Trainer Trevor Andrews has been given the green-light to keep All The King’s Men in work for the Listed Lex Piper Stakes (1600m) on Saturday week, February 25.

All The King’s Men (3g King’s Troop – Huette by Demerit) had won the LR Breeders’ Classic (1400m) at Pinjarra last month but disappointed as a short-priced favourite in the LR Challenge Stakes (1500m) at Ascot on Saturday.

“It was certainly a below-par performance but blood-tests didn’t reveal any abnormalities,” Andrews told The West Australian.  “He’s a lovely horse with a bright future and now it’s all good for the Lex Piper.”

Andrews won the 2017 Lex Piper Stakes with Gangbuster (Blackfriars) and with Veracious (2011) and Heroicity (1991) when it was known as the T.J. Smith Trophy.

All The King’s Men is the 3yo flag-bearer for his sire King’s Troop and another two fillies from that crop – Kings Flirt and Finchy – won at Belmont last Monday.

Kings Flirt (3f King’s Troop – Le Flirt by McFlirt) blitzed her rivals on debut scoring by more than six lengths for trainer Robert Matthews in the TABtouch Maiden (1200m).  She jumped straight to the front for Kyra Yuill and that was the last they saw of the winner.

“She reared up in her first trial and then pinged the lids and led in the second one at Lark Hill,” Yuill said.  “I wanted to sit off the speed because she got lost last time.  It was the first time I hit her today and she just clicked into life and improved again.

“She’s still new but is very professional.”

Finchy (3f King’s Troop – Silver Serena by Dane Shadow) was always travelling like a winner before taking over in the straight for a convincing victory in the Furphy Maiden (1300m).  Like Kings Flirt, she’s a homebred and was coming off a length and change fifth behind Albright (Dundeel) for owner-trainer Justine Erkelens at Belmont last month.

“I saw Kings Flirt and she was really convincing,” Erkelens said.  “My filly is finally figuring out how to jump and muster speed from the gates and that worked for her today.”

Finchy hails from the family of Patterns (Success Express) who won a G3 VATC Thoroughbred Club Stakes and LR AJC Brian Crowley Stakes.  Her dam is owned by Gold Front’s Alan Olive and she has a yearling filly by Sessions and a colt on the ground by Awesome Rock.

King’s Troop (Redoute’s Choice) is a three-quarter brother to Snitzel as well as a half-brother to Hinchinbrook.  The 10 year-old stallion is owned by Gangemi Thoroughbreds and they are looking to place him at a new stud this year.

Any studmasters interested in standing King’s Troop should call David Houston at Magic Millions.