Royal Ascot 2025 Preview
Day 5
Saturday 21st June 2025
2.30: Chesham Stakes: Day five of Royal Ascot gets underway with the Listed Chesham Stakes at 2.30, which is contested over a distance of seven furlongs. A race littered with potentially smart two-year-olds, Godolphin could hold the key to this year’s renewal with TREANMOR for Charlie Appleby and William Buick. He looked visually very impressive on his racecourse debut when winning at Newmarket by four lengths over six furlongs, and the step up to seven furlongs looks sure to suit here, given that he’s by Frankel. Naturally, he should progress from his Newmarket success, and that makes him a very big player.
Aidan O’Brien’s Moments Of Joy is the other obvious big player here alongside the Godolphin charge, she was a winner at Leopardstown on debut and looks sure to progress significantly following that run for a yard that have had a lot of success with their two-year-olds this week. Humidity was a winner on debut for Andrew Balding on racecourse debut at Newbury, and most maidens at that track hold some form of substance. He’ll likely need further over time being by Ulysses, however, it was a game performance at Newbury and he will have learnt a lot from it. He completes the shortlist.
Shortlist: Treanmor, Moments Of Joy, Humidity
3.05: Hardwicke Stakes: The second race of the afternoon on Saturday comes in the form of the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes, which is set to be ridden over a distance of a mile and four furlongs. Clive Cox’s GHOSTWRITER has been primarily contesting Group 1 events throughout his career, and running with a lot of credit in them without managing to get his head in front. He’s been fourth in the 2000 Guineas, Prix du Jockey Club, placed in the Eclipse, Juddmonte International, two lengths behind Economics in the Irish Champion Stakes, and two and a half lengths behind the winner in the Group 1 Dubai Turf. He was slightly below par for the first time behind Los Angeles in the Tattersalls Gold Cup last time, but he may have needed that run. I think he can take advantage of dropping into Group 2 company here, and he could well have a well-deserved day in the sun.
The globetrotting Rebel’s Romance sets the standard here; he’s tasted top-level success all over the world and was back in the winner’s enclosure on these shores when winning the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup last time out. He’s the top-rated here, and he’s likely to be bang on the premises again. Elsewhere, Epic Poet ran a fantastic race in the same Yorkshire Cup last time out, finishing a head-second to Rebel’s Romance. If he turns up in the same kind of form here, there’s nothing to suggest he can’t go close again here. He makes up the shortlist.
Shortlist: Ghostwriter, Rebel’s Romance, Epic Poet
3.40: Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes: We move into Group 1 company at 3.40 with the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes which is contested over six furlongs. INISHERIN sets a very solid standard here for the team of Kevin Ryan and William Buick, who currently trades at a fair price of 5/1 at the time of writing. I’m a big fan of this horse, he’s a course and distance winner having won the Commonwealth Cup at last year’s Royal Meeting, and whilst his campaign tailed off slightly following that success, he returned to form on his seasonal reappearance when toughing it out to win the Group 2 Duke Of York Clipper Stakes from Flora Of Bermuda last month. He wasn’t fully fit that day and should be considerably sharper here, which makes him a huge player.
French raider Lazzat looks the big threat for Jerome Reynier and James Doyle, he was a three-length winner of a Group 1 last term and returned to the track last month at Chantilly when winning a Listed event by five and a half lengths. He looks dangerous and should certainly enter calculations. Elsewhere, Elite Status could run well here at a big price for Karl Burke and Clifford Lee. He’s got plenty of solid form to his name and wasn’t totally disgraced when four and a quarter lengths behind Inisherin last time out at York, and he should improve following that run.
Shortlist: Inisherin, Lazzat, Elite Status
4.20: Jersey Stakes: Moving onto the 4.20 now, and this is the Group 3 Jersey Stakes, which is set to be ridden over seven furlongs. This is as competitive a Group 3 as you’re likely to see, and it could be worth siding with an each-way play at a decent price. CALIFORNIA DREAMER makes some appeal in that sense; she’s only a pound behind the highest-rated runners in the race here, and that’s a result of her recent form. She progressed from an underwhelming seasonal reappearance at Newbury to finish a length and a quarter fourth of eleven in the Group 3 Athasi Stakes at the Curragh before taking her form to the next level when finishing two and a quarter lengths second of twelve to Lake Victoria in the Irish 1000 Guineas. That’s some of, if not, the best form in the race here, and getting weight off her rivals, she has to be considered a player if she runs up to that level again.
