Excellent King’s Stand Stakes second for Profitable

Profitable ran another fine race at Royal Ascot to be second of the 17 runners in the G1 King’s Stand Stakes over five furlongs on Tuesday, June 20. 

The Clive Cox-trained five-year-old, who stormed to victory in the five-furlong sprint 12 months ago on soft going, showed good early speed under James Doyle and soon chased the leaders on the far side. 

Profitable started to make headway passing the two-furlong pole and ran on strongly to go second entering the final furlong. 

He galloped out all the way to the line but could not get to grips with Lady Aurelia, who won impressively by three lengths in the quick time of 57.45s, just outside the course record, on good to firm ground. 

Clive Cox said: “Profitable is a proven Group One performer, and he has rubber stamped that today.

“It would have been nicer if we had been drawn a bit closer together [with Lady Aurelia], but fair play to the winner.”

James Doyle added: “The winner was drawn away from us. To be fair, the better horses were all drawn high and I was drawn one and I had nothing to take me into it.

“Profitable is a horse that only does enough when he gets there. I think if things had gone our way, we could have been a little bit closer to the winner – but Lady Aurelia is very good.”