The horse, named after the Costa del Sol city in Spain, will line up tomorrow at Royal Ascot.

ESTEPONA is the Spanish horse that will represent Spain tomorrow at Royal Ascot when it lines up for a Group 1 race.

Named after the popular Costa del Sol town, the three-year-old Mehmas colt is a 100/1 shot for the King Charles III Stakes, a five-furlong (1005-metre) sprint with a prize fund of over €820,000.

He will be hoping to follow the example of Equiano. The only other Spanish-trained racehorse to have won Royal Ascot, Equiano surprised everyone by winning this exact race in 2008 against odds of 22/1.

In what many will be hoping is a sign of good luck, Equiano and Estepona are trained by the same man – Mauricio Delcher Sanchez.

READ MORE – How does Spanish horse racing compare to Britain?

Estepona has a more difficult test to face than his countryman. Asfoora – an Australian raider, who won the race 12 months ago – and Believing a fellow mare, owned by Ballydoyle Racing and in foal to Frankel – widely regarded as the best flat turf horse ever – are the two current market leaders for the race. 

The total number of runners is 23.

Estepona could be helped by similar conditions to Spain. Ascot Racecourse will be baking in temperatures over 25C for the entire week. Racing is scheduled to take place on a surface described as Good to firm. 

To date, Estepona has won over €80,000 in prize money for his owners.

The colt was third, by four and a half lengths, in the Prix Marchand d’Or (a six-furlong listed race) held in Chantilly, France.