Key occasions
Queen’s Hat Stakes 2pm
Our common reader will probably be nicely mindful we at all times have the primary having a bet warmth, a manner one, prior to the raccing will get underway. What color will Camilla’s hat be?
William Hill are offering having a bet with the present 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 yr’s Royal assembly and it’s a cracker, with all eyes on Willie Mullins’s Reaching High in his try to give the King and Queen their moment Royal winner. The four-year-old was once bred through the past due Queen Elizabeth II from her Gold Cup-winning mare, Estimate, and made a historical transfer to the County Carlow backyard after Sir Michael Stoute’s retirement on the finish of final season, turning into the primary horse owned through a reigning British monarch to be skilled in Ireland. He is stepping up a mile in commute these days, regardless that, and whilst he was once extensively anticipated to spark off as the favorite, a fascinating having a bet transfer has observed him supplanted through his steady associate, Poniros, the mount of William Buick and the 100-1 winner of the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham again in March. East India Dock, who may be in these days’s box, was once the nice and cozy favorite for the Triumph and completed lower than a size in the back of the winner, however is wearing 6lb greater than Poniros these days because of a next win in the highly-competitive Chester Cup. The marketplace’s good judgment appears to be that if East India Dock remains to be well-handicapped after an 8lb upward thrust for his win at the Roodee, then Poniros is doubtlessly *very* nicely handicapped again at the Flat, having subsidized up his Cheltenham run with a powerful moment in a Grade One hurdle at Punchestown in April. Other runners to imagine come with Divine Comedy, the runner-up on this race final yr off a 2lb decrease mark, whilst Alphonse Le Grande and Manxman had been separated through only a nostril when first and moment respectively within the Cesarewitch Handicap over two-and-a-quarter miles final October.
SELECTION: PONIROS

Greg Wood
4.20pm ST JAMES’S PALACE STAKES preview
A miles-anticipated assembly of the 3 Guineas winners from England, France and Ireland with the three-year-old miling championship at the line, and there’s a additional rating to settle following Field Of Gold’s defeat through Ruling Court within the Newmarket Classic. Field Of Gold went down through a fast-diminishing half-length after Kieren Shoemark behind schedule his run through a stride or two and it was once sufficient to price the rider his activity as John & Thady Gosden’s No.1 (or, to be exact, the primary selection for house owners and not using a retained jockey of their very own). Colin Keane then took over for his emphatic luck on the Curragh and he has since been appointed because the Juddmonte operation’s first retained rider in Europe for greater than 10 years. The French shape, in the meantime, is represented through Henri Matisse, whilst Aidan O’Brien’s colt was once additionally a Grade One-winning two-year-old within the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar. It is between the 3 of them consistent with the having a bet and Henri Matisse, who confirmed a effective flip of foot to run down the helpful Jonquil at Longchamp, seemed perfectly suited through a right-handed mile on fast floor. He may just nicely be the worth guess in these days’s box at round 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 turning into the usual place to begin for weighing up this five-furlong dash, following wins for Chris Waller’s Nature Strip and Henry Dwyer’s mare Asfoora in 2022 and 2024 respectively, and the latter is again is for every other crack. She went on to complete moment within the King George Stakes at Goodwood after which fourth within the Nunthorpe at York, however in contrast to in 2024, when she arrived right here after a prep run at Haydock in past due May, she has no longer raced since completing 7th – over six furlongs – in a Group One at Morphettville in April. Live fighters come with Regional, who was once a size in the back of her in moment 12 months in the past and George Boughey’s elegant and constant filly Believing, who was once round the corner in fourth and went directly to run nicely in a string of peak sprints over the summer season and autumn, culminating in a detailed 3rd within the Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp on Arc day. She was once then offered for 3m gns (£3.15m) to a bunch that comes with the “lads” from Coolmore Stud and main US-based proprietor, John Stewart, making an enormous benefit at the 70okay gns she value as a yearling to race for a Highclere Thoroughbred Racing syndicate, after which recouped round £700okay of that price ticket with a win over six furlongs within the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan in early April. Night Raider, 3rd within the Duke Of York Stakes in May, is true within the combine at the rankings, whilst Ed Walker’s Mgheera was once down the sphere in the back of a number of of these days’s opponents in final yr’s Prix de l’Abbaye however seemed a lot progressed for transfer to a brand new backyard when beating a number of of these days’s box within the Temple Stakes at Haydock, and he or she is every other with respectable each-way claims in what guarantees to be a quick, livid and immensely aggressive dash.
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 protracted listing of lightly-raced and, for essentially the most phase, unbeaten colts line up for the primary important two-year-old race of the season, and a shortening favorite in Aidan O’Brien’s Gstaad, a 450okay acquire on the foal gross sales and a half-brother to the Group One-winning 2023 juvenile, Vandeek. He took a Navan maiden through three-quarters of a size on debut in mid-May, however it was once a greater efficiency than the naked shape suggests as he was once pressured to change over a furlong out and nonetheless chased down his stable-companion – and favorite – True Love, who has been declared for the next day’s Queen Mary Stakes right here. The major opposition, out there a minimum of, seems prone to come from
Hamad al Jehani’s Postmodern, who made an excessively taking debut at Yarmouth on 22 May, He jumped, he travelled and he put the race to mattress with a effective flip of foot. Charlie Appleby’s Military Code has additionally seemed like a possible top-notcher in his two races to this point, at Newmarket and Ascot, whilst a long listing of runners without a finish of attainable growth in them contains American Gulf, who travelled superbly on methods to a very simple debut win at Windsor and may just nicely be the pick out of the costs, and Kevin Ryan’s Rock On Thunder, whilst Gstaad’s steady associate Warsaw, with Derby-winning jockey Wayne Lordan within the saddle, is a good second-string as O’Brien is going for a record-extending 11th win on this race.
