Key events
Going to be hot this week so take your sun cream if going to the races as a yellow heat-health alerts have been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for most of England from midday on Wednesday until 6pm on Sunday.
An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25C to 28C in different parts of the UK.
Temperatures are predicted to reach 27C on Tuesday and Wednesday, 29C on Thursday, 30C by Friday, then 32C on Saturday and peak at 33C on Sunday, the Met Office said.
Greg Wood
6.10pm COPPER HORSE STAKES HANDICAP preview
There’s no doubt about the likely favourite for this 14-furlong handicap, as John & Thady Gosden’s French Master has been a warm order since being pointed towards this race after a luckless but ultimately successful run at Goodwood last time out. He was snatched up before the turn for home, ran into further trouble in the straight and was switched with less than a quarter-of-a-mile to run before getting up to win by a neck. He went up by just 4lb as a result and wears blinkers for the first time today. He is also top on Timeform’s ratings, but faces an interesting and unexposed rival in Willie Mullins’s Charlus, whose trainer has won the last two runnings of this race. He has had just two starts for the stable after a short but promising Flat career for Jean-Claude Rouget in France, and while he showed very little when finishing a well-beaten 12th in the Triumph Hurdle in March, if Mullins is running him here, he has clearly shown some encouragement at home. Ryan Moore has been booked to ride and he could well be the one to give the favourite most to do.
SELECTION: CHARLUS
Greg Wood
5.35pm WOLFERTON STAKES preview
We’re getting into the tail end of the card here but there are precious few races at the Royal meeting that can be left to one side and this is an intriguing contest between horses with solid form at a much higher level and others that are progressing up the ladder. King’s Gambit, with top Australian rider James McDonald booked to ride, ran seventh in the Group One Champion Stakes at this track last October, when he was sent off at 14-1, and was also second, beaten less than a length, in the Hampton Court Stakes over course and distance at last year’s Royal meeting. He has long promises to be a legitimate Group-race performer but the slight concern has to be that he has not added to his win in the London Gold Cup Handicap at Newbury in May 2024 in six attempts. A few lucky punters have backed Joseph O’Brien’s Sons And Lovers at long odds and he was less than three lengths behind the Group One-winning Los Angeles at the Curragh in early May, while Enfjaar will surely build on his seven-length fifth in the Group Three Brigadier Gerard Stakes in May, his first start since September. I’ll delve a little further down the odds in this race though and take a chance on Richard Fahey’s Ecureuil Secret, the easy winner of a handicap at Epsom’s Derby meeting earlier this month. He bolted up by four lengths in a time that strongly suggested he is much improved this season having been gelded over the winter. Fast ground, admittedly, is a slight concern but he does not have the action of a soft-ground specialist and is also in the early stages of his career with Fahey with further improvement a distinct possibility.
SELECTION: ECUREUIL SECRET
Royal Procession Stakes, 2pm
Here are the runners and riders in the carriages coming down the track in two hours’ time:
1st Carriage
The King
The Queen
Prince Faisal bin Salman Al Saud
The Lady Sarah Keswick
2nd Carriage
The Princess Royal
The Duke of Wellington
The Duchess of Wellington
Mrs. Annabel Elliot
3rd Carriage
Mr. Peter Phillips
Mrs. Harriet Sperling
Mr. Anthony Horowitz
Mrs. Anthony Horowitz
4th Carriage
Mr. Henry Morton Jack
The Lady Joanna Morton Jack
The Lord Vestey
Lady Vestey
This year it’s the 200th anniversary of the first royal procession and this is also the time our regular reader knows when I mention the Serpentine gallery exhibition by artist Mark Wallinger I saw back in 1994 when one of his installations, called ‘Royal Ascot’, consisted of a series of video monitors on top of wheeled flight cases, each isolating the royal carriage’s leisurely progress down the track on the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (respectively, as it was then) of the meeting with, as the British Council points out in their description of the artwork, “the difference from day to day is barely discernible, just as the four commentaries merge in a confused blather.”
Queen’s Hat Stakes 2pm
Our regular reader will be well aware we always have the first betting heat, a fashion one, before the raccing gets underway. What colour will Camilla’s hat be?
