stakes.

Tom Queally rode Fleeting Spirit to win last year's July Cup but this time he takes the mount on Lord Shanakill for boss Henry Cecil.

The Godolphin team are represented by Fravashi, who makes his European debut after showing up well in Group company in Dubai while Balthazaar's Gift is making his seasonal debut in this Group One for Clive Cox.

Marchand D'Or, one of the favourites for this race in 2008, has come back to form since his switch to the Mikel Delzangles stable.

Joining Marchand D'Or on the trip from France will be the Alain de Royer-Dupre-trained pair of War Artist and Varenar.

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