AUSTRALIA'S latest international sprint hero, King's Stand Stakes winner Scenic Blast, will miss the second leg of the Royal Ascot sprint double, the group 1 Golden Jubilee (1200 metres) on Saturday night, to instead target another of Europe's top sprints, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.Its report adds: West Australian trainer Dan Morton confirmed shortly after his speedster's scintillating victory early on Tuesday morning that Scenic Blast would be reserved for the group 1 July Cup (1200 met

AUSTRALIA'S latest international sprint hero, King's Stand Stakes winner Scenic Blast, will miss the second leg of the Royal Ascot sprint double, the group 1 Golden Jubilee (1200 metres) on Saturday night, to instead target another of Europe's top sprints, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

Its report adds: West Australian trainer Dan Morton confirmed shortly after his speedster's scintillating victory early on Tuesday morning that Scenic Blast would be reserved for the group 1 July Cup (1200 metres) at Newmarket on July 10th, before possible attempts on international sprints in Hong Kong and Japan later in the year.

"He does [pull up well] but I'm not going to back up on Saturday. It was never my plan," Morton told Melbourne radio station Sport 927. "I always wanted to take in this one then hopefully go three weeks into the next one. He's a very good fresh horse."

Showing nerves during pre-race interviews at Royal Ascot, Morton admitted he was pinching himself after the group 1 King's Stand, 1000m. "I was confident a fair way out, just looking at how good he was travelling. The further they went in the race, the happier I was," he said.

Morton is confident Scenic Blast can strike a blow again at Newmarket, and believes the gelding's form at group 1 level in Australia at 1600m should stand him in good stead on Newmarket's tough, climbing, straight track, which has proved the undoing of previous Royal Ascot heroes Choisir and Takeover Target .

For winning jockey Steven Arnold, the victory on one of racing's greatest stages further justified his long and challenging battle to keep his weight under control. Arnold began his association with Scenic Blast only this year, and secured the Royal Ascot ride after wins in the Lightning Stakes and Newmarket Handicap, both group 1, during Melbourne's autumn festival of racing.