William Hill are providing betting with the current odds as follows:
Blue 5/2, Pink 4/1, Yellow 5/1, Brown 7/1, White 7/1, Green 7/1, Grey 14/1, Purple 14/1, Black 16/1, Orange 16/1 Red 16/1
Greg Wood
5pm ASCOT STAKES HANDICAP preview
The first handicap at this year’s Royal meeting and it’s a cracker, with all eyes on Willie Mullins’s Reaching High in his attempt to give the King and Queen their second Royal winner. The four-year-old was bred by the late Queen Elizabeth II from her Gold Cup-winning mare, Estimate, and made a historic switch to the County Carlow yard after Sir Michael Stoute’s retirement at the end of last season, becoming the first horse owned by a reigning British monarch to be trained in Ireland. He is stepping up a mile in trip today, though, and while he was widely expected to set off as the favourite, an interesting betting move has seen him supplanted by his stable companion, Poniros, the mount of William Buick and the 100-1 winner of the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham back in March. East India Dock, who is also in today’s field, was the warm favourite for the Triumph and finished less than a length behind the winner, but is carrying 6lb more than Poniros today thanks to a subsequent win in the highly-competitive Chester Cup. The market’s logic seems to be that if East India Dock is still well-handicapped after an 8lb rise for his win on the Roodee, then Poniros is potentially *very* well handicapped back on the Flat, having backed up his Cheltenham run with a strong second in a Grade One hurdle at Punchestown in April. Other runners to consider include Divine Comedy, the runner-up in this race last year off a 2lb lower mark, while Alphonse Le Grande and Manxman were separated by just a nose when first and second respectively in the Cesarewitch Handicap over two-and-a-quarter miles last October.
SELECTION: PONIROS
Greg Wood
4.20pm ST JAMES’S PALACE STAKES preview
A much-anticipated meeting of the three Guineas winners from England, France and Ireland with the three-year-old miling championship on the line, and there is a further score to settle following Field Of Gold’s defeat by Ruling Court in the Newmarket Classic. Field Of Gold went down by a fast-diminishing half-length after Kieren Shoemark delayed his run by a stride or two and it was enough to cost the rider his job as John & Thady Gosden’s No.1 (or, to be precise, the first choice for owners without a retained jockey of their own). Colin Keane then took over for his emphatic success at the Curragh and he has since been appointed as the Juddmonte operation’s first retained rider in Europe for more than 10 years. The French form, meanwhile, is represented by Henri Matisse, while Aidan O’Brien’s colt was also a Grade One-winning two-year-old in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar. It is between the three of them according to the betting and Henri Matisse, who showed a fine turn of foot to run down the useful Jonquil at Longchamp, looked ideally suited by a right-handed mile on quick ground. He could well be the value bet in today’s field at around 4-1.
Form guides: 2,000 Guineas, Newmarket, 3 May 25 (Ruling Court, Field Of Gold).https://youtu.be/9nwvKAfocgQ?feature=shared
Irish 2,000 Guineas, the Curragh, 24 May 25 (Field Of Gold, Rashabar). https://youtu.be/hVspaolF2hk?feature=shared
Poule D’Essai Des Poulains (French 2,000 Guineas), Longchamp 11 May 25 (Henri Matisse). https://youtu.be/K9fnT3ZtFXI?feature=shared
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, Del Mar, 1 Nov 24 (Henri Matisse). https://youtu.be/Cln12CMWVyo?feature=shared
Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, Longchamp, 6 Oct 24 (Rashabar, Field Of Gold, Henri Matisse). https://youtu.be/9plhDoYTHeY?feature=shared
SELECTION: HENRI MATISSE
Greg Wood
3.40pm KING CHARLES III STAKES preview
“What are the Aussies sending over?” is becoming the standard starting point for weighing up this five-furlong sprint, following wins for Chris Waller’s Nature Strip and Henry Dwyer’s mare Asfoora in 2022 and 2024 respectively, and the latter is back is for another crack. She went on to finish second in the King George Stakes at Goodwood and then fourth in the Nunthorpe at York, but unlike in 2024, when she arrived here after a prep run at Haydock in late May, she has not raced since finishing seventh – over six furlongs – in a Group One at Morphettville in April. Live opponents include Regional, who was a length behind her in second 12 months ago and George Boughey’s classy and consistent filly Believing, who was not far away in fourth and went on to run well in a string of top sprints over the summer and autumn, culminating in a close third in the Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp on Arc day. She was then sold for 3m gns (£3.15m) to a group that includes the “lads” from Coolmore Stud and leading US-based owner, John Stewart, making a huge profit on the 70k gns she cost as a yearling to race for a Highclere Thoroughbred Racing syndicate, and then recouped around £700k of that price tag with a win over six furlongs in the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan in early April. Night Raider, third in the Duke Of York Stakes in May, is right in the mix on the ratings, while Ed Walker’s Mgheera was down the field behind several of today’s rivals in last year’s Prix de l’Abbaye but looked much improved for switch to a new yard when beating several of today’s field in the Temple Stakes at Haydock, and she is another with decent each-way claims in what promises to be a fast, furious and immensely competitive sprint.
