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Three of the 10 legs of the 2012 Global Sprint Challenge have been run and the winners of all three races are entered for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (leg 6).
Lightning Stakes (leg 1) winner Black Caviar is obviously the highest profile of them but Japanese Champion, Curren Chan (Takayuki Yasuda), and Bahrain-trained Krypton Factor (Fawzi Nass), could be waiting in the wings to take her on following victories in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen (leg 2) and Dubai Golden Shaheen (leg 3) respectively.
There are only two Group One Sprints in Japan, the Sprinters Stakes and the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, and Curren Chan has won the latest renewals of both of them. She could be joined in the UK by compatriot, Curren Black Hill (Osamu Hirata), who is entered in the St James's Palace Stakes following a Group Two victory at Nakayama earlier in the month.
Krypton Factor, who has been a revelation in Dubai during the recent Carnival, has leg 4 of the Global Sprint Challenge in Singapore in his sights before Royal Ascot.
The first four home in Dubai's Group One 5f Turf Sprint on World Cup night, the Al Quoz, are all engaged in the King's Stand Stakes, including third placed Joy And Fun (Derek Cruz), who is one of five Hong Kong entries across Royal Ascot's Group One programme.
Also engaged in the sprints for Hong Kong are Little Bridge (Danny Shum), who split Joy and Fun and Curren Chan when fourth in the Hong Kong Sprint in December, and Captain Sweet (John Moore), who was second to Little Bridge in the recent Bauhinia Sprint Trophy.
John Moore has also entered versatile stable star, Xtension, for both the Queen Anne Stakes and Prince of Wales's Stakes whilst Derek Cruz is considering Collection for the Prince of Wales's Stakes.