Key events
Greg Wood
5.00 ASCOT STAKES preview
Reaching High, the first royal runner of the meeting, is also likely to be the shortest-priced horse in the famous scarlet and purple silks this week and there is much more behind his short odds than blind patriotism. This is his first start since the same race 12 months ago, when he also favourite – at 11-4 – and went like a winner for much of the way until running into all sorts of traffic problems in the home straight. He eventually finished ninth, but less than four lengths behind the winner, and a return to Royal Ascot to attempt to set the record straight has presumably been the plan ever since. The fact that he has not run for a year is not really a concern given that he is trained by Willie Mullins, and his handicap mark remains the same too. For me, though, 2-1 is simply too short for a 20-runner Royal Ascot handicap that regularly throws up hard-luck stories and includes plenty of high-class rivals that have also been working towards this for months. Puturhandstogether, one of seven from the Joseph O’Brien stable, ran well behind a winning stablemate in the Chester Cup, and another of his runners, Small Fry, has been well backed this morning, perhaps because Oisin Murphy has been booked to take the reins. Colin Keane is also an eye-catching booking for the stable, though, aboard the mare Galileo Dame, and I fancy she has an each-way squeak having looked sure to appreciate this step up in trip last time.
Timeform top-rated: Reaching High
SELECTION: GALILEO DAME
Royal Ascot Procession List
1st Carriage
The King
The Queen
The Duke of Wellington
The Duchess of Wellington
2nd Carriage
The Princess Royal
Mr. Peter Phillips
Mrs. Peter Phillips
Sir Ben Elliot
3rd Carriage
The Duke of Gloucester
The Duchess of Gloucester
Mr. Gus Christie
Ms Danielle de Niese
4th Carriage
Mr. Matt Ramsden
Mrs. Matt Ramsden
Mr. Luke Irwin
Mrs. Luke Irwin
We’ll very soon get the Royal Procession details with the big talking point earlier this year that Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie would not be at Royal Ascot amid the continuing fallout of their father’s association with Jeffrey Epstein. That was first reported in the Mail on Sunday in February – then in April, Hello! magazine said they had been invited by the King! Let’s see who’s right as the week unfolds.
Greg Wood
4.20pm ST JAMES’S PALACE STAKES preview
The first feature event of the meeting and the first of the week’s star turns as Bow Echo, perhaps the most impressive winner of the 2,000 Guineas since the mighty Frankel, attempts to extend his unbeaten career record to five starts and give both George Boughey, his trainer, and Billy Loughnane, his rider, a first Group One winner at the meeting. This will be Bow Echo’s first start on a right-handed track but he went around a left-handed bend smoothly enough in the Ascendant Stakes at Haydock last year and on form, ratings and timefigures, he is clearly the colt to beat. There are very few straightforward assignments at this meeting, however, and in addition to the one-length Newmarket runner-up, Aidan O’Brien’s Gstaad, who has since added the Irish equivalent to his record, Charlie Appleby fields a fascinating late-developer in Talk Of New York. He simply skated up in the Heron Stakes at Sandown last month, posting a very strong time in the process thanks to a fierce early pace, and is definitely no forlorn hope to take the step up to Group One company in his stride. O’Brien’s second-string, Puerto Rico, can be given an each-way chance if he improves from his close fourth in the French 2,000 Guineas last time, but the expectation has to be that Bow Echo, the best 2,000 Guineas winner since Frankel on the ratings, will get the job done and retain his unbeaten record.
Timeform top-rated: Bow Echo
SELECTION: BOW ECHO
Oddschecker have provided us with the day’s market movers …
Rulers Pride (3.05pm) – 6/1 from 10/1
Tim Toe (5pm) – 10/1 from 20/1
Map Of Stars (5.35pm) 6/1 from 12/1
Greg Wood
3.40 KING CHARLES III STAKES preview
The biggest field for 20 years goes to post for the first Group One sprint of the meeting, headed by the leading Australian sprinter, Overpass, whose trainer, Bjorn Baker, likes a celebration. His vastly experienced eight-year-old gelding is without a win since November 2024, but he was around two lengths behind fellow-traveller Joliestar – a runner in the Jubilee Stakes on Saturday – in the Group One TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick in April. His best form – including a close fourth behind the brilliant Ya King Rising in the Everest in October, when he was run out of second only late on – is enough to put him top of the Timeform ratings and he has “a lot of frequent-flyer points” around Australia, according to his trainer, so will hopefully handle the travel. Rayevka is a fascinating runner for Francis-Henri Graffard, having put up a career-best when dropped back to five furlongs in a Group Three at Longchamp last month. She has solid course form too, having finished third in the Commonwealth Cup last summer and sixth of 19 in the Group One sprint here on Champions Day in October. The domestic speedsters are headed by Night Raider, a convincing winner of the Temple Stakes at Haydock last time. Karl Burke’s runner has regularly shown glimpses of blinding speed during his career to date but looks much more consistent this season having been gelded over the winter, and it’s interesting too that he won at Haydock despite being unusually slow to stride. Last year’s winner, American Affair, was a one-length second there on only his second start since last summer’s Group One breakthrough, and is another with obvious claims assuming that run has put him spot on for today. Another previous winner, meanwhile, is the Australian-trained mare Asfoora, who registered a smooth success two years ago. It takes a slight leap of faith to back her after she finished last behind Night Raider in the Temple (see above), but the ground at Haydock was softer than she prefers and her usual blinkers were left off. The blinds are back on today – along with a first-time tongue tie – and she has useful high draw near the stand rail.
