Key events

9m ago3.05pm Coventry Stakes result
46m agoQueen Anne Stakes (2.30pm) result
4h agoPreamble

Greg Wood

3.40 KING CHARLES III STAKES preview

The largest field in two decades lines up for the opening Group One sprint, led by top Australian sprinter Overpass. Trainer Bjorn Baker enjoys a good celebration. His experienced eight-year-old gelding has not won since November 2024, yet finished around two lengths behind stable companion Joliestar, who runs in the Jubilee Stakes on Saturday, in the Group One TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick in April. His peak performances, including a close fourth behind the outstanding Ya King Rising in the Everest in October when he lost second place only late, place him at the head of the Timeform ratings. He has accumulated many frequent-flyer points across Australia, according to his trainer, and should cope with the journey. Rayevka offers an intriguing option for Francis-Henri Graffard after posting a career best when dropped to five furlongs in a Group Three at Longchamp last month. She also holds solid course form, having finished third in the Commonwealth Cup last summer and sixth of 19 in the Group One sprint on Champions Day in October. The home contenders are led by Night Raider, who scored convincingly in the Temple Stakes at Haydock last time. Karl Burke's runner has often displayed flashes of exceptional pace but appears more reliable this season after being gelded over the winter. It is notable that he succeeded at Haydock despite a slow start. Last year's winner American Affair finished a length behind on only his second outing since his Group One success last summer and holds clear prospects if that run has sharpened him for today. Another prior winner, the Australian-trained mare Asfoora, delivered a smooth victory two years ago. Backing her requires some confidence after she finished last behind Night Raider in the Temple, yet the ground at Haydock was softer than ideal and her usual blinkers were absent. The blinkers return today along with a first-time tongue tie, and she benefits from a favourable high draw near the stand rail.

Timeform top-rated: Overpass

SELECTION: ASFOORA

3.05pm Coventry Stakes result

1 Great Barrier Reef (Wayne Lordan) 6-1
2 Adaay Of Scarlett (Billy Loughnane) 40-1
3 Royal Heritage (James Doyle) 12-1

3.05pm Coventry Stakes

And they are off. This will be fast and furious on the quickening ground. Bull Shark takes the early lead. Easy Answer is also prominent. Night in Vegas challenges. Great Barrier Reef wins as about ten horses cross the line with a length between them. That was a contest with several contenders in the closing stages.

3.05 COVENTRY STAKES betting

Confucius - 2/1
Rulers Pride - 7/1
Great Barrier Reef - 7/1
Night In Vegas - 8/1
Royal Heritage - 10/1
Siouxperb - 12/1
Cut A Dash - 14/1
Mrair - 20/1
God Given Talent - 28/1
Adaay Of Scarlett - 40
40/1 BAR
Race odds provided by Oddschecker

Greg Wood

3.05 COVENTRY STAKES preview

Aidan O'Brien seeks a third win in four years and a record-extending 12th success overall in one of the juvenile highlights. His two main contenders have swapped positions in the betting since Ryan Moore was declared on Confucius at declaration time on Sunday morning. The expectation was that O'Brien's number one would ride the unbeaten Great Barrier Reef, a Group Three winner at the Curragh last time, but Wayne Lordan takes the ride on that colt while Moore partners Confucius, who was beaten on debut but secured a maiden win at Naas in May. The 22-runner field contains several strong alternatives, including Cut A Dash from the Richard Hannon yard, who made a winning debut at York's Dante meeting, and Night In Vegas, trained by Eve Johnston Houghton, who won first time out over this course and distance before following up in a three-runner contest at Goodwood. Ruler's Pride, who cost 550,000 pounds at the breeze-up sales in the spring, is another live contender for the Karl Burke stable after being heavily backed for his three-runner debut at Ayr. Royal Heritage recorded a good time when winning his only start at Hamilton, and Siouxperb (Archie Watson/Hector Crouch) is another once-raced winner to consider following a four-length debut success at Yarmouth that was strongly supported in the market.

Timeform top-rated: Great Barrier Reef.

SELECTION: CUT A DASH

Queen Anne Stakes (2.30pm) result

1 Ten Bob Tony (K Shoemark) 50-1
2 More Thunder (Tom Marquand) 7-2
3 Opera Ballo (Billy Loughnane) 7-2

Queen Anne Stakes (2.30pm)

And they are off. Going down the track in the straight mile and Opera Ballo has the early lead. Godolphin's First Conquest is right behind. Notable Speech is in fourth and ready to challenge. Damysus challenges and here comes Ten Bob Tony and he wins it at the remarkable price of 50-1.

2.30 QUEEN ANNE STAKES betting

Notable Speech - 9/4
Opera Ballo - 7/2
More Thunder - 4/1
Docklands - 6/1
Damysus - 11/1
Zeus Olympios - 11/1
Ciceros Gift - 50/1
First Conquest - 50/1
Ten Bob Tony - 66/1
Race odds provided by Oddschecker

