Royal Ascot 2025: Diego Velazquez can spring a surprise in the Queen Anne
ROYAL ASCOT 2025: Diego Velazquez can spring a surprise in the Queen Anne. Pic: Healy Racing
The build-up to the opening race of the Royal meeting can often feel interminable. By the time the king, queen (and whoever else in the family are still speaking to each other) have been ceremoniously ‘carriaged’ up the centre of the track and moved slowly through the top-hatted throng to their seats, some spectators may have forgotten they are attending an actual race meeting.
But when the horses explode from the stalls for the first race, the Queen Anne Stakes, the focus returns quickly to a week of compelling sport and this year’s meeting looks laden with good horses and with great stories to be told.
The answer to the Queen Anne is likely to be found in last month’s Lockinge Stakes at Newbury and the first four home that day turn up for a rematch. The winner, Lead Artist, will find it hard to repeat his victory against talented rivals such as Rosallion and Notable Speech who will be harder trained than they were last time out.
Another ‘artist’ involved in today’s race is Diego Velazquez who finally got his act together at the tail end of last season, winning twice when dropped back to a mile. Aidan O’Brien will ensure that he will be fit enough if he’s good enough and he could represent decent each-way value at 14-1 to surprise the principles.
Lead Artist will be ridden in the opener by Colin Keane, his first Royal Ascot ride for his powerful new retaining owner, Juddmonte. The Meath native will be as busy as a bee in the famous pink and green silks this week and there’s a prevailing view that Field Of Gold in the St James’ Palace is his banker for the meeting. It may not be that simple though. This is a sizzling hot contest with the winners of the Irish, English, and French Guineas all joining the battle to be crowned the season’s champion three-year-old miler.
Field Of Gold inadvertently played a part in Keane securing his new role. He finished runner up to Ruling Court at Newmarket under an injudicious ride by Kieran Shoemark who subsequently lost his job. He then easily won the Irish Guineas under Keane next time out who remarked that his mount “seems to be growing up and relaxing in his races and is very straightforward. I couldn't be happier.”
Ruling Court was scheduled to run in the Derby but an abundance of caution over the ground conditions by trainer Charlie Appleby means that Epsom’s loss is Ascot's gain. Henri Matisse, the least exposed of the ‘big three,’ came from behind off a strong pace to grab the French Guineas on the line from the talented Jonquil, and will be played late again in what is arguably the best race of the week.
Royal Ascot provides an annual reminder that monarchies, like thoroughbreds, last longer when bloodlines are carefully nurtured. The marathon Ascot Stakes, a two-and-a-half-mile handicap, is a case in point. In fact, a case in point with bells on.
Reaching High, trained in Carlow by King William Mullins the first, is the favourite at around 3-1. The four-year-old gelding is owned by King Charles III and was bred by his late mother from her beloved mare, Estimate, who won the Ascot Gold Cup for her in 2013.
The horse transferred to Closutton when his original trainer Michael Stoute retired and made an encouraging start for his new stable when narrowly beaten at Leopardstown last month under Jody Townend. Ryan Moore rides today and a victory for the combined monarchies of Mullins, Windsor, and Moore would be an immensely popular one.
Two of Reaching High’s strongest opponents today, Poniros and East India Dock looked more likely to renew rivalry during the cold winds of Cheltenham in March than the white heat of Ascot in June when they finished first and third respectively in the Triumph Hurdle last spring. They may find the extreme distance and faster flat pace hard to handle.
While the Ascot Stakes features some of the slower horses this week, the six-furlong Commonwealth Cup is laden with flying machines. Inaugurated 10 years ago, this sprint is the most recent Group One addition to the programme and is restricted to three-year old colts and fillies. The short list of winners already includes horses of the calibre of Muhaarar, Caravaggio, and Shaquille so it’s quickly become established as an important race and Friday’s contest looks likely to continue the lofty standard.
Shadow Of Light was rated as the best two-year-old in Europe last season and drops back in distance following a third place run in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket where he didn’t quite get the mile. He was seriously impressive when beating Whistlejacket to win the Middle Park at today’s shorter distance and is a justified short-price favourite.
His main danger could be the Ger Lyons-trained Babouche, another Juddmonte star and another plum ride for Colin Keane. She too had Whistlejacket in the rearview mirror when she won the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh last August and returned back to form when impressively winning the Lacken Stakes at Naas in May. Like Shadow Of Light, Jonquil has been dropped back to sprint distances after a credible second to Henri Matisse in the French Guineas and adds further class to an intriguing contest.
While the multiple Group 1 races will provide most of the headlines at Ascot this week, the handicaps are always interesting, competitive, and generally unsolvable. Which is no reason not to try. Here are three for an each-way trixie.
The No Nay Never gelding, Oliver Show, was unlucky when narrowly beaten by Godwinson in the Lincoln at Doncaster in March. He goes best when fresh and has had three months off since the Lincoln and should handle good ground. With Billy Loughnane in the saddle, he looks sure to be competitive off a rating of 99.
Amramran began the season with four second places in a row but eventually hit the line first when running on well to collect in a lucrative Newbury handicap over six furlongs last month. That was on the good to firm ground he is likely to encounter this week so he will not be inconvenienced by the going. An improving horse he’s been raised 9lbs already this season but should still have enough headroom in the weights to challenge strongly in the Wokingham.
Flight Leader began his racing career in France where Andre Fabre trained him to win twice but crossed the channel when Jamie Osborne paid €100,000 for him last October. He has run only once for his new trainer when finishing a promising fourth at Chester in May. The five-year-old gelding will be ridden by Osborne’s wonderfully named daughter, Saffron Rose, or ‘Saffie’ for short, and could be a horse on the upgrade for a stable that knows it’s way around big handicap contests.
