Royal Ascot 2025: The Full Day Five Wrap

Welcome to Idol Horse‘s live coverage of Day 5 of Royal Ascot.

Check out the storylines to watch from Andrew Hawkins, David Morgan and Jack Dawling ahead of the final day.

Preview

Royal Ascot 2025: What To Watch For On Day Five Of The Royal Meeting

Stay tuned throughout the card as this page updates with results and post-race analysis from the Idol Horse team.

2025 Listed Chesham Stakes

The Listed Chesham Stakes is the first black type race over seven furlongs for two-year-olds each season in Britain. It is restricted to horses whose sire won a race over 1900m or further.

Results

Analysis

Humidity kept the Chesham Stakes in the family, following his full-brother Holloway Boy who won this race in 2022. It was a fourth winner at this year’s meeting for the Emir of Qatar’s Wathnan Racing, who bought the colt from Cheveley Park Stud after his debut win at Newbury last time. The long-striding son of Ulysses made virtually all of the running and when Thesecretadversary emerged as the chaser, Humidity kept battling and finding, his ears flicking as if there was more in the tank. Thesecretadversary never got beyond Humidity’s quarters. Race favourite Treanmor found nothing when asked to quicken two furlongs and was eased down as trainer Charlie Appleby’s three-year Royal Ascot drought continued.

The Quote

James Doyle (jockey, Humidity): “He wasn’t doing much late on. I guess on debut he was in front most of the way but he had a contested battle all the way up to the line so it kept him honest. But they came at me, he fought them off, and then he was waiting for them to come again but that’s generally a good sign when they’re pricking their ears for the last half a furlong and it certainly felt like he’d have responded well if something had come to him. It’s always hard to say (how good he is) but he’s bred to be good … I remember texting Oisin saying, ‘Is Humidity any good?’ and he just put the rocket emoji back, so that got me excited.”

Andrew Balding (trainer, Humidity): “I’m so pleased, this horse, at the beginning of the week, we probably felt was our strongest chance and he’s a lovely horse. He’s had to battle hard today but he’s done it well. He’s not short of speed either, so we’ll have to have a think: this was always the plan and we’ll work back from something nice in the autumn. He’s so laidback … he’s an absolute dude, this horse, very relaxed. He could be (a 2,000 Guineas horse) he’s not short of speed and he’s got a lovely, long stride, he’s got a bright future.”

The Stat

James Doyle became just the fifth active rider to reach 25 Royal Ascot wins with this victory, joining Ryan Moore, Frankie Dettori, William Buick and Jamie Spencer.

Replay

Recent Winners

2025 G2 Hardwicke Stakes

The G2 Hardwicke Stakes is one of the primary lead-ups to next month’s G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes over the same course and distance. It brings together some of the best mile and a half horses in Europe.

Results

Analysis

The history books may not record Rebel’s Romance as an imperious champion but his extraordinary career – one in which he has won seven Group 1 races in four countries, among 18 victories in six countries on both turf and dirt – makes him an iron horse in his own right. The one flaw in his CV had always been his comparatively poor record on home soil, but that has been something he has started to rectify this preparation with his G2 Yorkshire Cup win last start being joined by a G2 Hardwicke Stakes victory here. Allowed by William Buick to find the front after two furlongs, Rebel’s Romance dictated terms at an even tempo before finding plenty when challenged by Al Riffa in the straight. His success gave Charlie Appleby his first Royal Ascot win in three years, an extraordinary fact on its own. All that is left for Rebel’s Romance to earn a spot among the greats is a British Group 1 win, something he will get the opportunity to add next month in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at the same course and distance as the Hardwicke.

The Quote

William Buick (jockey, Rebel’s Romance): “What a partner. He’s a dream horse and any jockey that is fortunate enough in their career to have a horse like Rebel’s Romance is blessed – and I’m blessed. He’s my best friend.

“He’s a fan favourite, he travels the world, he’s recognised everywhere and he’s a top-class racehorse. You don’t find many top-class horses with a will to win like he does – he always finds a way.”

Charlie Appleby (trainer, Rebel’s Romance): “What more can I say about him? If I’ve got to talk about Rebel’s Romance to people, they don’t follow racing. Everyone knows him and loves him. He’s been a huge honour and a credit to the whole team back at home. If I was coming into the last day and the last roll of the dice, he was the horse that I wanted and needed. He’s more than our iron horse, he’s our stable favourite and he always will be.