Greg Wood

2.30 QUEEN ANNE STAKES preview

Charlie Appleby's Notable Speech has been a warm favourite for the meeting's traditional opening event since posting a convincing two-length success in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury with More Thunder next across the line. That was the five-year-old's fifth Group One or Grade One win overall, including the 2,000 Guineas in 2024, but his first in Great Britain since the Sussex Stakes later that year. He was also the beaten 6-4 favourite in the St James's Palace Stakes in 2024 on the round course here and did not have much luck in running in this race last year, finishing fourth behind track specialist Docklands after taking a strong hold early. He did, though, register two Grade One wins in North America at Woodbine and then the Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar. That course form is a slight concern but there is no questioning his consistency overall, as this will be his 14th consecutive start at the highest level and he has won five of the previous 13. Appleby has not saddled a Group One winner at this meeting since Naval Crown in the Jubilee in 2022 but holds a strong hand here as he also saddles the second-favourite Opera Ballo. He powered three lengths clear of Field Of Gold, last year's St James's Palace winner, in the Bet365 Mile at Sandown in April, with Zeus Olympios, also a major runner today, another three-quarters away in third on his debut at Group One level. Docklands cannot be ruled out given his exceptional form over track and trip, while More Thunder was tackling a mile for the first time for his current trainer at Newbury, can be expected to improve for the experience and has a hold-up running style that should suit Ascot's stiff uphill finish.

Timeform top-rated: Notable Speech.

SELECTION: MORE THUNDER

The going has quickened and Ascot reports that it is now Good to Firm all round, with Chris Stickels telling Sky Sports Racing: It has just dried out a little bit. Good to firm is now the official going description. The breeze is in their faces a bit coming up the straight, that might affect the times a little bit.

Greg Wood

6.10pm COPPER HORSE STAKES preview

A stayers' handicap closes the card, and a warm favourite for the increasingly familiar Wathnan Racing silks in William Haggas's Valiancy. He overcame a 7lb rise in the weights to win on his seasonal debut at Hamilton in mid-May and while he carries a further 8lb higher today he clearly has plenty of scope for further progress. A price around 2-1 is hardly ideal in the getting-out race, though, and many punters will consider an each-way alternative. Gamrai, at around 5-1, just about fits that category although this is his first race beyond 12 furlongs, while Sing Us A Song, who had no luck in the run when favourite for the King George V Handicap here last year, is also in the mix, along with Alan King's Daiquiri Bay, who was a place in front of him in that race.

Timeform top-rated: Valiancy

SELECTION: DAIQUIRI BAY

Greg Wood

5.35pm WOLFERTON STAKES preview

A wide-open renewal of this Listed contest, which is full of horses that have run well at Group level. Haatem is a familiar name to punters at this meeting, having won here for the last two years in the Jersey Stakes (2024) and then this race 12 months ago. He was nowhere near his best form when only seventh of nine at Goodwood last month, but ran a similar race in his prep for Royal Ascot last year and has presumably been trained with this race in mind. The market leader at around 6-1 is John and Thady Gosden's Nahraan, with Oisin Murphy booked to ride, who lost his unbeaten record on his fourth and most recent start, in a Group Three at Longchamp in September, but was just one-and-a-quarter lengths behind the subsequent Arc winner Daryz in that contest and remains a blank canvas as he heads into his four-year-old season. Map Of Stars, fourth home in the Group One Prince of Wales's Stakes here last summer, has to be a contender back at this relatively modest level, while Ghostwriter, who was sold to Kia Joorabchian's Amo Racing operation for a mind-numbing 2 million pounds before running third in the Group Two Hardwicke here in 2025, should also be competitive if his new trainer, Kevin Phillipart de Foy, has him ready after 12 months off.

Timeform top-rated: Haatem

SELECTION: GHOSTWRITER

Greg Wood

5.00 ASCOT STAKES preview

Reaching High, the first royal runner of the meeting, is also likely to be the shortest-priced horse in the famous scarlet and purple silks this week and there is much more behind his short odds than blind patriotism. This is his first start since the same race 12 months ago, when he was also favourite at 11-4 and went like a winner for much of the way until running into traffic problems in the home straight. He eventually finished ninth, but less than four lengths behind the winner, and a return to Royal Ascot to attempt to set the record straight has presumably been the plan ever since. The fact that he has not run for a year is not really a concern given that he is trained by Willie Mullins, and his handicap mark remains the same too. For me, though, 2-1 is simply too short for a 20-runner Royal Ascot handicap that regularly throws up hard-luck stories and includes plenty of high-class rivals that have also been working towards this for months. Puturhandstogether, one of seven from the Joseph O'Brien stable, ran well behind a winning stablemate in the Chester Cup, and another of his runners, Small Fry, has been well backed this morning, perhaps because Oisin Murphy has been booked to take the reins. Colin Keane is also an eye-catching booking for the stable, though, aboard the mare Galileo Dame, and I fancy she has an each-way squeak having looked sure to appreciate this step up in trip last time.

Timeform top-rated: Reaching High

SELECTION: GALILEO DAME

Royal Ascot Procession List

1st Carriage
The King
The Queen
The Duke of Wellington
The Duchess of Wellington

2nd Carriage
The Princess Royal
Mr. Peter Phillips
Mrs. Peter Phillips
Sir Ben Elliot

3rd Carriage
The Duke of Gloucester
The Duchess of Gloucester
Mr. Gus Christie
Ms Danielle de Niese

4th Carriage
Mr. Matt Ramsden
Mrs. Matt Ramsden
Mr. Luke Irwin
Mrs. Luke Irwin

We will very soon get the Royal Procession details with the big talking point earlier this year that Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie would not be at Royal Ascot amid the continuing fallout of their father's association with Jeffrey Epstein. That was first reported in the Mail on Sunday in February, then in April, Hello! magazine said they had been invited by the King. Let us see who is right as the week unfolds.