Day Two of Royal Ascot is headlined by the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, the first of two races at the Royal Meeting worth £1m with nine horses set to line up for the feature at 4.20pm.
Three races precede that contest, though, starting with the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at 2.30pm. Zelaina has been well-touted for this race after an impressive debut at Nottingham last month and represents the Karl Burke stable who has won two of the last three runnings (2022 Dramatised, 2024 Leovanni).
The 2023 edition went to American runner Crimson Advocate for George Weaver after winning a Gulfstream qualifier and Lennilu aims to repeat the dose this year for trainer Patrick Biancone. Aidan O’Brien has never won the Queen Mary Stakes and True Love will bid to break that duck. She is yet to win but last time out was second to Gstaad who won the Group 2 Coventry Stakes on Tuesday.
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The Group 2 Queen’s Vase (3.05pm), by contrast, has been dominated by O’Brien in recent years having won six of the last 12 renewals, and eight in total. One more will take him past the late Henry Cecil as the most successful trainer in the race – Shackleton and Scandinavia are his two representatives in the contest. Fellow Irish trainer Paddy Twomey sends over the unbeaten Carmers whilst Asmarani, in the colours of Aga Khan Studs, travels over from France. John & Thady Gosden trained the winner in 2023 (Gregory) and they send out Devil’s Advocate, owned by Godolphin.
Running Lion Seeks Repeat
Running Lion defends her title in the Group 2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes at 3.40pm – she would be the first horse to ever win the race twice though this year’s task looks arguably tougher. Cinderella’s Dream streaked away with a Group 2 at Newmarket last time and carries a penalty for that whilst Fallen Angel won the Irish 1000 Guineas last year and has been purchased by Wathnan Racing. One Look, meanwhile, was second behind dual Royal Ascot heroine Porta Fortuna last time out and rarely runs a bad race.
Prince Of Wales’s Stakes Draws Top Class Field
The feature Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (4.20pm) looks hugely competitive with favourite Los Angeles winning a Group 1 at the Curragh in May – trainer Aidan O’Brien won this last year with Auguste Rodin. Anmaat came second behind Los Angeles last time and reopposes here, though connections have intimated that he may prefer softer ground – as he experienced when winning the Group 1 QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot in October. Map Of Stars was just denied in the Group 1 Prix Ganay in April and travels from France seeking a first top-level victory whilst Ombudsman suffered his first career defeat last month on seasonal reappearance but will surely strip fitter today. See The Fire, supplemented for the race last week, won a Group 2 by a scarcely believable 12 lengths last time and is well worth her place in this contest.
30 Go In Royal Hunt Cup
The Royal Hunt Cup will once again be a hugely competitive event with 30 runners set to line up at 5.00pm. That said, there are two potential handicap blots in here. My Cloud couldn’t have won more easily at Ascot in April and followed up at Newbury in May – with just five runs under his belt, there’s no doubt more to come. The Liffey, meanwhile, has had just four runs, including a solitary effort for new trainer Joseph O’Brien at Naas in May – Ryan Moore takes the ride, too. All that said, only one favourite has won the race in the last 15 runnings – that was Wild Tiger last year. At a bigger price, then, Qirat has run well at Ascot before including finishing second in the Schweppes Victoria Cup in May whilst Popmaster showed he was still in good heart last time in the same race and might still have a big race win in him.
Rainbow Edge Headliner in Kensington Palace Stakes
Rainbows Edge will be all the rage in the Kensington Palace Stakes (5.35pm). The four-year-old, owned by Their Majesties The King & Queen, won last time out over course and distance and would be a poignant winner having been bred by Queen Elizabeth II. She will have 23 rivals for the crown, though, with Arisaig – second that day – receiving 2lb more for that three-quarters of a length defeat. Jessica Harrington sent over the winner of the race in 2023 (Villanova Queen) and this year is represented by Serialise who was second in a similar big-field handicap last time. Arolla was second in a Listed race just 11 days ago and may find more improvement back in handicap company.
Windsor Castle Caps Card
We close with the Windsor Castle Stakes (6.10pm) as Rogue Legend looks to build on his quickfire successes at the end of May. Paddy Twomey’s colt won as he liked at Tipperary last time out and was sold to Resolute Racing recently, though previous owners The Rogues Gallery still have a solid contender for this in Rogue Supremacy, an odds-on winner at Wetherby at the start of the month. Old Is Gold, too, has changed hands in recent days, with Wathnan purchasing the twice-raced colt who broke his duck at Beverley last month. Aidan O’Brien, three times a winner of this race, sends out Kansas and First Approach – it’s interesting to note that Ryan Moore has picked the former, still a maiden after three runs including finishing third to the latter on debut.
