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Leading US trainer Todd Pletcher revealed today that he is "serious considering" the £600,000 Group One Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot for American Patriot.
The straight mile contest on turf is the first race of the five-day spectacular, taking place at 2.30pm on Tuesday, June 20.
The four-year-old War Front colt landed the biggest victory of his career last time out when getting up close home for a neck success in the G1 Maker's 46 Mile on turf at Keeneland on April 14.
American Patriot was also a smart performer in 2016, scoring in the G3 Kent Stakes over nine furlongs at Del Mar in July and finishing a close third in the 10-furlong G1 Secretariat Stakes at Arlington in August. He is owned by Kentucky-based WinStar Farm, one of North America's leading thoroughbred racing and breeding operations.
Pletcher, a seven-time recipient of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer, said today: "We have put American Patriot in the Queen Anne Stakes and are seriously considering bring him over for the race.
"The horse is in great form and came out of his win at Keeneland really, really well. We have been very pleased with the winter and spring he has had and it seems he is in career-best form at the moment.
"I feel American Patriot has made a step forward this year. He was a bit unlucky last year in the Secretariat Stakes and has come on well over the winter. He has matured into a big, strong beautiful horse. He has a nice turn of foot and a great disposition to go along with it, so we feel he is a good candidate to take a look at travelling over to England."
Pletcher saddled his first Royal Ascot runners in 2011, with Bridgetown finishing 12th in the G1 King's Stand Stakes and More Than Real coming home 11th in the G1 Coronation Stakes.
He continued: "Royal Ascot is unbelievable. We hope to do a little better than we did with our runners before but it was still a great experience.
"I have been a few times to Royal Ascot when I haven't had runners. It is a fantastic event and we look forward to coming back, hopefully with some success this time."
The 33 entries for the Queen Anne Stakes also include leading European lights Minding (Aidan O'Brien IRE), who capped a superb 2016 by taking the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes sponsored by QIPCO at Ascot on QIPCO British Champions Day in October, as well as last year's G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace Stakes hero Galileo Gold (Hugo Palmer).
The US-trained challenge could also include Miss Temple City (Graham Motion USA), who may line up at her third Royal Ascot following a fourth in both the G1 Coronation Stakes in 2015 and last year's G2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes.
Last year's Queen Anne Stakes was won by a US-trained horse for the first time, when the mare Tepin was successful.
