The horse racing broadcaster offers his best bets for each race on the opening day at Royal Ascot, including the race of the week, the St James's Palace Stakes.
What promises to be a sizzling Royal Ascot gets underway on Tuesday, where it is the mile races that hold centre stage. A weak looking division last season seems to have been transformed, with the Lockinge and 2000 Guineas both leaving the feeling that various lines of form can be reversed.
14:30 Queen Anne Stakes
The meeting starts with the traditional Group 1 curtain raiser, the Queen Anne for the older milers. The first four from the Lockinge all line up again on ground that is suitable for all of them. At Newbury, Lead Artist benefitted from being closest to the speed of the quartet in a race that was not run at a frantic pace. He briefly surrendered the lead to Dancing Gemini before rallying close to home, with Rosallion and Notable Speech far less suited by having to make ground and both returning off significant breaks.
Both this pair can fare better this time around, with NOTABLE SPEECH / (14:30 Ascot) preferred at the prices. He started his run in the Lockinge from further back and ran three sub-11-second furlongs to get into contention before those exertions told. He and Rosallion will both strip fitter this time, and last year’s UK and Irish 2000 Guineas winners still appeal as having more class than their rivals. Royal Ascot has not been a happy hunting ground for Charlie Appleby over the past couple of seasons, but it could get off to the perfect start here.
15:05 Coventry Stakes
Another stat that could be busted this year is the failure of Mehmas to have sired a Royal Ascot winner. He himself ran second to Caravaggio in the Coventry, which is the second race of the day, a 6f Group 2 race for two-year-olds that is traditionally recognised as the strongest juvenile race of the week. Mehmas was a pocket rocket who was retired at the end of his first season and his progeny have often led the way in the prices paid for Breeze Up horses.
Mehmas is represented here by Underwriter, a £200k Goffs Breeze purchase, along with Ballistic Missile who cost £260k as a yearling and is trained by Mehmas trainer Richard Hannon. Underwriter was very impressive at Ayr and with Zealaina lining up as a strong favourite in tomorrow’s Queen Mary, Mehmas will have few better years to get off the mark.
Personal preference, however, is for one at a bigger price coming from a yard that have a history of success in the race with Dilum (1991) and Sri Pekan (1994). AMERICAN GULF / (15:05 Ascot) was Paul and Oliver Cole’s first juvenile runner of the campaign when making all in a very professional manner at Windsor. Granted, this race is a good deal tougher, but that Oisin Murphy was on board at Windsor and was jocked up from an early stage here as well suggests his commitment to the cause. Perhaps it will the Old King, Cole who can once again land the Coventry.
15:40 King Charles III Stakes
By contrast to the Mile division, the sprinters have looked a modest bunch for a couple of seasons now and that is reflected in a large field over 5f here. Aussie sprinter Asfoorah beat Regional in the race last season but he has arrived later, has blinkers applied and may be more vulnerable. Regional is certainly still right in the mix after his Meydan third over 6f to another King Charles candidate in Believing. Connections have elected to run here, but my gut feeling was that the 6f Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee on Saturday would have suited him better.
When a division is open, though, it is best not to concentrate on the top of the market and instead try to find an outsider who could be trading over the odds. AMERICAN AFFAIR / (15:40 Ascot) is a useful handicapper where the big field helps him settle and retain his energy for a late surge. Smaller field Group races make that harder to achieve, and he saw too much daylight at Haydock last time and met trouble when beginning his effort. This big field with no standout has a Wokingham-type set up to it, and drawn to get good cover from stall 16 he could charge through late for Scottish trainer Jim Goldie.
16:20 St James’s Palace Stakes
The race of the week is the Group 1 St. James’s Palace, a mile race for three-year-olds on the round mile, which features a clash between the UK, Irish and French Guineas winners in Ruling Court, Field Of Gold and Henri Matisse. After the defections of Kyprios and Lake Victoria, there are very few odds-on favourites this week but FIELD OF GOLD / (16:20 Ascot) fully deserves the tag after his unlucky defeat at Newmarket was followed up by a barnstorming success in Ireland. Colin Keane took over that day and off the back of the victory was appointed as Juddmonte’s No. 1, so retains the ride.
The Round Mile does represent a challenge to the rider of a hold-up horse because the general tempo tends to be stronger early as riders are already aware of getting into a position to avoid covering ground round the bend. Having done so, they will often sit up in front and try and pack the field up, which can make navigating through the field more difficult. Ruling Court may be better placed in the run, but until the day of the race he was being trained for the Derby over 4f further, which isn’t ideal. William Buick will no doubt try and repeat the Newmarket tactics on Ruling Court in what looks a fascinating race, but with Windlord as a pacemaker, Field of Gold can stamp himself as the standout horse of his generation.
17:00 Ascot Stakes
The first handicap of the week is also the longest one at 2m 4f, and Chester Cup winner EAST INDIA DOCK / (17:00 Ascot) has strong claims. He seems to have carried over the improvement he showed over hurdles back on the level, and if so remains well enough handicapped. There will be plenty of interest in both the Royal runner here, Reaching High, and the horse who beat East India Dock in the Triumph Hurdle, Poniros, giving Willie Mullins a potent pair of chances, while Nurburgring has decent Flat form and should not be discounted.
17:35 Wolferton Stakes
The Listed Wolferton Stakes over 10f is up next, and last year’s runner up HAUNTED DREAM / (17:35 Ascot) can again go well. Just like last year, he does not carry the first Wathnan colours but had excuses tactically in a steadily run Group 3 last start. The 10f races can be among the roughest of the week and luck in the run is often in the lap of the gods.
18:10 Copper Horse Handicap
Chester Cup form is also on offer in the finale the 14f Copper Horse Handicap, courtesy of CABALLO DE MAR / (18:10 Ascot), who has won four of his five starts in 2025 and was runner-up in the Chester Cup. It is easy to assume that this would leave him vulnerable to darker horses in the field, but in this instance there don’t look to be many obvious candidates. Although the favourite French Master has looked as if blinkers could help him focus, they could also see him boil over beforehand.
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