Royal Ascot 2025: Day Four Live

Welcome to Idol Horse‘s live coverage of Day 4 of Royal Ascot.

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

Preview

Royal Ascot 2025: What To Watch For On Day Four 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 G3 Albany Stakes

The G3 Albany Stakes over six furlongs is the second of two races strictly for the two-year-old fillies, following the Queen Mary Stakes. Its winners will often harbour 1,000 Guineas aspirations for the following year.

Results

Analysis

As can so often happen later in the week at Royal Ascot, the Albany Stakes marked a significant shift back towards low draws down the straight after high draws dominated early in the week. The first three came from draws one, three and four, potentially marking an important change ahead of the final two days. Venetian Sun, in Tony Bloom’s blue and white, was an impressive winner at Carlisle last month. The pace developed on the stands side behind Magny Cours and Ipanema Queen, leaving Venetian Sun just ahead of midfield without cover up the centre of the course. However, she was always travelling well within herself for Clifford Lee and when he asked for an effort at the two-furlong mark, she looked like an older mare sprinting against babies. She did drift slightly to her left, allowing Awaken to follow her through and momentarily look a chance, but Venetian Sun was too strong late. Gold Digger ran a bold third after missing the start by four lengths, while Fitzella was best of those drawn high. Favourite Signora was quickly beaten when pressure was applied.

The Quote

Clifford Lee (jockey, Venetian Sun): “When she ran first time at Carlisle, she did that very nicely. She’s turned out to be a rocket. Carlisle is a very stiff trick and she was very babyish that day. She wasn’t quite switched on. The stable said she had come on for that run, she’d put on almost 20 pounds.

“I’m delighted to get another Royal Ascot winner for the team and fingers crossed for the rest of the day. It’s so hard to get a winner, you think you come here with a very big chance but so do 20 other runners in the same race. It’s a bit of a lottery really unless you’re riding a top horse, but we knew we had a good filly on our hands.”

Karl Burke (trainer, Venetian Sun): “I think she’s a very special filly. The work she’s done at home, I haven’t had a two-year-old filly do work like it. She’s kicking older Group horses out of the way at home. I worked a good old work horse with her about a month ago, just after her debut, and it was so good that I had to work her with another horse who I knew was reliable and she did the same to him. I’m talking 110-rated horses. I think she’s very special.”

Tony Bloom (owner, Venetian Sun): “We are looking ahead to next season’s 1,000 Guineas and it’s fair to say we are already very excited.”

The Stat

Venetian Sun’s win in the Albany Stakes was a first black type victory at Royal Ascot for both jockey Clifford Lee and owners Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy. Lee won the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Handicap on Significantly in 2021 while Bloom’s Stratum landed the Queen Alexandra Stakes in 2021 and 2022.

Replay

Recent Winners

2025 G1 Commonwealth Cup

The Commonwealth Cup at six furlongs is the newest of the Group 1 races across the week. Introduced in 2015, it is the only age-restricted Group 1 sprint for three-year-olds before they are forced to tackle their elders at the highest level. It is also open to southern hemisphere two-year-olds but none has yet taken up the challenge.

Results

Analysis

More to come

The Quote

More to come

The Stat

Harry Eustace has had only four Group 1 starts in Britain for two wins (Time For Sandals and Docklands this week), one second (Docklands in the Queen Anne Stakes last year) and one seventh (Docklands in the Juddmonte International last year).

Replay

Recent Winners

2025 Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes

The Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes is a mile and a half handicap that has produced a number of stayers in recent years that have gone on to win Group races. It was named for the late Prince Philip, then the Duke Of Edinburgh, in 1999.

Recent Winners

2024 Replay

Key Players

Five of the last seven winners were handicap winners at their most recent start.

Almosh’her, a York handicap winner at this trip last start, and Stressfree, who was second that day at York before winning a handicap at Haydock, are the two horses that fit that bill.

The other two winners were beaten in stakes races, which fits Mount Atlas. He was beaten three and a half lengths by Illinois in the G3 Ormonde Stakes at Chester last time out.

Ethical Diamond was fourth as favourite in this race last year. He returns to the Flat for the first time since after four starts over hurdles.

French Duke makes his seasonal debut. He was second at the course and distance at his most recent start in September.

Selections

2025 G1 Coronation Stakes

First run in 1840, the G1 Coronation Stakes was initiated to celebrate the coronation of Queen Victoria two years earlier. Run over the round mile, it is the fillies’ equivalent of the St James’s Palace Stakes earlier in the week.

Recent Winners

2024 Replay

Key Players

Zarigana was promoted to first in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches. She has now won four of her five starts.

Unbeaten fillies Falakeyah and Kon Tiki both won Listed races and were then supplemented for the Coronation.

G1 Fillies’ Mile runner-up January will be happy to avoid Desert Flower this time around.

Selections

2025 Sandringham Stakes

The Sandringham Stakes is a handicap for three-year-old fillies over the straight mile. Like the Coronation Stakes, this event was created as an equivalent to another event for the colts and geldings – in this case, the Britannia Handicap.

Recent Winners

2024 Replay

Key Players

Miss Nightfall is incredibly consistent. She was luckless when two and a half lengths behind Silver Ghost fresh and meets that filly 6lb better at the weights.

Dash Of Azure won comfortably at her handicap debut. Her two-year-old form has stood up well.

Betty Clover was second to Duke Of Cambridge winner Crimson Advocate at Goodwood last month. She is right up in the weights.

Selections

2025 G2 King Edward VII Stakes

The G2 King Edward VII Stakes – formerly known as the Ascot Derby – is for the three-year-old colts and geldings over a mile and a half. With the Derby at Epsom restricted to colts, this is often an opportunity for the geldings to star at the trip.

Recent Winners

2024 Replay

Key Players

Zahrann won the Listed King George V Cup at Leopardstown earlier this month, a race that has been won by horses like Tower Of London and Dibayani in the past. The late Aga Khan IV won this race with Calandagan last year.

Amiloc won the Listed Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood very easily. It has been 22 years since High Accolade last completed the Cocked Hat – King Edward VII double.

Puppet Master was a rare Listed Lingfield Derby Trial winner not to progress to the Derby itself.

Both Nightwalker and Green Storm come out of the Derby.

Selections

2025 Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes

One of a number of handicaps introduced in 2020, this five-furlong handicap for three-year-olds is named for the monarch’s official residence in Scotland.

Recent Winners

2024 Replay

Key Players

Realign was second to Shadow Of Light on debut last year and won very comfortably at Salisbury fresh. He is on a very appealing mark.

Adrestia won twice over five furlongs at two and only made his three-year-old debut last week.

Hammer The Hammer has won his last three starts by three margins and returns to six furlongs.

Zayer, who contested Group races at two, returns to his own age group after tackling the older horses last start.

Selections

Make sure to refresh this page during the card for all of the latest results, replays and analysis from the Idol Horse team. ∎