When Choisir went to post for the 2003 King’s Stand Stakes at 25/1, his price reflected the uncertainty surrounding the Australian colt. British punters had seen his form from home, but few knew how it would translate to Ascot’s stiff five furlongs.
They knew by the end of the week.
Choisir defeated Acclamation on the opening day before returning four days later to beat Airwave in the Golden Jubilee Stakes. He had completed a Royal Ascot sprint double last achieved by Diadem in 1920 and shown other Australian trainers what was possible.
Paul Perry had not brought Choisir to Britain simply to see how he would fare. The trainer believed his colt possessed the speed to trouble Europe’s leading sprinters, and that belief was vindicated twice.
Other Australian challengers soon followed. Takeover Target won the King’s Stand Stakes in 2006, Miss Andretti took the same race in 2007, and Scenic Blast added another victory in 2009.
By the time Nature Strip arrived in 2022, Australian sprint form no longer needed an introduction. Chris Waller’s gelding started as favourite and made virtually all the running before defeating Twilight Calls by four-and-a-half lengths.
Royal Ascot had welcomed overseas runners long before Choisir, particularly from Ireland and France. What changed after 2003 was the distance horses were prepared to travel and the confidence with which they arrived.
The programme helps explain the meeting’s appeal. Royal Ascot stages 35 races across five days, including eight Group 1 contests. There are opportunities for two-year-olds, sprinters, milers, middle-distance horses, and stayers, giving connections of an international-class Flat horse a reasonable chance of finding a suitable target.
American trainer Wesley Ward found his opportunity among the juveniles.
Strike The Tiger provided his first winner when landing the 2009 Windsor Castle Stakes at 33/1. Jealous Again won the Queen Mary Stakes the following afternoon, giving Ward two victories on his first visit.
He continued returning with fast, forward two-year-olds. No Nay Never, Acapulco and Campanelle all won at the meeting, while Lady Aurelia produced the performance most people remember. She finished seven lengths clear in the 2016 Queen Mary before returning the following year to defeat older horses in the King’s Stand.
Travelling remains only the first part of the challenge. Overseas runners must settle after the journey, adjust to unfamiliar surroundings, and cope with Ascot itself. American juveniles often arrive after racing around a bend, while Australian and Hong Kong sprinters may have no previous experience of a stiff straight course. The British weather can also alter the ground before a visiting horse reaches the racecourse.
Royal Ascot’s international reach can be measured beyond the runners. In 2026, coverage was carried by 30 networks across 180 territories, the meeting’s most extensive global distribution to date. Ticket data from 2024 also showed visitors arriving from 76 countries, with overseas racegoers accounting for approximately 6.2% of attendance.
All 35 races in 2026 were included in World Pool, allowing tote bets placed through participating operators in different countries to be combined. The dividend was calculated after betting closed according to the size of the pool and the amount staked on the successful outcome.
Although the races and pooled dividends were shared internationally, the services used by customers still differed by country. Withdrawal arrangements varied in the same way across other online platforms. Someone comparing the fastest payout online casino in NZ, for example, would need to consider the operator’s approval process and chosen payment method rather than the speed with which a result was determined.
New Zealand’s connection with Royal Ascot extends beyond its audience. Little Bridge and So You Think won Group 1 races on successive days in 2012.
Little Bridge, bred in New Zealand and trained in Hong Kong, defeated Bated Breath in the King’s Stand Stakes. New Zealand Bloodstock’s account of the victory described him as the first New Zealand-bred horse to win a Group 1 race at Royal Ascot.
So You Think followed in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, defeating Carlton House by two-and-a-quarter lengths after finishing second in the race the previous year.
The Ascot course makes no concessions for the journey. It climbs towards the winning post, while races over seven furlongs or shorter are staged on the straight track.
Choisir showed what was possible. Takeover Target, Lady Aurelia, Little Bridge and Nature Strip proved his remarkable week was not an isolated success. Royal Ascot retains its British character, but its racing and audience are now unmistakably international.