Latest News
18/06/2025
Royal Ascot 2025: What To Watch For On Day Two
Idol Horse experts Jack Dawling, David Morgan and Andrew Hawkins dive into the biggest storylines for the second day of Royal Ascot and provide their best plays.
Idol Horse
18/06/2025
Royal Ascot, From The Saddle: “You Have To Stay Patient”
Jack Dawling gets inside the mind of Royal Ascot-winning riders Andrea Atzeni, Oisin Murphy and Zac Purton to hear just what it takes to master the famous Berkshire track.
Jack Dawling
18/06/2025
Racing Roundtable: Royal Ascot 2025 Edition
For more than 300 years, the Royal Meeting has been one of the highlights of the British flat season. What can we expect in 2025? The Idol Horse team looks at some of the big storylines heading into one of the biggest weeks of the year.
Racing Roundtable
18/06/2025
Royal Ascot 2025: The Full Day One Wrap
The Idol Horse team provides all the information you need for Royal Ascot. Stay tuned for live results and updates.
Idol Horse
18/06/2025
In-Form Burke Targets Duke Of Cambridge Test For Fallen Angel
The Spigot Lodge trainer has a strong team for Royal Ascot including last year’s Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine and some exciting two-year-olds.
David Morgan
18/06/2025
“Underrated” Champion Colin Keane Has Long Been Ready To Seize The Moment
Ireland’s six-time champion jockey is not as prominent on the world scene as his talent, his achievements, and Ger Lyons’ opinion, suggest he should be.
David Morgan
Welcome to Idol Horse‘s live coverage of Day 2 of Royal Ascot.
Check out the storylines to watch from Jack Dawling, Andrew Hawkins and David Morgan ahead of the second day.
Stay tuned throughout the card as this page updates with results and post-race analysis from the Idol Horse team.
2025 G2 Queen Mary Stakes
The G2 Queen Mary Stakes is one of two features for the two-year-old fillies, along with Friday’s G3 Albany Stakes. The five-furlong scamper brings together the fastest and most precocious fillies, as well as those likely to progress to Classic stardom at three.
Results
| Placing | Horse | Jockey |
| 1st | 23. TRUE LOVE | RYAN MOORE |
| 2nd | 7. Flowerhead | Colin Keane |
| 3rd | 11. Lennilu | Luis Saez |
| 4th | 3. Cardiff By The Sea | Oisin Murphy |
Analysis
True Love looked like a woman against girls pre-race and her class was too much for her rivals. The Coolmore-owned filly deposed Zelaina as favourite, with the latter unwanted in the market as the American raider Lennilu was also backed late. When the gates opened Zelaina showed electric pace and led centre-track; Lennilu raced close behind, while True Love broke sweetly enough on the stand side and had the leader in range should she fold. Zelaina weakened at the furlong pole and faded out as True Love powered to the lead and drew clear like a serious candidate for next season’s 1,000 Guineas. It was her trainer Aidan O’Brien’s first win in the race. Lennilu hung on for third as Flowerhead ran home strongly to second.
The Quote
Ryan Moore (jockey, True Love): “She’s a tall, scopey girl, she’ll be better suited when she goes six (furlongs). She looked a bit different from the rest of them at the start. She’s a No Nay Never and they’re usually big, strong, powerful, class two-year-olds: she’s got all that size, I thought she’d be better suited when she goes a bit further.”
Michael Tabor (part-owner, True Love): “I believe she stood out against all the other fillies in the race. (We were) pretty confident, we really were. Aiden always said she is very, very fast and in actual fact she probably needs a bit further, that’s the reality of it. The great thing is her mother is in foal to City Of Troy.”
Aiden O’Brien (trainer, True Love): “She had two very good runs. She was second to a good filly (Lady Iman) first-time out and then our own colt (Gstaad) beat her the second time. Ryan gave her a beautiful ride. She’s like a four-year-old really. She’s a big, mature, strong filly, she’s scopey and something to look forward to.”
The Stat
Aidan O’Brien had won 27 juvenile races at Royal Ascot up to the end of Day 1. He had won each of the other two-year-old races on at least three occasions. However, he had never won the Queen Mary until True Love’s success.
Replay
Recent Winners
| 2025 | TRUE LOVE |
| 2024 | LEOVANNI |
| 2023 | CRIMSON ADVOCATE |
| 2022 | DRAMATISED |
| 2021 | QUICK SUZY |
| 2020 | CAMPANELLE |
| 2019 | RAFFLE PRIZE |
| 2018 | SIGNORA CABELLO |
| 2017 | HEARTACHE |
| 2016 | LADY AURELIA |
| 2015 | ACAPULCO |
2025 G2 Queen’s Vase
The G2 Queen’s Vase is a stepping stone for three-year-olds bound for the St Leger later in the season as well as Cup races at four. Once run over two miles, it was reduced to 1m 6f in 2017 – just in time for future staying superstar Stradivarius to land the race.