“It’s been a tough week but it’s a week you’ve got to enjoy because I know how hard it is to get horses here, to win with them is just a bonus. I was taught early on in my career to make sure you applaud every winner here because they are richly deserved by whoever owns, trains or rides. It’s the equine Olympics.

“It was a fantastic ride by William, he knows him so well. Once he kicked for home, I thought it would take a good one to get past him. As we’ve seen so many times before, he’s a battler and once someone was going to come to his girth, he was going to find again – as it happens, they didn’t get close enough.”

The Stat

Rebel’s Romance became oldest horse ever to win the race in its 146-year history – no horse seven or older had won the feature. He will again need to make history in the King George, though – no seven-year-old has won that race either.

Replay

Recent Winners

2025 G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes

The final Group 1 race of Royal Ascot is the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, a race which was run as the Cork & Orrery Stakes from 1926 to 2001. In 2002, it was renamed the Golden Jubilee Stakes in honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee that year; it was again renamed the Diamond Jubilee Stakes in 2012 and the Platinum Jubilee Stakes in 2022 as the monarch reached those milestones. After her death in September 2022, it was given its current title in 2023.

Results

Analysis

Satono Reve was a solid favourite to give Japan its first Royal Ascot winner, but France had never won any version of this race, and the Jerome Reynier-trained Lazzat delivered, despite drifting in the betting. Lazzat, second in the lucrative Golden Eagle in Australia last November, led under James Doyle as Joao Moreira and Satono Reve settled into the slipstream of Ryan Moore on the prominent Storm Boy. Moreira switched inside for clear running between the four and the three furlong poles, and with two to run, Lazzat in the centre and Satono Reve closer to the stands, both quickened strongly. But Lazzat held the advantage and maintained it to the line as he clocked 11.81 seconds for the last furlong, while the Japanese runner recorded 11.86 seconds. The pair were well clear of the rest. Lazzat proceeded to dump Doyle, spooked by the winner’s sheet that was to be draped over his quarters, and took off on a solo lap of the track: it took about 20 minutes to catch him.   

The Quote

James Doyle (jockey, Lazzat): “I can’t take any credit for this, it’s all Jerome and his team. We had all bases covered and I have to say, Jerome was very confident, very confident. He said all week, don’t worry about the ground, everything is fine. We mapped the pace out in the race and we just thought, if I end up leading, I end up leading, and he said, ‘Don’t worry, he won’t stop,’ so it worked out perfectly. I could feel (Satono Reve) coming alright, I could feel him coming but you won’t get a more genuine horse than this. He really pinned his ears back when he joined me and he was always going to fend him off. It does help when you get a double on the first day, you can just relax into it. I thought he was my banker of the week.”

Jerome Reynier (trainer, Lazzat): “The Japanese made a late challenge and it was pretty tough, but James knew that he was never going to get beaten, he had plenty in his hands and he was very confident he was going to be able to bring him to the post. He had a really good feeling on him today over this six-furlong straight. He’s unbeaten over straight courses, so now we can stick him to this kind of competition and there’s a nice European programme for him.”

Joao Moreira (Jockey, Satono Reve): “We went into the race with a lot of confidence, the horse was feeling so well in himself. Unfortunately we bumped into a very good horse today. Halfway through I thought I had him done, but he just had another kick, kept on attacking the line. I was closing up the gap but we just bumped into a good horse today. My horse ran really well and I can’t complain about it.”

The Stat

Lazzat becomes the eighth runner out of last year’s Golden Eagle to win a Group 1 race subsequently, joining Tom Kitten, Stefi Magnetica, Port Lockroy, Joliestar, War Machine, Skybird and Ascoli Piceno.

Replay

Recent Winners

2025 G3 Jersey Stakes

The G3 Jersey Stakes was first established immediately after World War I. It is often used as a stepping stone to bigger and better races by horses who did not win any of the three 2,000 Guineas races across England, Ireland and France.

Results

Analysis

A return to seven furlongs brought out the best of Noble Champion who, despite hanging badly to the left, was a dominant winner of the G3 Jersey Stakes. Unlike last start when slowly away in the Listed Carnarvon Stakes, he jumped on terms and was able to get into a lovely trailing position behind headstrong leader Spy Chief. Noble Champion raced up to challenge and head Spy Chief with just over a furlong to travel, but as soon as he hit the lead, he began carting left. Soon after, though, Spy Chief also lugged left under pressure and the race was locked away for Noble Champion. The pair dominated at the finish, with favourite Comanche Brave best of the chasers in third. It was a second winner of the week for both jockey Kieran Shoemark and trainer Ed Walker – they teamed up to win the Sandringham on Friday with Never Let Go.