Andrew Balding’s Marvelman looks like a progressive colt, he made a big impression on his seasonal reappearance at Kempton in March when winning a novice event by five lengths, with the horse in second that day Shameful now being rated 90 and the third horse Man Of La Mancha winning since, giving that form a solid look. He then finished a length and a half second of ten at Newmarket in Listed company, and looks on the upgrade. The unbeaten Remmooz is an obvious player; it remains to be seen how good he could be, and he looked impressive when winning a Class 2 novice by three lengths at Doncaster earlier this month. He completes the shortlist.
Shortlist: California Dreamer, Marvelman, Remmooz
5.00: Wokingham Stakes: We move into handicap company at 5.00 with the Wokingham Stakes, which is a Class 2 Heritage Handicap over six furlongs. This is another contest where it could pay to look a bit lower down the betting, and with that being said, PUROSANGUE could prove to be a decent each-way play for Andrew Balding and Oisin Murphy. He has several pieces of form within pattern company, and was only two lengths behind More Thunder last time out, and is now better off at the weights with that rival, who currently heads the betting. On his best form, he’s certainly not without a chance.
Orazio often saves his best form for this meeting for Charlie Hillis and Saffie Osbourne; he’s run well in this race twice and is now a pound lower than when finishing three-quarters of a length third in this contest last year. This will have been the plan, and he’s got every chance of going well again off his current mark. The top two in the betting have to enter the equation. More Thunder looks firmly on the upgrade, having won his last two contests, both of which came within Class 2 handicaps, and can go well again here off a six-pound higher mark than his last success.
Shortlist: Purosangue, Orazio, More Thunder
5.35 Ascot: Golden Gates Stakes: The penultimate race of the meeting comes up at 5.35 on Saturday, and it’s Class 2 handicap action over a mile and two furlongs in the Golden Gates Handicap. Ralph Beckett sends SERAPH GABRIEL here under Rossa Ryan, and I think he holds solid claims. He’s a maiden winner who posted a very pleasing effort on his seasonal reappearance at Sandown in April, finishing three-quarters of a length second of eight, which was an encouraging run given that he didn’t have a great start. He’s been nudged up four pounds here, which could look lenient as he’s almost certain to improve here on his second start of the campaign, and the extra distance could well unlock further improvement. He also defeated the current favourite Archivist by just shy of six lengths in a Lingfield maiden last year.
George Boughey’s El Burham looks firmly on the upgrade, having won a couple of novice events last term, and returned to the track with two fine efforts within handicap company, most recently when getting the better of God Of War by a neck at Chester. He’s up just two pounds for that run and could certainly have more to give. The unexposed Sallaal makes his handicap debut here for Roger Varian and Ray Dawson, having won a novice event by three lengths last time out, as well as winning on debut. He’ll likely have plenty more improvement to come now handicapping.
Shortlist: Seraph Gabriel, El Burham, Sallaal
6.00: Queen Alexandra Stakes: Bringing the curtain down on the 2025 Royal Ascot Meeting will be the 6.00, which is the Queen Alexandra Stakes, a Class 2 event over two miles and five and a half furlongs. This master of Closutton in Willie Mullins could hold the key with SOBER, who’s set to be ridden by Ryan Moore. He’s only had one start since coming over from France, and that came in a novice hurdle at Killarney last month, where he won by a length and a quarter over two miles and four furlongs. That outing should’ve blown away the cobwebs, and he could be well-handicapped here on his French form. He was a dual Group 2 winner when trained in France, and if he runs up to that level here, he’d be very tough to beat.
Fellow Irish-raider Dallas Star drops into handicap company here having contested pattern company throughout a large percentage of his career to date, he was only a length and a half behind the brilliant Kyprios on his penultimate start last month, and if he runs up to that level again here he’d certainly be involved at the business end of things. It’ll be a complete set of Irish horses that make up the shortlist, as I think that Samui could go well again for Gordon Elliott and Colin Keane. He ran well here on Tuesday when finishing three lengths third of sixteen to French Master, and if those exploits haven’t left too much of a mark on him, there’s nothing to suggest that he can’t give his running once again.
Shortlist: Sober, Dallas Star, Samui