KEY FORM: King Charles III Stakes, Royal Ascot, 18 Jun 24 (Asfoora, Regional, Believing). https://youtu.be/S__jJg4pitc?feature=shared
Al Quoz Sprint, Meydan, 5 Apr 25 (Believing, Regional). https://youtu.be/GSoV-NbR2TY?feature=shared
Duke Of York Stakes, York, 14 May 25 (Night Raider, Kerdos). https://youtu.be/mbAGWEG1u00?feature=shared
Prix de l’Abbaye, Longchamp, 6 Oct 24 (Believing, Mgheera, Starlust, Kerdos). https://youtu.be/9ffApnW0cVg?feature=shared
Temple Stakes, Haydock, 24 May 25 (Mgheera, Washington Heights, Starlust, American Affair, Rumstar) https://youtu.be/YPWGusMgHco?feature=shared
SELECTION: ASFOORA
Greg Wood
3.05 pm COVENTRY STAKES preview
As ever, a long list of lightly-raced and, for the most part, unbeaten colts line up for the first significant two-year-old race of the season, and a shortening favourite in Aidan O’Brien’s Gstaad, a 450k purchase at the foal sales and a half-brother to the Group One-winning 2023 juvenile, Vandeek. He took a Navan maiden by three-quarters of a length on debut in mid-May, but it was a better performance than the bare form suggests as he was forced to switch over a furlong out and still chased down his stable-companion – and favourite – True Love, who has been declared for tomorrow’s Queen Mary Stakes here. The main opposition, in the market at least, looks likely to come from
Hamad al Jehani’s Postmodern, who made a very taking debut at Yarmouth on 22 May, He jumped, he travelled and he put the race to bed with a fine turn of foot. Charlie Appleby’s Military Code has also looked like a potential top-notcher in his two races so far, at Newmarket and Ascot, while a lengthy list of runners with no end of potential improvement in them includes American Gulf, who travelled beautifully on the way to an easy debut win at Windsor and could well be the pick of the prices, and Kevin Ryan’s Rock On Thunder, while Gstaad’s stable companion Warsaw, with Derby-winning jockey Wayne Lordan in the saddle, is a decent second-string as O’Brien goes for a record-extending 11th win in this race.
SELECTION: AMERICAN GULF
Greg Wood
I’m going to start putting up some early previews as they come in for our racing correspondent Greg Wood at Ascot …
2.30pm QUEEN ANNE STAKES preview
For better or worse – and I personally feel that it can tend to get a little lost – the older Group One milers provide the traditional opener for the Royal meeting on the straight course, and as is often the case, the form of the Group One Lockinge Stakes at Newbury last month is the obvious place to start. Lead Artist beat Dancing Gemini by a neck with Rosallion and Notable Speech, last year’s 2,000 Guineas winners in Ireland and England respectively, following them home, and all four are taking each other on again here. Rosallion and Notable Speech were both making their seasonal debuts at Newbury, while Lead Artist had the benefit of a pipe-opener in April and Dancing Gemini had two races in the book already, so the two Classic winners would be expected to come on for the outing and Rosallion – top-rated by Timeform – is the current favourite at around 9-4 to find the necessary improvement. One potential up-and-comer that might give the Lockinge principals something to think about is Lake Forest, who landed one of the world’s richest races, the $10m Golden Eagle at Randwick in Australia, for William Haggas in November. He had a very considerate re-introduction to racing in a Group Three at Longchamp in late May. Supplementary entry Carl Spackler, a three-times Grade One winner on turf in the States who is taking in this race on his way to a new chapter of his racing life in Australia, adds an international dimension, his latest success came in the Makers Mark Mile at Keeneland in early April. For me, the pair that make most appeal at the current odds are NOTABLE SPEECH and Lake Forest, and I’ll side with last year’s 2,000 Guineas winner at around 5-1 as there is nothing to choose between Charlie Appleby’s runner and Rosallion on form and this stiff mile could suit him a little better than Lake Forest.