The Quote

Kieran Shoemark (jockey, Noble Champion): “Ed has always held Noble Champion in the highest regard. He has a lot of ability and, for one reason or another, things just haven’t gone right this year. The stiff seven furlongs here at Ascot, with a nice strong pace, has really seen him at his best. He was in a lovely rhythm and it was just a matter of time – when I pressed go, he really hit the line strong. 

“It can be a lonely place in front here as, with the grandstand, there is plenty to look at. He would not have been in front a lot on his own before, so he was entitled to be a little bit green, but he is very talented.”

Ed Walker (trainer, Noble Champion): “It has been a great week. We have had a few blips, but we are thrilled. I am just so pleased for this horse. We had massive belief in Noble Champion coming into this year and, for one reason or another, we have just not got it right. He had a setback in January, which messed up our prep for the Greenham; he needed that run. We always thought he was a Guineas horse. We really believed in him but we thought we’d go a sensible route and ran in a conditions race at Goodwood over a mile. There wasn’t much pace and he was keen and just got it all wrong. 

“We then brought him back to six furlongs at Newbury because he had showed so much speed at home. We even thought we might end up supplementing him for the Commonwealth Cup, but that didn’t work, and finally the trainer got it right!  Noble Champion is as good a work horse as we have had; he has such a high cruising speed and is just a very smart horse. 

“He has driven me mad. It has been really difficult, and I’m probably guilty of wearing my heart on my sleeve. I tell my owners if I think horses are good, bad or ugly, and I’ve told Simon (Sadler, owner) how much belief I had in this horse. There have been excuses, but I said to Simon, if it doesn’t work today, then I don’t know what is going wrong.”

The Stat

With his win, Noble Champion achieved what his half-brother Pogo could not in five attempts at the Royal Meeting. Pogo was 15th in the 2018 Coventry, 19th in the 2019 Britannia, third in the 2020 Royal Hunt Cup, fifth in the 2021 Queen Anne and 10th in the same race in 2023. Shoemark rode Pogo in his final four appearances.

Replay

Recent Winners

2025 Wokingham Stakes

The Wokingham Stakes is the oldest of the handicaps still run at Royal Ascot with a history dating back to 1813. It usually attracts a capacity field thundering over the six furlongs.

Results

Analysis

Before Get It blasted from the gates here under Seamie Heffernan, only two horses in 100 years had won the Wokingham the season after winning another great English sprint handicap, the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood. Compiler completed the year-to-year double in 1925, and Get It joined Harmonic Way who achieved it 25 years ago and Import, whose double came in 1975 and 1976. The seven-year-old Get It’s success was exhilarating, as the Ascot six-furlong track record holder burst to the lead and stayed there right to the line. The race favourite More Thunder was last at halfway but powered home strongly to be beaten by a diminishing head. Ten Pounds in third and the stands’ side closer Holkham Bay in fourth both got to within three quarters of a length of the winner. It was 52-year-old Heffernan’s sixth Royal Ascot win and his first since South Pacific won the King George V Handicap in 2019.

The Quote

Seamie Heffernan (jockey, Get It): “I spoke to Patsy (Cosgrave) and I actually rode a bit of work on him out in Bahrain, I didn’t get to race ride him out there but he’s a horse with a lot of talent and when things go smooth, he can run hard and fast. It just goes to show you, at his age, his enthusiasm, some horses are tried maybe a little bit too hard when they’re a little bit weak, it just goes to show you: patience. I knew where the winning post was and I needed it to come, but I love riding at Royal Ascot and when you get to my age you appreciate a lot of things in life.”

George Baker (trainer, Get It): “I know he broke Blue Point’s (track) record here six weeks ago, that was a great thrill, and I thought actually, well that got us into this race. Seamie’s given hom an absolute peach: all credit to Pat Cosgrave who annoyingly is banned because Pat has absolutely been the making of this horse. I’d love Patsy to be riding him because we’ve had a lot of fun along the way, but what a wonderful substitute in Seamie, he breezed the horse a couple of times in Bahrain, loved him, and he did what Patsy always does, let him blow out of the stalls and then he’ll always come back to you, and then he’ll go again. So when he was still in front two out, and they were coming, I knew he’d come again: obviously that last furlong took about three days, but what a thrill.”