SELECTION: AMERICAN GULF

Greg Wood
I’m going to start out placing up some early previews as they arrive in for our racing correspondent Greg Wood at Ascot …
2.30pm QUEEN ANNE STAKES preview
For higher or worse – and I for my part really feel that it might generally tend to get a bit of misplaced – the older Group One milers give you the conventional opener for the Royal assembly at the immediately path, and as is ceaselessly the case, the type of the Group One Lockinge Stakes at Newbury final month is the most obvious position to start out. Lead Artist beat Dancing Gemini through a neck with Rosallion and Notable Speech, final yr’s 2,000 Guineas winners in Ireland and England respectively, following them house, and all 4 are taking every single different on once more right here. Rosallion and Notable Speech had been each making their seasonal debuts at Newbury, whilst Lead Artist had the advantage of a pipe-opener in April and Dancing Gemini had two races within the guide already, so the 2 Classic winners can be anticipated to return on for the day out and Rosallion – top-rated through Timeform – is the present favorite at round 9-4 to search out the important growth. One attainable up-and-comer that may give the Lockinge principals one thing to take into consideration is Lake Forest, who landed one of the most international’s richest races, the $10m Golden Eagle at Randwick in Australia, for William Haggas in November. He had an excessively thoughtful re-introduction to racing in a Group Three at Longchamp in past due May. Supplementary access Carl Spackler, a three-times Grade One winner on turf within the States who’s taking on this race on his approach to a brand new bankruptcy of his racing existence in Australia, provides a world measurement, his newest luck got here within the Makers Mark Mile at Keeneland in early April. For me, the pair that make maximum attraction on the present odds are NOTABLE SPEECH and Lake Forest, and I’ll aspect with final yr’s 2,000 Guineas winner at round 5-1 as there’s not anything to choose from Charlie Appleby’s runner and Rosallion on shape and this stiff mile may just go well with him a bit of higher 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 unmarried maximum vital variable in assessing a horse race is the going, the outside the horses are because of run on.
The going for day one is Good to Firm, excellent in puts. I will say with some walk in the park that that won’t trade a lot all week with the solar set truthful.
GoingStick at 8am:
Stands’ aspect: 8.3
Centre: 8.3
Far aspect: 8.6
Round path: 7.3
In different phrases a tadge sooner for the horses working down the a ways aspect the only reverse the stands (the ones drawn low within the races at the immediately path)
Scratch those off your listing. These are the horses that gained’t be turning up this afternoon together with their unwell notes!
2.30pm Queen Anne Stakes
11 Sardinian Warrior (self cert – off color)
3.40pm King Charles III Stakes
2 Bucanero Fuerte (working a temperature)
18 No Half Measures (no longer eaten up)
Good morning. Here’s the run down of the motion these days:
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 most 2025 Royal assembly … and what a morning! The solar is out, the temperatures are mountain climbing previous 20C already and the most productive information of all is that the effective climate is taking a look set for the week.
Royal Ascot’s immutability is likely one of the wonders of the trendy age. Nothing actually turns out to faze it – regardless of the climate, on the other hand stricken the days, it assists in keeping on conserving on, simply because it at all times has, in spite of important “under the bonnet” adjustments to the race programme that experience observed it extend from 4 days and 24 races to 5 days and 35 in handiest round 20 years.
Tradition is stamped everywhere it with the permanence of a tattoo, and that comes with their insistence on kicking off the week with 3 of the 8 Group One occasions within the area of the primary 4 races. The Queen Anne Stakes (2.30pm, all occasions BST), on the peak of the cardboard, is a wide-open renewal with two Classic winners from final season within the box, the Australian mare Asfoora is again to aim a repeat win within the King Charles III Stakes (3.40pm) and the spring’s 3 primary 2,000 Guineas winners are all going to put up for the St James’s Palace Stakes at 4.20pm.
The early having a bet information these days is that Henri Matisse, the French 2,000 Guineas winner, is out to 4-1 for the St James’s Palace whilst Ruling Court, who took the unique 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, is forged at 100-30 in the back of the odds-on favorite, Field Of Gold.
Ryan Moore, in the meantime, begins the week because the odds-on favorite to complete because the assembly’s peak jockey for the 12th time in all and the fourth yr in a row, whilst Aidan O’Brien, his major backer, may be odds-on to land the running shoes’ name, in his case for the 9th time in 11 years.
The going is excellent to company – very best summer season racing floor – and the motion at the monitor is underneath method at 2.30pm, (or about 1.55pm should you come with the royal procession, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this yr). And you’ll, as ever, in finding the entire information, perspectives, effects, having a bet and extra right here at the weblog till the group are belting out the entire outdated favourites across the bandstand after racing.