wellnessfitpro
Greg Wood
2.30 NORFOLK STAKES preview
A big chance for Aidan O’Brien to get one-and-a-half hands on the trainers’ trophy as Carry The Flag heads the field for this juvenile five-furlong sprint. The record-breaking trainer has not dominated this race in the past in quite the manner of some events on the schedule, but Carry The Flag’s form behind his stable companion Great Barrier Reef looks rock-solid after the latter colt’s victory in the Coventry Stakes here on Tuesday. Joseph O’Brien too has a single runner in Star Prospect, who had Carry The Flag back in second at the Curragh in April when both colts were making their racecourse debuts. Home-trained contenders prominent in the betting include Orthodox, Flight Signal and Where Love Lives, all unbeaten, and Kevin Phillipart de Foy’s Force Noir, a recent transfer from Amo Racing’s main Irish stable, while the American raider Wesley Ward fields three as he attempts to follow up Friday evening’s somewhat controversial success with Bacio.
Timeform top-rated: Carry The Flag.
SELECTION: FORCE NOIR
As the royal procession makes its way down the track I am duty bound to remind my regular reader of the Serpentine gallery exhibition by artist Mark Wallinger I saw back in 1994 when one of his installations, called ‘Royal Ascot’, consisted of a series of video monitors on top of wheeled flight cases, each isolating the royal carriage’s leisurely progress down the track on the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (respectively, as it was then) of the meeting with, as the British Council points out in their description of the artwork, “the difference from day to day is barely discernible, just as the four commentaries merge in a confused blather.”
6.10 QUEEN ALEXANDRA STAKES preview
Royal Ascot traditionally opens with a bang, with three Group Ones in the first four races, and then shuffles off with a bit of a whimper with the good old Queen Alex, the longest race in the Flat racing calendar. Jumping yards have been increasingly dominant here in recent years, with Willie Mullins saddling five winners since 2012 and the likes of Alan King and Gordon Elliott also getting in on the act, but Joseph O’Brien has bagged two of the last three and has a big runner with A Piece Of Heaven, the winner of last month’s Chester Cup. Mullins’s main hope from three runners looks to be Le Destrier, whose wandering path to Royal Ascot started in Poland, where he was a Listed winner, and also took in a single race in France before he was sold to join the Mullins operation. French Master, last year’s Copper Horse Handicap winner here, has not done much to enhance his record since but still has a touch more class than many in this field and has yet to race beyond two miles.
Timeform top-rated: French Master
SELECTION: LE DESTRIER
Greg Wood
5.35 GOLDEN GATES STAKES HANDICAP preview
We are very much into the closing stages now, but the last handicap of the meeting could yet play a role in deciding the trainer’s prize, as O’Brien pere et fils run Amadeus Mozart and Perisher respectively. The latter has recent winning form, albeit in a fairly low-key race at Naas, while Amadeus Mozart was a seven-length second to his his useful stable-companion Endorsement, the runner-up in the Hampton Court Stakes here earlier in the week, in a Listed event last time out. The market, though, is headed by Lost Boys and Sahara King, first and second respectively in the London Gold Cup at Newbury last month, a race that is always among the hottest three-year-old handicaps in the early months of the campaign. Both colts have subsequently been snapped up by the powerful Wathnan Racing operation, and while Lost Boys is favourite to confirm the Newbury form, James Doyle, Wathnan’s No.1 rider, is about Sahara King, and with a 1lb pull and cheekpieces fitted for the first time, I fancy him to turn it around.
Timeform top-rated: Sahara King.
SELECTION: SAHARA KING
Greg Wood
5.00 WOKINGHAM STAKES HANDICAP preview
The last of the historic handicaps at the royal meeting with 27 runners due to go to post, but the money is all for the runners in the high-numbered stalls and Royal Zabeel, at around 25-1, is currently the shortest-priced runner from a single-figure berth. That still leaves plenty of candidates for punters to consider, including the four-year-old Binhareer, who ran a fine race to finish second at York on his seasonal debut despite racing away from the main action, and Andrew Balding’s Double Rush, another young improver who has two wins to his name already this season. He was also an initial entry for the Group One Jubilee Stakes earlier on the card, so is clearly held in high regard by his trainer. Spy Chief, from stall 30, posted an impressive timefigure for a seasonal debut when second in a well-run race at Salisbury in May and has William Buick aboard to steer, and personally I’ll be looking for a big run from James Owen’s Far Above Dream from stall 17. Like so many runners from his excellent yard, he seems to improve from race to race, and he has been raised just 4lb for a new career-best performance at Newbury last month.
