Ladies Day at Ascot traditionally draws the largest crowd of the week and our ace tipster supplies his recommendations for a day featuring the Gold Cup
2.30 Chesham Stakes – APEROLL landed some bets in style on her debut at Newbury at the beginning of the month and gets the vote to remain unbeaten.
The chestnut daughter of Ghaiyyath had clearly been doing something right on Richard Hannon’s gallops – she was available at 8-1 for a fillies’ maiden over the Berkshire track’s six and a half furlongs before being backed into 9-4 favourite.
In the event, Pat Dobbs’ mount didn’t give her supporters too many anxious moments. Racing with enthusiasm behind the pace, my selection was pushed into the lead at the furlong pole and did what was necessary to beat Scommessa Sicura by one length.
That performance, which triggered rave reviews from her trainer, marked Aperoll as a two-year-old of abundant promise and she has any amount of as-yet untapped potential to draw upon as she moves up to Listed level and takes on male opposition.
Two of the last three runnings of the Chesham Stakes – via Snellen in 2023 and Bedtime Story 12 months on – have fallen to females and Aperoll is taken to continue the trend.
Favourite Aix La Chapelle did it well on his Curragh debut and is an obvious danger, along with his Ballydoyle stablemate South Dakota and Revels .
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 APEROLL, 2 AIX LA CHAPELLE, 3 REVELS
3.05 King George V Stakes – JOULANY has already shown a high level of ability – but several factors point to a personal best this afternoon.
In a career spanning four races, the Sea The Stars-sired half-brother to the talented-but-quirky Al Aasy – Joulany cost 800,000 guineas as a yearling in October 2024 – has not exactly established himself as the punters’ darling. Joulany has been sent off the odds-on jolly on no fewer than three occasions, but has yet to deliver the goods.
The 5-6 market leader for his debut at Kempton Park in September, Hector Crouch’s partner ran second to Look To The Stars before a fourth to Morshdi when 4-6 at York the following month.
Joulany reappeared in a hood for a 10-furlong novice stakes at Newbury in mid-April and, this time a 6-1 chance, went under by a neck and a head to Maltese Cross and My Love Is King, form that the first two home have given a good polish since.
And his latest run saw my selection take a two-and-a-half-length second to Galiyan over today’s mile-and-a-half-trip in a maiden at Chester’s May fixture.
Joulany has a British Horseracing Authority mark of 91 but now gelded, fitted with a tongue tie and going into the handicap sphere, he’s taken to make a leap forward.
Dangers lurk at every turn, with Heyzoom, Cannes and Believed all capable of having a say.
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 JOULANY, 2 HEYZOOM, 3 CANNES
3.40 Ribblesdale Stakes – GILDED PRIZE surrendered her unbeaten record with a last-time-out Longchamp flop – but it’s early days to be writing her off.
The daughter of Frankel – dam Grand Jete was a one-time winner in France before going on to score at Grade 3 level for her owner-breeder Juddmonte in America – got off to a winning start in a fillies’ maiden at Chantilly in November before heading into a 136-day winter break.
The Francis Graffard trainee returned for a two-length supremacy at the same track in March before her sights were raised to Group 3 level for the Prix Cleopatre over an extended 10 furlongs at Saint-Cloud the following month.
Gilded Prize passed that test with ease, scoring by three and a half lengths, before moving up to Group 2 company for Prix Saint-Alary in Paris last time out.It was then that the wheels came off as my selection, the odds-on favourite, toiled with a fifth of six behind Lapotheose.
It’s possible the prevailing soft ground that day was to blame and, back on a sound surface, it’s worth giving Oisín Murphy’s mount the chance to bounce back.
It’s no massive surprise to see Juddmonte No.1 jockey Colin Keane on board Oaks second Legacy Link and the favourite isn’t passed over lightly, with Earth Shot and Composing next on the list.
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 GILDED PRIZE, 2 LEGACY LINK, 3 COMPOSING
4.15 Gold Cup – RAHIEBB is the choice to usher in a new era for the stayers by landing Royal Ascot’s signature race.
The Gold Cup presents a particular type of test, so those who have been here before – Trawlerman was third in 2025 before his victory 12 months ago, while Sweet William and Dubai Future have podium finishes on their CVs – must be respected.
