Classic Winners Set to Clash at Royal Ascot

Lake Victoria Heads Coronation Stakes

Lake Victoria was imperious in regaining the winning thread in the Irish 1000 Guineas and the Aidan O’Brien-trained, Coolmore-owned filly is among 20 going forward for the Coronation Stakes. She could face Zarigana, the winner of the French 1000 Guineas in the stewards’ room, with Nemone Routh, racing manager to the Aga Khan Studs, telling the Racing Post that the plan is to head to Royal Ascot next: “We had a think about whether we wanted to go to the Prix de Diane. Francis [Graffard, trainer] was quite clear, he much preferred going to the Coronation Stakes. I think he felt he wanted to keep her to a mile, that’s how he’s trained her this year. He likes running horses at Ascot, he’s had good luck there. It’s good for us as an organisation to show our top horses outside of France and Ireland as well sometimes.” Graffard previously won this race in 2019 with Watch Me.

Queen Anne Looks Wide Open

An ultra-competitive-looking Queen Anne Stakes, the opener to the Royal Meeting, has seen all the major contenders stand their ground at the latest entry stage. Lead Artist, Dancing Gemini, Rosallion and Notable Speech were the first four home in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury and all four are still hoping to line up at Royal Ascot amongst a total of 20 entries.

Carl Spackler Invades From U.S.

International intrigue was added to the race over the weekend with the news that three-time US Grade 1 winner Carl Spackler will race in the Queen Anne Stakes before moving to Australia. The five-year-old was purchased by Yulong Developments and is now under the stewardship of Ciaron Maher with the trainer commenting: “The team and I are incredible excited to race a genuine world-class horse and three-time Grade 1 winner on the world’s biggest stage and represent Australian racing in the Queen Anne Stakes.” 

Carl Spackler will be the first Australian-trained horse to run in the Group 1 mile race for older horses and will aim to become the first horse trained outside Europe to win the race since Tepin in 2016 – he will need to be supplemented on 11^th June. Porta Fortuna, meanwhile, could be the first horse to win three separate races at Royal Ascot since Canford Cliffs, having won the Albany Stakes in 2023 and the Coronation Stakes last year. Trainer Donnacha O’Brien told reporters: “The Queen Anne seems likely, we have the option of that or the Duke of Cambridge, but I think she won [the Landwades Stud Stakes, Sunday] so nicely and she’s training good and she’s happy and healthy. I think we have to look at the Queen Anne.”

Asfoora Looks for Repeat

To more mares chasing history as last year’s King Charles III Stakes winner Asfoora leads 34 still entered in this year’s renewal. The six-year-old returned to action this year with a Group 3 win at Morphettville and will stay in Newmarket before lining up on the Tuesday of the Royal Meeting. If victorious, she would be the first non-European horse to defend a Royal Ascot title – trainer Henry Dwyer told reporters: “That would be a nice [achievement]. There’s another stat that no Australian horse has ever won a race in France and no Australian-trained horse has ever raced in Ireland. There’re all sorts of little things that we can tick off on the way just for a bit of posterity I suppose. Breaking new ground and that sort of stuff is what it is all about and she managed to do it last year and hopefully can tick off a couple more boxes this year.” Her likely challengers include George Boughey’s Believing, purchased by Coolmore and Resolute Racing over the winter, and Mgheera, successful in Haydock Park’s Temple Stakes over the weekend.

The Gold Cup will add a new name to its roll of honour this year after the news broke on Tuesday morning that two-time champion Kyprios has been retired. Coolmore wrote on X: “Due to an aggravation of an old ringbone lesion we have decided to take no chances with Kyprios and although he is currently sound and doing well the decision has been made to retire him from racing.” 

Ballydoyle will still be strongly represented with Illinois, last year’s Queen’s Vase winner, and Jan Brueghel, victorious in the St. Leger Stakes ahead of Illinois, among 18 still entered in the race. Candelari, a Group 1 winner at Longchamp last weekend, is an intriguing contender for Francis Graffard and the Aga Khan Studs with Nemone Routh telling the Racing Post: “That was only his fifth race, his second time on grass. He’s very talented, still quite immature. So there’s probably still some progress to come. It’s a big ask to go to Ascot against all of Aidan O’Brien’s but I get the feeling he’ll stay the trip.” Courage Mon Ami, the 2023 winner, will also miss the race due to injury.

The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes sees Japanese runner Satono Reve remain among 25 entries in the race. The six-year-old was second behind superstar sprinter Ka Ying Rising in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize at Sha Tin last time out and had previously won the Grade 1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen in great style. There will be plenty of challengers with Lazzat, last seen dominating a Listed race at Chantilly, likely to feature among the market principals. Inisherin won last year’s Commonwealth Cup over course and distance whilst Kind Of Blue won the QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes at QIPCO British Champions Day – both have stayed in training in their fourth year and add more interest to what looks an extremely competitive event.

Prince of Wales’s Contentious

The Prince Of Wales’s Stakes is another race which looks hotly contested with Tattersalls Gold Cup one-two Los Angeles and Anmaat among 17 still in the race. Economics, last seen finishing sixth in the QIPCO Champion Stakes behind Anmaat, is also set to make his return to action in the Group 1 contest. Map Of Stars, second in the Prix Ganay, could lead the French challenge with Francis Graffard’s colt receiving a form boost over the weekend when his conqueror that day,

Sosie, sauntered to victory in the Prix d’Ispahan. Facteur Cheval, meanwhile, will have his first run over ten furlongs in the race for trainer Jerôme Reynier, with Flavien Prat booked to ride for Team Valor’s six-year-old – this will be the two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic-winning jockey’s first time riding at Royal Ascot.

The Commonwealth Cup, the Group 1 sprint for three-year-olds, sees 29 go forward. Shadow Of Light for Charlie Appleby and Godolphin was most recently third in the 2000 Guineas but showed top-class form at six furlongs as a juvenile, whilst Babouche was also a Group 1 winner at two and was mightily impressive in dispatching Whistlejacket in the Lacken Stakes at Naas last time out.

The aforementioned Whistlejacket, Jonquil, Big Mojo and Arabian Dusk are among the other top names still engaged at this stage.