Its Royal Ascot -Let's Go Find Some Winners

Royal Ascot Only - Tuesday 16th June 2026

2.30pm

The Group One Queen Anne Stakes is a cracker of a contest to start with, and one that has seen five winning favourites in the last 10 years - but also winners at 33/1 (twice). This year looks as good as ever with the Charlie Appleby pairing of Opera Ballo and Notable Speech the best horses on official ratings, Docklands won this last year and is back for more as a six-year-old, and Ryan Moore rides the 100/1 outsider (also for Charlie Appleby), it just gets more interesting by the second! Assuming William Buick had the choice, the fact that he picked Notable Speech suggests he is the Godolphin number one, and after winning the Lockinge Stakes by two lengths (More Thunder in second), his fifth Group One, he certainly has a strong case. However, at 7/4 he seems short enough to me, and if the race is run as I hope he may struggle to catch Opera Ballo this afternoon. Billy Loughnane’s mount is a year younger, and has gone from strength to strength this year, winning the Al Rashidiya and the Jebel Hata at Meydan before impressing me with a three length victory in the bet365 Mile at Sandown where he made all to beat Irish 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes winner Fields Of Gold which is excellent form. Tactically adaptable he can make the running if needed or come from off the pace, and at 9/2 or so he looks the value call.  

3.05pm

I would take a guess that the fact that Confucious is trained by Aidan O’Brien and cost 1.7 million gns as a yearling has as much to do with his place at the head of the early markets for the Coventry Stakes as his comfortable win in a Naas maiden on his second start. We have seen five winning favourites in the last 10 years – but that also means five losing ones, and at 2/1, surely an each way alternative is the sensible move? As is often the case I see more questions than answers with 50/1 chance The Harv catching the eye after winning by the narrowest of margins for Irish trainer Michael O’Callaghan just over a week ago and being turned around quicky with Colin Keane in the saddle and he could surprise a few of these, James McDonald (leading the ranking for the Longines World’s Top Jockey Award) snapped up by Karl Burke to ride Ruler’s Pride for Wathnan racing, while retained jockey James Doyle presumably prefers Royal Heritage who is in the care of  Hamad Al Jehani. A once raced son of Blue Point who cost 800,000 Euros at the Arqana breeze-up sales in May, he bolted up at odds-on in a Hamilton maiden and is reported to have come on a bundle since.   

3.40pm

The first of the week’s big sprints is the King Charles III Stakes, where Asfoora looks to recapture the crown she won in 2024 before finishing fifth last year to American Affair, who reopposes for Jim Goldie. The ex-Australian mare has had two runs for Lemos De Souza and should now be cherry-ripe, making her a shoe in for my shortlist for this contest, officially back in the hands of Henry Dwyer. Fellow Aussie raider Overpass heads the betting as I write after he finished fourth to Joliestar in the T J Smith at Randwick, tiring late on over the six furlongs on soft ground, but a quicker surface here and a return to the minimum trip could see him home in front. He does look the likeliest winer but on official ratings he has 1lb to find with 25/1 chance Big Mojo and that price is just too much for me to resist for an each way play. Mick Appleby is a trainer I have plenty of time for and although the four-year-olds strike rate is only three in 13 starts, he did win the Group One Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock last September and has been competing at the highest level. A first run of the season when he only managed a five length seventh at York where he weakened late on over the six furlongs was hopefully little more than a prep-raced for this, and if that is the case we should get a decent run for our money.  

Joseph O'Brien SEVEN runners in one race!

4.20pm

The betting looks like it tells its own story here with six runners for the Group One St James’s Palace Stakes over the mile, but only two appearing to have a realistic chance. Gstaad in a top-class colt having won the Irish 2000 Guineas by three lengths but he still needs a step forward to get the better of Bow Echo. George Boughey’s son of Night Of Thunder won all three starts as a juvenile and was the talk of Newmarket ahead of his return at headquarters for the 2000 Guineas before being sent off the 9/2 third favourite, which looks a bargain with hindsight. Kept out the back early doors by Billy Loughnane, he started his run at the two pole, hit the front a furlong out, and went on to score by close to three lengths from Gstaad, with an impressive eight lengths back to the third. Although Aidan O’Brien felt Gstaad would improve for the run there is no reason why my selection won’t as well, and we could be looking at one of the best milers for many a year this afternoon.

5.00pm

Here come the handicaps and make no mistake, unless you are privy to inside information about a horse ahead of his or her mark, they are going to be hard to solve all week and should be treated accordingly. Two and a half miles takes some getting on the Flat but we see an Irish dominance numerically with Willie Mullins running two, Joseph O’Brien a ridiculous seven, and four others from the Emerald Isle – so 13 of the 20 runners, presumably they think their horses have a stamina edge? I hate going with the favourite for the sake of it, but the Mullins trained Reaching High was a desperately unlucky beaten favourite last year when repeatedly denied a run before finishing a four length ninth in a mess of a race. He has his first start since today yet has somehow been put up 1lb (go figure), but if Ryan Moore can get a clear run, he may make amends in the colours of The King. Although we all know the stable can get them as fit as a flea at home, I am wary that he may have been rushed here due to race conditions and the Country’s desire to see a winner in the Royal colours, and won’t be having anything more than a small bet for that reason alone.

5.35pm

The Wolferton Stakes over a mile and a quarter may “only” be Listed class, but it has still attracted a decent and competitive field headed according to the bookmakers’ early prices by Richard Hannon’s Haatem, and on official ratings by Ghostwriter and Wimbledon Hawkeye, so take your pick? Ghostwriter has flattered to deceive and has the ability for this, but 360 days off the track has to worry his supporters as it does me, and at the early prices I will risk a pound or two each way on Ancient Wisdom. Charlie Appleby’s gelding doesn’t win as often as he should with seven starts since his last success in the Group Three Bahrain trophy over much further at Newmarket, but he did win the Group One Futurity trophy at Doncaster as a two-year-old. Again we are looking at a horse having his first start of the season, but he only has 2lb to find on the ratings which may come from the first-time cheekpieces, and if he has the speed to drop back in trip (perhaps the biggest question of all), then the 18/1 could (only could) be an each way steal.

6.10pm

We end the Tuesday card with the Copper horse Stakes, a mile and three-quarter handicap seemingly designed to make sure every punter leaves penniless! One of the newer races with only six runnings to look at for clues, and even in that limited time we have already had a 33/1 winner.  I have reverted to the dreaded statistics for this one despite limited data and I soon noticed we have never had a winner drawn lower than the seven stall, all were aged four to six, all had an official rating of 95-101, all had finished in the first seven last time out, and all came from the first 10 in the betting ,and that leaves me with a list of six that needs pruning further. Stressfree was sorely temping for David O’Meara, the only trainer left who has won this race before, and the 22/1 shot could outrun his price if he repeats his best form, but luckily for me (famous last words), Valiancy is also on the list. The William Haggas trained son of Cracksman looked to have grown and matured before his return as a four-year-old at Hamilton where he won by a length and a quarter, but that only tells part of the story. Jockey James Doyle had to be remarkably patient that day when blocked off and repeatedly denied a run before having to switch, losing plenty of ground in the process, and when he did get out, the answer was pretty impressive as he powered down the middle to win going away. If there is a group class horse in this handicap he could well be it, though hopefully we won’t see similar issues a second time.     

Sean’s Suggestion:

Bow Echo 4.20pm Ascot