Royal Ascot 2025: Day One Live

Welcome to Idol Horse‘s coverage of Day 1 of Royal Ascot.

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

Preview

Royal Ascot 2025: What To Watch For On Day One 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 G1 Queen Anne Stakes

The G1 Queen Anne Stakes is the traditional opener to Royal Ascot each year. A Group 1 over the straight mile for the older horses, it is one of the highlights of the week.

Results

Analysis

More to come

The Quote

More to come

Replay

Recent Winners

2025 G2 Coventry Stakes

There are six two-year-old races at Royal Ascot, but the G2 Coventry Stakes is considered the most prestigious of them all. It is the first Group race for juveniles in Britain each year.

Recent Winners

2024 Replay

Key Players

Aidan O’Brien has won this race 10 times. He saddles up two runners, both Navan maiden winners – Gstaad and Warsaw. Coolmore’s retained rider Ryan Moore has chosen to ride Gstaad.

Godolphin sends out Military Code, unbeaten from two starts. Sheikh Mohammed’s operation has only won the race once – with Buratino a decade ago.

The Emir of Qatar’s Wathnan Racing has two runners – Yarmouth novice winner Postmodern and Ayr maiden winner Underwriter.

Andab, an Idol Horse ‘Future Idols’ candidate, lines up for Joseph O’Brien.

Future Idols

Andab Lays Down Early Juvenile Marker At The Curragh

Selections

2025 G1 King Charles III Stakes

The five-furlong G1 King Charles III Stakes – formerly the King’s Stand Stakes – is arguably the most international race of the week. In the last 20 years, it has been won by horses from France, Australia, Spain, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States in addition to Great Britain, while runners have come from jurisdictions like Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Recent Winners

2024 Replay

Key Players

Asfoora returns to try and go back-to-back. Blue Point and Sole Power have won the race in consecutive years recently, while Equiano won in non-consecutive years. None of the five Australian winners before Asfoora have achieved the feat.

Believing broke through for her first Group 1 win in the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan in April. She finished fourth in this race last year.

Night Raider, having his first start for Wathnan Racing, drops back to five furlongs for the first time. He has never raced below 1200m.

Group 1 winner Regional, runner-up last year, and the in-form Mgheera are also in the market.

Selections

2025 G1 St James’s Palace Stakes

The G1 St James’s Palace Stakes is a notable stepping stone for three-year-olds from the classic in Great Britain, Ireland and France towards taking on their elders in the Sussex Stakes next month.

Recent Winners

2024 Replay

Key Players

For the second year in a row, the winners of the 2000 Guineas, Irish 2000 Guineas and French 2000 Guineas (Poule d’Essai des Poulains) will meet in a mouthwatering clash at Ascot. Before 2024, the last time all three met in the St James’s Palace Stakes was in 2016.

Field Of Gold won the Irish 2000 Guineas after finishing second to Ruling Court in the 2000 Guineas. Henri Matisse won the French equivalent.

Last year’s Coventry Stakes winner Rashabar returns, aiming to become the first since Dawn Approach to complete the Coventry Stakes-St James’s Palace Stakes double.

Selections

2025 Ascot Stakes

The Ascot Stakes is the first of four races run across the five-day meeting in which horses pass the winning post twice. It often brings together National Hunt and Flat horses as well as dual purpose trainers.

Recent Winners

2024 Replay

Key Players

Irish maestro Willie Mullins has won this race four times since 2012. He sends out Reaching High, a son of Queen’s Vase and Gold Cup winner Estimate, for King Charles III and Queen Camilla, while he also has Triumph Hurdle winner Poniros as well.

Chester Cup winner East India Dock was third in the Triumph Hurdle before his feature win back on the Flat. Progressive stayers Manxman and Mr Hampstead and controversial Cesarewitch winner Alphonse Le Grande are others well in the market.

Selections

2025 Listed Wolferton Stakes

The Listed Wolferton Stakes, run as a handicap until 2018, is open to horses who have not won a Group 1 or Group 2 since August 31 last year. It has produced a number of future Group 1 horses, particularly down in Australia.

Recent Winners

2024 Replay

Key Players

Enfjaar will seek to give Shadwell back-to-back Wolferton wins after Israr’s victory last year.

Haatem steps beyond a mile for the first time. He won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot last year after placing in both the 2000 Guineas and the Irish 2000 Guineas. He is one of four Wathnan Racing runners, joining last-year’s placegetters Haunted Dream and Torito and Group 2 runner-up King’s Gambit.

Sons And Lovers has run well twice for new trainer Joseph O’Brien and gets the services of Ryan Moore. Ecureuil Secret was a huge handicap winner at his seasonal debut.

Selections

2025 Copper Horse Stakes

One of a number of handicaps that was introduced for the pandemic Royal Ascot in 2020, the Copper Horse Stakes provides a test of stamina over 1m 6f.

Recent Winners

2024 Replay

Key Players

French Master has only had five starts but has won three of them, including his first outing at 1m 6f last time out.

Caballo De Mar has won six of his last seven starts, with his only defeat coming when second in the Chester Cup.

Charlus has not raced since Cheltenham but was acquired by Willie Mullins out of France. He has won this race the last two years.

Selections

Stay tuned for the latest from Ascot. ∎