Royal Ascot: Nature Strip gives a regal display to put away the competition

Aussie rules. It took 40 hours for the magnificent Australian sprinter Nature Strip to travel up from Sydney to Royal Ascot but a mere 58 seconds for him to put the best of the Europeans and a star American in their place.

It has happened before. The tank-like Choisir rocketed home in the King’s Stand Stakes 19 years ago. Three more Australians have followed him and two others, including the fabled 25-race unbeaten Black Caviar, took Ascot’s other sprint, Saturday’s Platinum Jubilee, with which Choisir famously doubled up in that Royal Ascot of 2003. But no Aussie has been as impressive as the great galloping chestnut powerhouse who was always in command on Tuesday.

The much-feared American challenge was thwarted when their star speedster Golden