Ben Pawlowski
ESTEPONA will fly the flag for Spain at Royal Ascot tomorrow when the Madrid-bred horse lines up in a prestigious Group 1 race.
Named after the popular Costa del Sol town, the three-year-old Mehmas colt is a 100/1 shot for the King Charles III Stakes, a five-furlong (1005-metre) sprint with a prize fund of over €820,000.
He will hope to follow in the footsteps of Equiano, the only other Spanish-trained horse to have won at Royal Ascot when he sprung a surprise by winning the very same race in 2008 at odds of 22/1.
In what many will be hoping is a sign of good luck, Equiano and Estepona are trained by the same man – Mauricio Delcher Sanchez.
READ MORE: How Does Spanish Horse Racing Compare To Britain?
Estepona faces a stiffer test ahead than his compatriot. The two market-leaders for the race are currently Asfoora, an Australian raider who won this race twelve months ago, and Believing, a fellow mare owned by racing giants Ballydoyle and currently in foal to Frankel, widely acclaimed as the greatest flat turf horse of all time
In total, 23 runners will head to post at 4.40pm CEST.
However, Estepona may be aided by Spanish-like conditions. Ascot Racecourse is set to bake in temperatures of over 25C all week, with racing taking place on a surface currently described as Good to Firm.
To date, Estepona has won over €80,000 in prize money for his owners.
Most recently, the colt finished a four-and-a-half lengths third in the Prix Marchand d’Or, a listed six-furlong race held at Chantilly in France.
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