Timeform top-rated: Realign
SELECTION: FAR ABOVE DREAM
Daniel Lismore has arrived at the races. A British fabric sculptor, designer, and campaigner he has been describe by Vogue magazina as “England’s most eccentric dresser”. He enamoured himself to readers of this organ in 2017 when he went to TV personality Lizzie Cundy’s birthday party. Reform party leader Nigel Farage was there and Lismore got Jo Wood, ex-wife of Rolling Stone Ronnie, to scribble a four-letter word beginning with ‘c’ and an arrow on his arm. Lismore, dressed in an exotic gold and black outfit, then stood next to Farage for the cameras, with the arrow pointing in his direction. Subtle? No. You can read about the stunt here in the Evening Standard diary, when the Standard was a proper newspaper.
4.20 JERSEY STAKES preview
The familiar big field for the Jersey, and the familiar mix too of lightly-raced types that were not ready for the early Classics, and others dropping back in trip after finishing down the field in a Guineas. Saber Strike, the favourite, is very much in the former category, and arrives unbeaten after comfortable wins in both of his starts to date. Into The Sky (fourth), Thesecretadversary (fifth) and Avicenna (14th and last) were all in the line-up for the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket in early May, while The Prettiest Star was fourth home in the 1,000 Guineas the following day. Colori Forever, meanwhile, is stepping up from handicaps, but deserves his chance in this grade after a decisive success over track and trip last month.
Timeform top-rated: Saber Strike.
SELECTION: THE PRETTIEST STAR
Greg Wood
3.40 QUEEN ELIZABETH II JUBILEE STAKES preview
Joliestar, who hails from Chris Waller’s yard in Australia, is one of the key international challengers at this year’s Royal Ascot and has won two Group Ones already this season, the most recent being the TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick in early April (with Overpass, third home in Tuesday’s King Charles III Stakes, back in fourth). Waller, who won the King’s Stand Stakes in 2022 with Nature Strip, enjoyed his first Ascot experience so much that he has been back to attend every day at the meeting since as a spectator and Joliestar looks a sure-fire favourite. She has a single-figure draw, though, while Satono Reve, the second favourite, is in stall 18 and is also just 1lb behind Joliestar on Timeform’s ratings. The Japanese star was a half-length second in this race behind Lazzat 12 months ago, and arguably unlucky not to get closer still to the winner having raced away from the main action. He was second behind the phenomenal Ka Ying Rising at Sha Ting in April and will be the focus of Japanese hopes for a first ever Royal Ascot success. He has some back-up, though, as Haruki Sugiyama’s Lugal, who finished a neck second in the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan on Dubai World Cup night, is also in the field, while other runners in with a shout include Lake Forest, a former Gimcrack winner at York. He carries the blue-and-white colours of Tony Bloom, successful board Venetian Sun in the Commonwealth Cup here on Friday, though his chance could be compromised by a draw in stall one.
Timeform top-rated: Joliestar
SELECTION: SATONO REVE
Oddschecker market movers
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2:30- Fanshell Beach 16/1 from 25/1 (35% swing)
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3:05- Best Secret 11/2 from 8/1 (28% swing)
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4:20- Colori Fever 17/2 from 12/1 (27% swing)
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6:10- Maxi King 16/1 from 22/1 (26% swing)
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5:35- Lost Boys 3/1 from 4/1 (20% swing)
Greg Wood
Bacio verdict the right one
We’re still a couple of hours away from the arrival of the royal procession at the top of the straight, so there’s time to catch up with the drama here yesterday evening after Bacio, the easy 3-1 winner of the five-furlong Palace of Holyrood House Handicap with Juan Hernandez holding the reins, was confirmed as the winner despite an objection from the clerk of the scales that Hernandez had weighed in light.
Such objections are rare but, as any punter will tell you, akin to a cast-iron guarantee that the winner is going to be thrown out. Hernandez, though, was allowed to weigh in again after it transpired that a piece of his tack had been dropped while unsaddling, and he duly tipped the scales at the correct weight second time around.
Bacio’s backers were mightily relieved when the announcement came through, while anyone with win ticket for the 40-1 runner-up, Sandal’s Song, may well have been left feeling perplexed and aggrieved.
They could, perhaps, point to a race “won” by Hierarchy at Lingfield in January 2025, when the 15-2 chance was found to have run without a weight cloth and immediately disqualified.
An important difference with Bacio, though, is that the stewards were ultimately satisfied that he had run with the correct weight in the race itself, and the stray piece of tack had gone missing between the winner’s enclosure and the scales.
It was, ultimately, the best possible outcome to what could have been a horribly costly and embarrassing incident, and thus undoubtedly a very convenient one, too.
But the assumption that an objection by the clerk of the scales means automatic disqualification is just that – an assumption. It is an objection, not a verdict, and it is ultimately up to the stewards to weigh the evidence and decide whether any extenuating circumstances need to be taken into account.