But the old guard can’t last forever – Trawlerman is eight years old, Sweet William is seven and Dubai Future is 10 – and there are new kids in town.
After making a winning debut over a mile at Newcastle in March of last year, Rahiebb didn’t manage to double his tally in 2026 but ran some fine races in Group company, most notably when a neck second to Scandinavia in the St Leger at Doncaster in September.
Roger Varian was always confident Frankel’s son would improve with age and so it proved on his return when the four-year-old took on seven rivals for the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup on the Knavesmire.
It was a taking comeback – Ray Dawson’s partner held Al Nayyir by two and a quarter lengths with Furthur back in fourth – and, while it’s a long way from a mile and three-quarters to two and a half miles, the going-places four-year-old shapes like he will stay a distance of ground.
Trawlerman comes to his title defence without a prep run, which makes life difficult, so Scandinavia, Caballo De Mar and Sweet William are taken to fight it out for the minor medals.
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 RAHIEBB, 2 SCANDINAVIA, 3 CABALLO DE MAR
4.50 Britannia Stakes – OUTBACK HEAT, a thrice-raced two-time winner – including over course and distance – makes plenty of appeal.
It’s three years since Harry Eustace saddled the then-embryonic course specialist Docklands to victory in this race, and the Newmarket trainer has another likely type in Outback Heat.
Too Darn Hot’s son didn’t see the track as a two-year-old but, gelded prior to his debut, began to make up for lost time with a victory over a mile at Newcastle at the beginning of February.
My selection then went to Great Yarmouth to finish third behind the odds-on Organise in a novice stakes before entering the handicap sphere over Ascot’s straight mile last month.
Facing 10 opponents, Outback Heat came from the rear of the field under Kaiya Fraser to hit the front at the furlong pole to hold Luzon Heights by three-quarters of a length.
Docklands landed that contest prior to coming to Royal Ascot for the first time and, from a British Horseracing Authority mark of 91, Outback Heat is the choice to follow suit.
It would take longer to list horses who can’t run well rather than those that can, but Pathein, We’re Goosers, Organise and Wechaad all merit a second look.
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 OUTBACK HEAT, 2 WE’RE GOOSERS, 3 WECHAAD
5.35 Hampton Court Stakes – GENERIC proved no match for Constitution River at Chester last time, but should find this opposition less daunting.
Unraced as a juvenile, the Andrew Balding-saddled son of Kameko showed plenty of promise for the future when running fellow debutant Enemy Agent to a head at Kempton Park at the end of March.
And Generic duly built on that first run with a three-length humbling of My Mate Roger in a one-mile novice stakes at Great Yarmouth 17 days later.
Balding then elected to send the gelding to the Roodee for the Listed Dee Stakes over 10 furlongs, for which he started the 22-1 outsider in a field of five.
He crossed the line a seven-length runner-up behind Constitution River, who subsequently overcame a bad draw to land the Prix du Jockey Club.
But the winner isn’t the only horse to boost the form – third home Golden Story is now a Goodwood Listed winner while fourth-placed Shayem has since finished second in the German 2,000 Guineas – and Generic has plenty of scope for progress now that he moves up to Group 3 level.
Aidan O’Brien stablemates Endorsement and Italy have podium claims, as does Oxagon.
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 GENERIC, 2 ENDORSEMENT, 3 OXAGON
6.10 Buckingham Palace Stakes – COLOMBIER was back to winning form at Epsom’s two-day Derby fixture, and another good account is on the cards.
A two-time victor for André Fabre, Kingman’s son matched that tally in the care of Alban de Mieulle before moving to Newmarket to join Hamad Al Jehani earlier this year.
Making his comeback from 475 days off, Colombier went off a well-backed 100-30 joint-favourite over this course and distance at the beginning of last month but beat just one of his 10 rivals home.
However, there was much more to like about his fifth career success, gained in the finale of Oaks day, which saw him get the better of Zarathos by a neck, the pair clear of the third horse.
A 6lb rise for that performance could have been worse and Colombier, for whom the booking of Ryan Moore is an obvious plus, should have more to offer in Al Jehani’s hands.
The shortlist to the conclusion to Ladies’ Day is unsurprisingly a lengthy one and includes Cosi Bello, Royal Velvet and Arctic Dawn.
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3: 1 COLOMBIER, 2 COSI BELLO, 3 ARCTIC DAWN
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