Results
| Placing | Horse | Jockey |
| 1st | 3. CARMERS | Billy Lee |
| 2nd | 5. Furthur | Oisin Murphy |
| 3rd | 8. Rahiebb | Silvestre de Sousa |
| 4th | 10. Shackleton | Ryan Moore |
Analysis
Trainer Paddy Twomey’s fifth Royal Ascot runner was a winner as late market support for his Carmers was rewarded. Jockey Billy Lee sent the Irish raider to press the lead three deep on the home turn and banked on stamina. Carmers – named for his owner Fiona Carmichael’s late husband – kicked a length clear and maintained a determined gallop as the chasers struggled to get to him. The colt’s ears were flicking over his blinkered face as the post came into view but he was always holding on as Furthur maintained his gallop for second and Rahiebb closed steadily from deep for third.
The Quote
Billy Lee (jockey, Carmers): “The race went to plan all the way, jumped well, had a great position when Harry (Davies on Spinning Wheel) came around, I just let him go and I was able to track away. I got him rolling early from five out, just to get him going forward because he takes a while to build up a head of steam and I knew he’d stay well. I wanted to stretch them, I didn’t want to get beat for being caught for toe, I wanted to make it a stamina test. You can just see him there pricking his ears at the line, he’s just doing enough.”
Paddy Twomey (trainer, Carmers): “I knew he’d stay and I knew turning in Billy looked comfortable. And I was happy to see the horse come out outside him and just not have him at the front and he was able to get a fill into him around the bottom. When the bell rang, I was thinking, ‘We have a chance here.’ He’s done everything we’ve asked, he’s obviously going to have an entry in the St Leger at Doncaster and we’ll see.”
The Stat
Carmers is the first Irish winner of the Queen’s Vase not trained by Aidan O’Brien since the Dermot Weld-trained Gordo in 1996.
Replay
Recent Winners
| 2025 | CARMERS |
| 2024 | ILLINOIS |
| 2023 | GREGORY |
| 2022 | ELDAR ELDAROV |
| 2021 | KEMARI |
| 2020 | SANTIAGO |
| 2019 | DASHING WILLOUGHBY |
| 2018 | KEW GARDENS |
| 2017 | STRADIVARIUS |
| 2016 | SWORD FIGHTER |
| 2015 | ALOFT |
2025 G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes
Run over the straight mile, the older mares get their opportunity to shine in the G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes. It was introduced in 2004 as part of a wider change across Europe to encourage fillies to stay in training beyond their three-year-old season. Originally known as the Windsor Forest Stakes, it was renamed in 2013 for Prince William, who was made the Duke Of Cambridge on his wedding day in 2011.
Results
| Placing | Horse | Jockey |
| 1st | 2. CRIMSON ADVOCATE | James McDonald |
| 2nd | 1. Cinderella’s Dream | William Buick |
| 3rd | 4. Fallen Angel | James Doyle |
| 4th | 6. Running Lion | Oisin Murphy |
Analysis
Crimson Advocate nailed her second Royal Ascot victory with a swooping last-to-first run under Sydney’s star jockey James McDonald. The filly won the Queen Mary Stakes in 2023 for American trainer George Weaver and stayed to sprinting in two runs last year, but under the watch of trainers John and Thady Gosden nowadays, and sporting the Wathnan Racing second silks, the four-year-old showed she is a top miler in the making. Last season’s winner Running Lion tried to make all but was out of steam inside the last furlong as the winner, second-placed Cinderella’s Dream and the rallying Fallen Angel in the Wathnan first silks under James Doyle all passed her.
The Quote
James McDonald (jockey, Crimson Advocate): “She gave me an absolutely beautiful ride, she did everything we asked; we got last crack and she was really, really strong, and it’s a pleasure to ride a winner for Wathnan. It makes James’s (Doyle) job so hard picking such nice horses all the time and I’m just very lucky to be jogging on the spot at the right time. ‘Doyler’ said when we crossed the line, ‘I’ll take it from here,’ so I’ll leave it to him.”
Richard Brown (owner’s racing manager, Crimson Advocate): “She’s in the Falmouth Stakes. She’s a Queen Mary filly and when John rang me early in the year and said, ‘She’s showing no speed, I think we need to go a mile,’ I thought we were in terrible shape, but we’re not. That was impressive, the way she quickened.”
The Stat
More to come
Replay
Recent Winners
| 2025 | CRIMSON ADVOCATE |
| 2024 | RUNNING LION |
| 2023 | ROGUE MILLENNIUM |
| 2022 | SAFFRON BEACH |
| 2021 | INDIE ANGEL |
| 2020 | NAZEEF |
| 2019 | MOVE SWIFTLY |
| 2018 | ALJAZZI |
| 2017 | QEMAH |
| 2016 | USHERETTE |
| 2015 | AMAZING MARIA |
2025 G1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes
The G1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes is the first 10-furlong major of the British season. It was established in 1862 and is one of two races across the week named for the Prince Of Wales at that time, the future King Edward VII. It was not held from the outbreak of World War II until 1968, a year before then-Prince Charles – now King Charles III – became the Prince Of Wales. It has been restricted to horses aged four or older since it became a Group 1 in 2000.
