Royal Ascot Day 5 Tips

First run in 1843, this is the meeting’s third Group 2 race for two-year-olds, following the Coventry and Queen Mary Stakes, and its distinguishing feature is that it is open to both sexes over the minimum distance of five furlongs. The last five years have thrown up some high-priced winners. Perfect Power (14-1) and The Ridler (50-1) won in 2021 and 2022 for Richard Fahey. That was followed by Valiant Force (150-1), the highest priced winner of the Norfolk Stakes and then Shareholder (12-1) in 2024. However, last time out it went to the favourite Charles Darwin (8-13) for Aidan O'Brien.

First run in 1879, this Group 2 race over 1m4f is for four-year-olds and upwards and often provides a showcase for horses who were in the Derby picture the previous year. The market has been a good guide recently, with 15 of the last 19 winners coming from the first three in the betting. Six of the eight successful favourites in that period were trained by Stoute or O’Brien. Last year's winner, Rebel's Romance, was one of the exceptions, being a 6-4 favourite but trained by Charlie Appleby.

Inaugurated in 1868 and long known as the Cork and Orrery Stakes, this has held Group 1 status since 2002 when it was renamed first to celebrate the golden jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. This is the big 6f sprint of the week for older horses (open only to four-year-olds and upwards since the advent of the Commonwealth Cup for three-year-olds). Since the race was upgraded to Group 1, 11 of the 24 winners were priced in double figures, with only five successful favourites. Khaadem won in consecutive years for Charlie Hills at massive prices. The first, 80-1 in 2023 and then 14-1 in 2024. These were outliers however, as last year's winner Lazzat made it seven winners in the last ten to be among the top three in the betting.

Dating back to 1919, this Group 3 race for Three-year-olds over seven furlongs is a battleground between Classic pretenders dropping back from a mile and sprinters trying to stretch out their stamina. There have been six winners from the top three of the betting in the last decade, while Noble Truth was the last successful favourite in 2022. There have been three winners over 20-1 in the last decade, Space Traveller (2019) and Age Of Kings (2023) and Noble Champion a year ago.

Dating back to 1813, this is the last heritage handicap of the week and one of the big handicap sprints of the Flat season, with up to 30 runners charging down the straight in a hotly contested 6f race. Only two favourites have won since 2005, the last being Cape Byron in 2019 at 7-2. Since then only one winner has been priced lower than 10-1, that was Rohaan in 2021 at 8-1, who came back to win the following year at longer odds of 18-1. Last year, Get It was victorious at 28-1, the longest priced winner since 2018.

This 1m2f handicap for Three-year-olds rated up to 105 was introduced as part of the expanded programme in 2020 and has been won by 20-1 shot Highland Chief for Paul and Oliver Cole, the Andrew Balding-trained Foxes Tales at 13-2 and 5-2 favourite Missed The Cut for George Boughey. These three were followed by 20-1 Burdett Road and then 9-4 favourite Hand Of God under William Buick. Last year Andrew Balding became the first trainer to win their second Golden Gates Stakes with 12-1 Quai De Bethune.

For the final race of the festival, we have the longest one at nearly two and three-quarter miles–indeed, the longest run under Flat racing rules – and one of the best loved. With such an emphasis on stamina and with fewer out-and-out stayers in Flat yards nowadays, this race has become quite a battleground between the Flat trainers and the top jumps yards. 15 of the last 18 winners came from the first four in the market. In fact, the last three years have been won by the favourite, most recently Sober, who gave Willie Mullins his third win in the last five runnings of the race. The other two both going to Joseph O'Brien in 2023 and 2024.