LEADING US trainer Todd Pletcher has revealed he is “seriously considering” the £600,000 Group One Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot for American Patriot.

The straight mile contest is the first race of the five-day spectacular, taking place at 2.30pm on Tuesday, June 20.

The four-year-old War Front colt landed the biggest victory of his career last time out with a neck success in the G1 Maker’s 46 Mile on turf at Keeneland on April 14.

American Patriot was also a smart performer in 2016, scoring in the G3 Kent Stakes over nine furlongs at Del Mar and finishing third in the 10-furlong G1 Secretariat Stakes at Arlington.

He is owned by Kentucky-based WinStar Farm and Pletcher, a seven-time recipient of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer, said: “We have put American Patriot in the Queen Anne Stakes and are seriously considering bring him over.

“The horse is in great form and came out of his win at Keeneland really, really well. We have been very pleased with the winter and spring and it seems he is in career-best form, he has made a step forward this year.

“He has matured into a big, strong beautiful horse with a nice turn of foot and a great disposition, so we feel he is a good candidate to take over to England.”

Pletcher saddled his first Royal Ascot runners in 2011, with Bridgetown finishing 12th in the G1 King’s Stand Stakes and More Than Real coming home 11th in the G1 Coronation Stakes.

He continued: “We hope to do a little better than we did with our runners before but it was still a great experience. Royal Ascot is a fantastic event and we look forward to coming back, hopefully with some success this time.”

The 33 entries for the Queen Anne Stakes also include Minding (Aidan O’Brien IRE), who capped a superb 2016 by taking the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in October, as well as last year’s G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas and G1 St James’s Palace Stakes. The US-trained challenge could also include Miss Temple City (Graham Motion), who may line up at her third Royal Ascot.