Photograph: Maureen McLean/Shutterstock
Royal Procession list
1st Carriage
The King
The Queen
Mr Brough Scott
Mrs Brough Scott
2nd Carriage
Mr Colin Chisholm
The Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen
The Earl De La Warr
The Countess De La Warr
3rd Carriage
Mr Neil Wilson
Mrs Neil Wilson
Lord Ashton of Hyde
Lady Ashton of Hyde
4th Carriage
Mr Orlando Fraser
Mrs Orlando Fraser
Mrs Barby Allbritton
Lady Weatherby
ITV Racing presenter (since time immemorial) Brough Scott is in the procession! Not just that, he’s in the first carriage. He often does live commentary on the trip down the straight for the channel so will he be doing that in situ this time?!
Greg Wood
3.05 HARDWICKE STAKES preview
This is officially a Group Two event but it is a Group One in all but name, with no fewer than five previous winners at the highest level among the dozen runners. That list includes Goliath, the King George winner over this track and trip in 2024; Ethical Diamond, the surprise winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf for Willie Mullins at Del Mar last November; and Jan Brueghel, a Classic winner in the St Leger in 2024 and also the winner of last season’s Coronation Cup at Epsom. The market is headed, though, by Andrew Balding’s Kalpana, a dual winner of the Group One race for fillies’ and mares over this trip on Champions Day in October and also the runner-up behind Calandagan – the top-rated horse on the planet last year – in the 2025 King George. She looked as good as ever, if not perhaps even better for another winter, when successful in the Aston Park Stakes at Newbury in May and will take all the beating.
Timeform top-rated: Kalpana
SELECTION: KALPANA
Greg Wood
2.30 NORFOLK STAKES preview
A big chance for Aidan O’Brien to get one-and-a-half hands on the trainers’ trophy as Carry The Flag heads the field for this juvenile five-furlong sprint. The record-breaking trainer has not dominated this race in the past in quite the manner of some events on the schedule, but Carry The Flag’s form behind his stable companion Great Barrier Reef looks rock-solid after the latter colt’s victory in the Coventry Stakes here on Tuesday. Joseph O’Brien too has a single runner in Star Prospect, who had Carry The Flag back in second at the Curragh in April when both colts were making their racecourse debuts. Home-trained contenders prominent in the betting include Orthodox, Flight Signal and Where Love Lives, all unbeaten, and Kevin Phillipart de Foy’s Force Noir, a recent transfer from Amo Racing’s main Irish stable, while the American raider Wesley Ward fields three as he attempts to follow up Friday evening’s somewhat controversial success with Bacio.
Timeform top-rated: Carry The Flag.
SELECTION: FORCE NOIR
I’m going to start launching previews of the day’s action from our racing correspondent and tipster Greg Wood, who is currently leading the national press challenge in the Racing Post.
Morning. After a day at the track yesterday (which was marvellous I have to say) I’m back chained to the desk but raring to go.
Let’s get started with the weather and non-runner news …
The going for day five of Royal Ascot, Saturday 20th June, is: Good to Firm.
There has been an awful lot of talk about the draw bias down the straight track this week (with the stands side and those drawn high very much the preference)
Here are the GoingStick readings at 8.30am for what its worth:
Stands’ side: 9.0
Centre: 8.9
Far side: 8.9
Round: 7.7
Non-runners today
5.00pm Wokingham Stakes Handicap
13 Caburn (self certficate – going)
5.35pm Golden Gates Stakes (Handicap)
5 Accredit (self certificate – temperature)
Greg Wood
Hello from Ascot on the final morning of the 2026 Royal meeting, ahead of a day that will decide the trainers’ and jockeys’ titles across the meeting’s 35 races, and when we will also discover whether or not Ryan Moore will need to wait another year to join his major employer, Aidan O’Brien, with a century of winners at the meeting.
Moore, who is now on 98 Royal winners in all after a double on Friday, is pretty much home for all money in the jockeys’ race with six wins over the first four days, meaning that Billy Loughnane would need a four-timer at least from his six rides on the final day card to overhaul him.
The trainers’ title, though, remains a fascinating family affair between Aidan O’Brien, currently on six winners, and his oldest son, Joseph, who has saddled five thus far. Both have runners in the same five races today – missing out on the 3.40 and 5.00 – with O’Brien snr due to saddle eight in all and Joseph fielding seven.
The feature race of the afternoon, meanwhile, is the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at 3.40, where two big names from overseas – the Australian-trained Joliestar and Japan’s Satono Reve, last year’s runner-up – head the market.
The big field of Group One sprinters will fairly fly down the straight six furlongs, but a major point of interest will be whether those towards the stands’ rail continue to fly just that little bit faster, as has been the case in races on the straight course all week. There is a difference of just 0.1 in the GoingStick readings on the near and far sides this morning, a significantly smaller gap than yesterday’s, but whether that will be enough to stop jockeys in low-numbered stalls veering left after the start remains to be seen.
The going at Ascot remains good-to-firm after 5mm of watering overnight, picks for the final seven races of Flat racing’s showpiece event are here, and the action is underway with the Norfolk Stakes – where Aidan O’Brien fields the likely favourite, Carry The Flag, at 2.30.
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