The Stat

Get It is the first horse since Harmonic Way 25 years ago to complete the big handicap sprint double of the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood and the Wokingham at Ascot.

Replay

Recent Winners

2025 Golden Gates Stakes

The Golden Gates Stakes was among the handicaps introduced in 2020. Named after the ceremonial entrance point for the Royal Procession at the top of Ascot’s straight mile, it offers an alternative to the Britannia and the King George V.

Results

Analysis

One of the tightest finishes of the week saw Quai De Bethune get the head down at just the right time to grab Seraph Gabriel, giving Oisin Murphy his fifth win of the week and his 20th Royal Ascot victory overall. The form around Quai De Bethune had taken a battering this week – Lightening Mann was well beaten in the King George V, Detain weakened badly in the Hampton Court and Hott Shott finished midfield in the Britannia. However, he picked up nicely late to reel in Seraph Gabriel with both the winner and runner-up coming from near the rear. Quai De Bethune shapes as a horse who will get a mile and a half in time.

The Quote

Oisin Murphy (jockey, Quai De Bethune): “He had a bad draw, Rossa and I were second last and last throughout. He didn’t really travel. They all slowed down in the straight and we came over the top. The lads at home have done a great job with him. This is a good race to win with the horse.

“Five winners, it’s as well as I could have done. Thank you to all those who have supported me.”

Gary Gillies (owner, Quai De Bethune): “It’s absolutely amazing. Weirdly, last night, someone came up to us in the tents and tried to buy him. We were close (to saying yes), but we said no – and what a feeling! It doesn’t get any better than this, to have a winner here is special. This is what you want as an owner.

“If that offer was on Tuesday, chances are I would have taken it. After the disappointment of yesterday (Regal Ulixes in the King Edward VII), he was my chance today at a Royal Ascot winner and I didn’t want to wait until next year.”

The Stat

Oisin Murphy made it five wins across the week for the second time. The first time was in 2021, when he was named the week’s leading rider, but he will finish second to Ryan Moore this year.

Replay

Recent Winners

2025 Queen Alexandra Stakes

First run in 1864, the Queen Alexandra Stakes is the longest race run under Flat racing rules in Britain each year. Run under set weights and penalties conditions, it often attracts an eclectic mix of horses class-wise.

Results

Analysis

Sober looked the class act on his French form – a dual Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed – and now in the hands of the most successful trainer (Willie Mullins) and jockey (Ryan Moore) in race history, the set weights and penalties contest seemed tailor made for him. So it proved as he ambled up to the lead and raced right away for a five-length victory over Samui, who was the only horse this year to race twice during the week and who was placed on both occasions. The Melbourne Cup looms large for him now – a race in which owners OTI Racing already have Deakin and Mark Twain among their local brigade and Sevenna’s Knight potentially heading from France – but he will have to pass the first ballot clause again. OTI won the first and last races of Royal Ascot 2025 – the Queen Anne Stakes with Docklands and the Queen Alexandra Stakes with Sober.

The Quote

Ryan Moore (jockey, Sober): “He was a level above them, he had very good form – he is a Group winner – and he beat them as he was entitled to do. It’s great to ride seven winners, Aidan (O’Brien) had his horses in great form all week. When you’re riding for Aidan and Willie, you’re going to ride winners.”

Willie Mullins (trainer, Sober): “He’s been a lot better than we thought he’d be. I thought he’d improved (from Killarney). Hopefully, we’ll get him qualified for the Melbourne Cup and that’s what we’ll probably aim for.”

Terry Henderson (owner representative, Sober): “I won’t be sober! It’s such a thrill, in your wildest dreams – for our partners back in Australia who invest in these horses – who could have ever thought we’d bookend the Royal Ascot meeting? We all know it’s the greatest race meeting in the world and to have a horse at each end of the carnival, it’s just incredible.

“I tried to buy him two years ago when he won the (Kergorlay) but he wasn’t for sale then. When he came up for sale, we had him earmarked but when I saw Willie in the ring, I thought he’d outbid us. But we got together and the rest is history.”

The Stat

Ryan Moore was named the leading rider of Royal Ascot for the 12th time. His first title came in 2010. It is only the third time he has reached seven winners for the week – he rode a modern record of nine winners in 2015, while he also rode seven in 2022.

Replay

Recent Winners

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