Astro King

What makes Astro King interesting is not his win rate but how narrowly those wins came and how his form has kept him in the conversation. He has finished in the frame four times beyond his two wins—he knows how to be close—and his record on fast, dry ground is significantly better than his overall record, with 2 wins from 9 races (22%) suggesting that conditions matter to him. Trained by Daniel and Claire Kubler at Lambourn, he has been ridden most often by Richard Kingscote, though their partnership has yielded just one win from seven races. The trainer has indicated that a run in the Suffolk Stakes at Newmarket this weekend could be the next stepping stone toward a tilt at the Wolferton at Royal Ascot—races that sit comfortably at his level. At nine years old and having been away racing in valuable handicaps in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Astro King is proving that a horse does not need to be a champion to be worth following.