#UK RACING: THE BIG RACES OVER THE ROYAL ASCOT FESTIVAL

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Royal Ascot Racing Festival considered to be the climax of the season in England starts tomorrow (Tuesday, June 14, and ends on Saturday (June 18). QUICKGALLOP.COM lists the major races of Royal Ascot below. 

TUESDAY (June 14) – ST JAMES’S PALACE STAKES

This shortened competition is for three-year old colts and often the winners continue to go on to be some of the best one-milers around.

Pinatubo was only second to Palace Pier in 2020 but earned the nickname ‘Pinaturbo’ prior to this race winning multiple Group 1 contests topping a mark of 128.

Palace Pier only got an overall rating of 126 in comparison, who has beaten Poetic Flare (2021’s winner), Lope Y Fernandez and was only a neck behind the improving Baaeed who is set for greatness this season.

This race tends to hold entries from those who previously ran in the 2000 Guineas – Coroebus, Native Trail, Eydon, Luxembourg and Point Lonsdale take that with the former coming first.

Native Trail and Coroebus are the two favourited in the ante-post market in the Godolphin blue but stablemate and French Guineas raider Modern Games is also up there for a trio of entries.

With under a month to go there’s a plethora of contenders but these three will be the ones to beat.

WEDNESDAY (June 15) – PRINCE OF WALES’S STAKES

Aidan O’Brien has won this twice in the last five years while the Derby winner Sir Michael Stoute won this in 2018 and 2019.

And the latter sends out the unbeaten Bay Bridge who won the Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes and Sandown in May by five lengths.

Ryan Moore is likely to take the reins too and won this contest on Love last year.

The Japanese Shahryar was impressive at Meydan though beating Yibir and is currently favoured by the bookies at around 3’s.

That Group 1 success in the Dubai Sheema Classic saw connections to home nearly £3m with a huge prize pot available.

1m2f isn’t a trip Shahryar has taken on before but given wins at 1m4f and 1m1f it won’t be out of his comfort zone.

Adayar for Charlie Appleby, another Godolphin entry in Royal Ascot is also among the favourites but will need to bounce back from two consecutive losses, the latest at Ascot in October in the Champion Stakes.

But State Of Rest who rattled off a Group 1 hattrick before finishing a close third in the Irish Gold Cup at Curragh is incredibly appealing at 7/1.

A winner over this trip and clearly relishes big occasions now and also finished ahead of Lord North in Ireland which bodes well for this four-year-old heading to Berkshire.

THURSDAY (June 16) – ASCOT GOLD CUP

Dettori promised an ’emotional farewell’ at York last time out for Stradivarius who had won five times at that track and the 51-year-old jockey didn’t disappoint with another Group victory in May.

That puts Stradivarius in good stead for this contest a race he won in 2020 by 10 lengths.

He’s not quite been seen to the same effect at this course since placing behind Trueshan in October but that win at York will be a great indicator of the staying power he still holds.

This 2m4f contest is ideal and if the ground is also good on the day then Strad will take all the beating.

FRIDAY (June 17) – CORONATION STAKES

This Group 1 classic at Ascot boasts a winning prize fund of nearly £300k and pits only the best fillies over this distance against each other in a fascinating race.

Cachet won the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in May and then followed that up with a close second at the French Guineas at Longchamp just two weeks later.

She showed great determination to go close after winning the first British classic and now lines up as a 7/1 outsider behind Inspiral and Homeless Songs.

She finished just under three lengths behind Inspiral in October but has progressed incredibly since then and is now incredibly consistent over 1m in Group 1 and 3 contests.

But the big near evens favourite Homeless Songs has improved even more – beating Tuesday by over five lengths in the Curragh 1000 Guineas.

Cachet is once again appealing at that price as she was around 20’s for at Newmarket and should definitely be considered each-way along with a single punt on Homeless Songs who should be well-backed on the day. 

SATURDAY (June 18) – PLATINUM JUBILEE STAKES

The rather aptly named Highfield Princess gets the pick of the bunch at this early stage.

The 6f contest should suit the John Quinn-trained horse perfectly after winning the Group 2 in the Duke Of York Clipper Logistics Stakes in May.

It wasn’t really close either as Jason Hart rode him clear by nearly three lengths in total and that followed a Class 2 success the previous month at Newcastle.

The 5-year-old mare has won at Ascot before too which is crucial, and that was the Buckingham Palace stakes among a field of 28.