Australian sprinter Shamexpress finished midfield in the King's Stand Stakes (1,000m) at Royal Ascot overnight.
Australian sprinter Shamexpress finished midfield in the King's Stand Stakes (1,000m) at Royal Ascot overnight.
The Newmarket Handicap winner was trying to emulate the feats of other Australian visitors to have won the Group One sprint on the opening day of the famed racing carnival.
The race was taken out by 8-1 chance Sole Power who finished third in the race last year.
Nineteen runners went to post and they were spread across the track in the final stages, with Sole Power out wide holding a narrow margin on Shea Shea nearer the fence. Pearl Secret was third.
Shea Shea ran the 11-4 favourite in his bid to become the first South African-trained winner at the royal meeting.
Shamexpress travelled well early and made his run with Shea Shea inside the final 400 metres, but the Danny O'Brien-trained colt was four lengths adrift at the finish in ninth place.
It was O'Brien's third shot at the King's Stand following the second of Star Witness in 2011 and a seventh placing to mare Glamour Puss in 2006.
Four Australian runners have won the Group One feature – Choisir (2003), Takeover Target (2006), Miss Andretti (2007) and Scenic Blast (2009).
Shea Shea's trainer Mike De Kock said the horse might take his place in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes on Saturday if he pulled up well.
Another Australian, Sea Siren, is entered for the 1,200-metre sprint won last year in dramatic fashion by Black Caviar.