Timeform top-rated: Overpass
SELECTION: ASFOORA
Greg Wood
3.05 COVENTRY STAKES preview
Aidan O’Brien is looking for a third win in four years – and a record-extending 12th success in all – in one of the juvenile highlights of the meeting, and his two main contenders have flip-flopped in the betting since Ryan Moore’s name appeared against Confucius at declaration time on Sunday morning. The general wisdom had been that O’Brien’s No.1 would be aboard the unbeaten Great Barrier Reef, a Group Three winner at the Curragh last time, but Wayne Lordan, the latest incumbent of what is surely the finest No.2 role in the game, gets the leg-up on that one while Moore is aboard Confucius, who was beaten first time up but got a maiden win on the board at Naas in May. The 22-runner field has many live alternatives, however, including Cut A Dash, from the Richard Hannon yard, who made a winning debut at York’s Dante meeting, and Night In Vegas, trained by Eve Johnston Houghton, who won first time up over this track and trip and then followed up in a three-runner contest at Goodwood. Ruler’s Pride, who cost £550k at the breeze-up sales in the spring, is another live contender for the Karl Burke stable, and he was backed as though defeat was out of the question for his three-runner debut at Ayr. Royal Heritage posted a good time when winning his only start so far at Hamilton, and Siouxperb (Archie Watson/Hector Crouch) is another once-raced winner to ponder, thanks to a four-length debut success at Yarmouth which was again very much heralded in the market.
Timeform top-rated: Great Barrier Reef.
SELECTION: CUT A DASH
Greg Wood
2.30 QUEEN ANNE STAKES preview
Charlie Appleby’s Notable Speech has been a warm favourite for the meeting’s traditional opening event since posting a convincing two-length success in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury with More Thunder next across the line. That was the five-year-old’s fifth Group One or Grade One win in all, including the 2,000 Guineas in 2024, but his first in Great Britain since the Sussex Stakes later that year. He was also the beaten 6-4 favourite in the St James’s Palace Stakes in 2024, on the round course here, and didn’t have much luck in running in this race last year, finishing fourth behind track specialist Docklands having taken a strong hold in the early stages. He did, though, go on to register two Grade One wins in North America, at Woodbine and then the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar. That course form is a slight concern but there is no knocking his consistency overall, as this will be his 14th consecutive start at the highest level and he has won five of the previous 13. Appleby, meanwhile, has not saddled a Group One winner at this meeting since Naval Crown in the Jubilee in 2022, but has a strong hand in this contest as he also saddles the second-favourite, Opera Ballo. He powered three lengths clear of Field Of Gold, last year’s St James’s Palace winner, in the Bet365 Mile at Sandown in April, with Zeus Olympios, also a major runner today, another three-quarters away in third on his debut at Group One level. Docklands cannot be ruled out either given his exceptional form over track and trip, while More Thunder was tackling a mile for the first time for his current trainer at Newbury, can be expected to improve for the experience and has a hold-up running style that should be suited by Ascot’s stiff uphill finish.
Timeform top-rated: Notable Speech.
SELECTION: MORE THUNDER
Going to start posting race previews … apparently the long-time favourite in the first race at 2.30pm, Notable Speech, is proving weak in the market.
Good morning and welcome to day one of Royal Ascot. Plenty to look forward to on and off the track – that’s the beauty of the meeting plenty happening, not just out on the manicured turf. One thing you won’t need to worry about is the weather. It’s set to be dry and sunny and getting warmer all week too.
The official going for day one ois: Good to Firm, Good in places.
The GoingStick readings at 8.30am suggest the clerk of the course Chris Stickels has played a blinder already with no advantage on any part of the straight track:
Stands’ side: 8.6
Centre: 8.6
Far side: 8.6
Round: 7.6
Preamble
Greg Wood
Hello and welcome to Ascot on day one of the Royal meeting 2026. The World Cup may be sucking a lot of the oxygen from the sporting atmosphere at the moment, but there’s an alternative global sporting highlight to enjoy right here in the UK – and there’s no need to take out a second mortgage or run the gauntlet of US immigration.
Many of the finest racehorses on the planet will be racing in Berkshire this week, including fancied runners from Australia, Japan and the United States, and we are set-fair weatherwise for a memorable five days, too. The Arc winner, Daryz, is here on Wednesday, there are several fancied runners in the royal colours sprinkled across the first four days – including a favourite later on today’s card.
The feature event on day one – the only afternoon of the five which has three Group One races on the schedule – is the St James’s Palace Stakes at 4.20, when the 2,000 Guineas winner, Bow Echo, will put his unbeaten record on the line against Gstaad, the 2,000 Guineas winner in Ireland, and a fascinating up-and-comer in Talk of New York.
But the opening Queen Anne Stakes is a cracker too, with half a dozen runners at 12-1 or shorter, and no fewer than 26 sprinters will line up for the King Charles III Stakes over five furlongs at 3.40. Add in the Coventry Stakes at 3.05 – which was won by Gstaad 12 months ago – and the Ascot Stakes at 5.00, where Reaching High, in the royal colours, will bid to atone for a luckless run last year, and there is something for everyone.
The official going ahead of today’s card is good-to-firm, good in places, and a warm, dry day is in prospect. Picks for the opening afternoon are here, the Ascot Gavotte from My Fair Lady is here to get you in the mood, and the blog will, of course, also be here throughout the afternoon as all the action unfolds.
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