KEY FORM:
Lockinge Stakes, Newbury, 17 May 25 (Lead Artist, Dancing Gemini, Rosallion, Notable Speech). https://youtu.be/l3S0LM5hnTY?feature=shared
Golden Eagle, Rosehill, 2 Nov 24 (Lake Forest). https://youtu.be/GHDHsGRR-Ws?feature=shared
Makers Mark Mile, Keeneland, 11 Apr 25 (Carl Spackler). https://youtu.be/2lRE7LuCD-w?feature=shared
SELECTION: NOTABLE SPEECH
The single most important variable in assessing a horse race is the going, the surface the horses are due to run on.
The going for day one is Good to Firm, good in places. I can say with some certainty that that will not change much all week with the sun set fair.
GoingStick at 8am:
Stands’ side: 8.3
Centre: 8.3
Far side: 8.6
Round course: 7.3
In other words a tadge faster for the horses running down the far side the one opposite the stands (those drawn low in the races on the straight course)
Scratch these off your list. These are the horses that won’t be turning up this afternoon along with their sick notes!
2.30pm Queen Anne Stakes
11 Sardinian Warrior (self cert – off colour)
3.40pm King Charles III Stakes
2 Bucanero Fuerte (running a temperature)
18 No Half Measures (not eaten up)
Good morning. Here’s the run down of the action today:
2.30pm – Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1) 1m
3.05pm – Coventry Stakes (Group 2) 6f
3.40pm – King Charles III Stakes (Group 1) 5f
4.20pm – St James’s Palace Stakes (Group 1) 1m
5.00pm – Ascot Stakes (Handicap) (Class 2) 2m 4f
5.35pm – Wolferton Stakes (Listed) 1m 2f
6.10pm – Copper Horse Stakes (Handicap) (Class 2) 1m 6f
Preamble
Greg Wood
Good morning from Ascot on day one of the 2025 Royal meeting … and what a morning! The sun is out, the temperatures are climbing past 20C already and the best news of all is that the fine weather is looking set for the week.
Royal Ascot’s immutability is one of the wonders of the modern age. Nothing really seems to faze it – whatever the weather, however troubled the times, it keeps on keeping on, just as it always has, despite significant “under the bonnet” changes to the race programme that have seen it expand from four days and 24 races to five days and 35 in only around 20 years.
Tradition is stamped all over it with the permanence of a tattoo, and that includes their insistence on kicking off the week with three of the eight Group One events in the space of the first four races. The Queen Anne Stakes (2.30pm, all times BST), at the top of the card, is a wide-open renewal with two Classic winners from last season in the field, the Australian mare Asfoora is back to attempt a repeat win in the King Charles III Stakes (3.40pm) and the spring’s three major 2,000 Guineas winners are all going to post for the St James’s Palace Stakes at 4.20pm.
The early betting news today is that Henri Matisse, the French 2,000 Guineas winner, is out to 4-1 for the St James’s Palace while Ruling Court, who took the original 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, is solid at 100-30 behind the odds-on favourite, Field Of Gold.
Ryan Moore, meanwhile, starts the week as the odds-on favourite to finish as the meeting’s top jockey for the 12th time in all and the fourth year in a row, while Aidan O’Brien, his main backer, is also odds-on to land the trainers’ title, in his case for the ninth time in 11 years.
The going is good to firm – perfect summer racing ground – and the action on the track is under way at 2.30pm, (or about 1.55pm if you include the royal procession, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year). And you can, as ever, find all the news, views, results, betting and more here on the blog until the crowd are belting out all the old favourites around the bandstand after racing.
