Royal Ascot 2018: Who is Bound For Nowhere, what race is he running in, what are his odds and should I bet on him?

PUNTERS will now have become used to the annual invasion of international runners at Royal Ascot.

Each year, horses from America, Australia and Asia travel to the UK to take part in the most famous Flat racing festival in the world - but who are they and are they worth a bet?

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US trainer Wesley Ward is now a familiar face at the Royal meeting, and he has enjoyed a huge amount of success at the fixture in recent years, winning nine races in total.

Last year, he saddled the classy Bound For Nowhere to finish fourth in a red-hot renewal of the Commonwealth Cup.

Now a four-year-old, the colt will return to the Berkshire track to tackle the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes on Saturday week.

The son of The Factor won his first two starts Stateside, at Turfway Park and Keeneland in Kentucky, before finishing fourth behind Caravaggio at Royal Ascot.

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He flopped when fancied to the Prix Maurice De Gheest in France on his final outing of 2017, but he has made a promising start to this campaign.

He won first time out at Turfway Park and most recently secured his biggest career victory in the Grade 2 Shakerstown Stakes at Keeneland.

Ward is bullish about the chances of Bound For Nowhere, who will attempt to follow in the footsteps of stablemate Undrafted who won the Diamond Jubilee three years ago.

Ward told the Racing Post: "I think he is going to run an unbelievable race, I'm really excited for that guy."

The colt has proven himself over the straight six furlongs at Ascot and he arrives this year off the back of a career best performance.

His trainer targets this meeting every year, so expect him to peak in the £600,000 Group 1 and run well at tempting odds of 12-1.