It could be a big week for Ballarat-based syndicators Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock (ATB) who are chasing Group 1 success in Japan only days after acquiring a horse to target Royal Ascot 2013.ATB, who have the Marco Botti-trained Melbourne Cup third placegetter Jakkalberry lining up in Sunday's Japan Cup, has also purchased Group 1 winning South African mare Chocolicious with the aim to target the horse at next year's Royal Ascot meeting in the UK.The lightly-raced five-year-old daughter of

It could be a big week for Ballarat-based syndicators Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock (ATB) who are chasing Group 1 success in Japan only days after acquiring a horse to target Royal Ascot 2013.

ATB, who have the Marco Botti-trained Melbourne Cup third placegetter Jakkalberry lining up in Sunday's Japan Cup, has also purchased Group 1 winning South African mare Chocolicious with the aim to target the horse at next year's Royal Ascot meeting in the UK.

The lightly-raced five-year-old daughter of Kahal (GB) boasts five wins from her 16 starts including the Group 1 Allan Robertson Championship (1200m).

ATB owner Darren Dance said the plan has always been to purchase a sprinter to race at Royal Ascot and when this mare came on the market it presented the perfect opportunity.

"The last couple of years we've been looking for a sprinter to take to Royal Ascot," Dance said."We'll give her a couple of runs in South Africa before she enters quarantine with Ascot in mind. She'll be trained by Marco Botti and will follow a similar path of races in the UK to what Ortensia contested last season."

Dance said Chocolicious will remain in the UK for at least the first two to three years with the plan to have her served by UK Champion Frankel at the completion of her racing career.

More immediately, ATB-owned Jakkalberry has settled into Japan perfectly ahead of Sunday's Group 1 Japan Cup (2400m), with Dance believing the horse is a real chance in the race.

"Jakkalberry travelled super, he always does," Dance said.

"Marco is happy with him and I'm not concerned about the drop in distance because the speed is always on in Japan.

"If he can reproduce those closing sectionals from the Melbourne Cup then he has to be right in it."

Jakkalberry isn't ATB's only horse in international action over the coming months, with the Marco Botti-trained stallion Crackerjack King invited to contest the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin in December.

Though he is thrilled to have received an invitation into such a prestigious race, Dance said they just needed to weigh up whether the horse was going to be ready in time for Hong Kong or whether he would be better suited being held back for Dubai.

After disappointing in both of his Australian starts during the Spring Racing Carnival, Dance said the Mick Kent-trained French import Tac De Boistron would be aimed at the Sydney Cup in the autumn with the view to qualifying for next year's Emirates Melbourne Cup.

"Tac De Boistron is back home spelling for five weeks at Manningtree Park," Dance said.

"We'll look at preparing him for the Sydney Cup.

"He's probably going to need to win the Sydney Cup just to get a run in next year's Melbourne Cup."

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