Recent Winners
| 2024 | AUGUSTE RODIN |
| 2023 | MOSTAHDAF |
| 2022 | STATE OF REST |
| 2021 | LOVE |
| 2020 | LORD NORTH |
| 2019 | CRYSTAL OCEAN |
| 2018 | POET’S WORD |
| 2017 | HIGHLAND REEL |
| 2016 | MY DREAM BOAT |
| 2015 | FREE EAGLE |
2024 Replay
Key Players
G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup quinella Los Angeles and Anmaat rematch again here. They also met in the G1 Champion Stakes at the course and distance in October; Anmaat defeated Los Angeles that day.
See The Fire also ran in October, finishing between Anmaat and Los Angeles, and she produced a career best effort to win the G2 Middleton Stakes by 12 lengths last start.
Map Of Stars finished a neck second at his Group 1 debut in the Prix Ganay last time out, while his fellow French raider Facteur Cheval – winner of the G1 Dubai Turf last year – steps up to 1m 2f for the first time.
Selections
| TIPSTER | TOP SELECTION |
| Jack Dawling | 8. Royal Champion |
| Andrew Hawkins | 9. See The Fire (NAP) |
2025 Royal Hunt Cup
The Royal Hunt Cup is arguably the meeting’s most prestigious handicap, contested over the straight mile. One of the best betting races of the week, it usually features a full field of 30 thundering down the track.
Recent Winners
| 2024 | WILD TIGER |
| 2023 | JIMI HENDRIX |
| 2022 | DARK SHIFT |
| 2021 | REAL WORLD |
| 2020 | DARK VISION |
| 2019 | AFAAK |
| 2018 | SETTLE FOR BAY |
| 2017 | ZHUI FENG |
| 2016 | PORTAGE |
| 2015 | GM HOPKINS |
2024 Replay
Key Players
My Cloud‘s half-brother Palace Pier was a two-time Royal Ascot winner. A winner of his last three starts, the four-year-old has been well-backed for the feature handicap.
The Liffey and Fox Legacy both changed stables at the end of 2024, now being trained by Joseph O’Brien and Andrew Balding respectively. Both have found support.
Qirat, sixth to Mickley in the Britannia last year at the track and trip, sports blinkers for the first time, while Bullet Point aims for his fourth win in a row.
Selections
| TIPSTER | TOP SELECTION |
| Jack Dawling | 23. Fox Legacy (NAP) |
| Andrew Hawkins | 17. Magnum Opus |
2025 Kensington Palace Stakes
The Kensington Palace Stakes is the newest race of the meeting, having been established in 2021. Run over the round mile for the older fillies and mares, it is a race that has proven difficult to assess in its short history with all four winners sent off at double-figure odds.
Recent Winners
| 2024 | DOHA |
| 2023 | VILLANOVA QUEEN |
| 2022 | RISING STAR |
| 2021 | LOLA SHOWGIRL |
2024 Replay
Key Players
After Reaching High had limited luck in the Ascot Stakes yesterday, King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be hoping Rainbows Edge can give the monarch’s colours a first victory of the week. Bred by the late Queen Elizabeth II, Rainbows Edge is a half-brother to some of her stalwarts like Call To Mind, Recorder and Learn By Heart. She has won three of her four starts to date.
Sky Safari seeks to give Saffie Osborne a first Royal Ascot winner, while Arolla, Serialise and Arisaig are others in contention in a competitive race.
Selections
| TIPSTER | TOP SELECTION |
| Jack Dawling | 1. Rainbows Edge |
| Andrew Hawkins | 22. Shallow |
2025 Listed Windsor Castle Stakes
This will be the final time the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes is run over five furlongs, the distance over which it has been staged since 1880. From next year, it will be contested over six furlongs and will be restricted to horses whose sire won a race over seven furlongs or further at two or over a mile or further as an older horse.
Recent Winners
| 2024 | AIN’T NOBODY |
| 2023 | BIG EVS |
| 2022 | LITTLE BIG BEAR |
| 2021 | CHIPOTLE |
| 2020 | TACTICAL |
| 2019 | SOUTHERN HILLS |
| 2018 | SOLDIER’S CALL |
| 2017 | SOUND AND SILENCE |
| 2016 | ARDAD |
| 2015 | WASHINGTON DC |
2024 Replay
Key Players
Rogue Legend, a winner at Cork and Tipperary at his last two starts, crosses the Irish Sea for Paddy Twomey. He has recorded one of the highest juvenile ratings in Ireland so far this season.
Rogue Supremacy justified support for a big win at Wetherby. He drops back to the pure five furlongs, as does Havana Hurricane, who was beaten stepping up to six furlongs at Epsom last time out.
Tough Critic, a Keeneland debut winner in April, lines up for George Weaver, who won the Queen Mary on this day two years ago.
Selections
| TIPSTER | TOP SELECTION |
| Jack Dawling | 17. Rogue Legend |
| Andrew Hawkins | 8. Gaga Mate |
Make sure to update throughout Day 2 for all of the latest results, replays and analysis courtesy of the Idol Horse team. ∎
