Racing: Winslet adds romance to Ascot raiders

One of the perils of choosing a famous name for a racehorse will be evident next week at Royal Ascot, where a bold transatlantic venture has been made arguably more difficult by slavishness to celebs. Kate Winslet, a two-year-old filly trained by Franck Mourier, a Florida-based Frenchman, has made the journey from the United States with two stablemates and will take on the colts in the Coventry Stakes, but must do so without the benefit of racecourse experience.

Mourier wanted the name because, on his arrival in the States he learned English watching Titanic and Sense And Sensibility. "The filly might have had a run back home," said Mourier, 34, "but it took us two months to get her named. You have to get permission to name a horse after a living person, and we asked Kate Winslet and she was delighted. She sent us a fax saying so but the authorities wanted it actually written in her own hand, and that took a bit of time. But she is a very good filly, make no mistake."

Kate Winslet, America America (Queen Mary Stakes) and Parisienne (Albany Stakes) will be the first US-trained juveniles to appear at Royal Ascot, and will be part of the largest foreign invasion ever at Britain's top-level summer extravaganza, a direct result of Ascot's sustained drive to foster international competition.

The top US sprinter Morluc, trained by Randy Morse, will tackle the Golden Jubilee Stakes, South African contender Victory Moon (Mike de Kock) the Queen Anne Stakes and the Australian speedball Choisir is ambitiously double-booked for both the King's Stand Stakes and the Golden Jubilee.

No American horse has won at the Royal meeting, which this year boasts £3.38m in prize money and six Group One contests. The US Triple Crown hero Omaha, beaten a short-head by Quashed in the 1936 Gold Cup, has come closest to success.

Mourier's colleagues considered him mad when they heard he was taking the trio, three-quarters of his string, east but they said the same when he ran America America, a daughter of Mister Baileys, in a three-furlong race on dirt on her debut. She won at 53-1.

"Next time she ran against colts and was beaten only a short-head and is currently the highest-rated juvenile filly in the States," he said at yesterday's pre-meeting launch. "She is very fast indeed and Parisienne has won her only race. In the US there is much more emphasis on speed and precocity than in Britain, and the theory is that if they are up to standard there they will be competitive here."

Choisir, to be ridden by Johnny Murtagh, also comes with rocket power. The Danehill Dancer three-year-old, conditioned by Paul Perry, clocked 56.63sec when winning a five-furlong Group One in his homeland. "He likes a straight course and he's such I trier I'm sure he'll compete," said Perry. "He'll do best in the King's Stand Stakes, I would think. He'll be fresh for that and the filly [Airwave] doesn't run."

Next week's more usual suspects also outlined some plans yesterday. Saeed bin Suroor will be pinning hopes of Godolphin's 98th top-level winner worldwide on the blue team's older squad, having admitted to Sheikh Mohammed as early as March that the three-year-olds were Group Three types at best. He nominated Moon Ballad, preferred by Frankie Dettori to Grandera in the Prince of Wales's Stakes, as his best of the week.

Aidan O'Brien would not be drawn on the concept of a banker, but will be cheered that, with the weather set fair in the Ascot area, the Queen Anne Stakes hotpot Hawk Wing is likely to have his favoured fast ground. Black Sam Bellamy is being considered for the Gold Cup, Statue of Liberty is likely to make his seasonal debut in the Jersey Stakes and Old Deuteronomy will spearhead the Ballydoyle juvenile team.