Morning. After a day at the track yesterday (which was marvellous I have to say) I’m back chained to the desk but raring to go.
Let’s get started with the weather and non-runner news …
The going for day five of Royal Ascot, Saturday 20th June, is: Good to Firm.
There has been an awful lot of talk about the draw bias down the straight track this week (with the stands side and those drawn high very much the preference)
Here are the GoingStick readings at 8.30am for what its worth:
Stands’ side: 9.0
Centre: 8.9
Far side: 8.9
Round: 7.7
Non-runners today
5.00pm Wokingham Stakes Handicap
13 Caburn (self certficate – going)
5.35pm Golden Gates Stakes (Handicap)
5 Accredit (self certificate – temperature)
Greg Wood
Hello from Ascot on the final morning of the 2026 Royal meeting, ahead of a day that will decide the trainers’ and jockeys’ titles across the meeting’s 35 races, and when we will also discover whether or not Ryan Moore will need to wait another year to join his major employer, Aidan O’Brien, with a century of winners at the meeting.
Moore, who is now on 98 Royal winners in all after a double on Friday, is pretty much home for all money in the jockeys’ race with six wins over the first four days, meaning that Billy Loughnane would need a four-timer at least from his six rides on the final day card to overhaul him.
The trainers’ title, though, remains a fascinating family affair between Aidan O’Brien, currently on six winners, and his oldest son, Joseph, who has saddled five thus far. Both have runners in the same five races today – missing out on the 3.40 and 5.00 – with O’Brien snr due to saddle eight in all and Joseph fielding seven.
The feature race of the afternoon, meanwhile, is the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at 3.40, where two big names from overseas – the Australian-trained Joliestar and Japan’s Satono Reve, last year’s runner-up – head the market.
The big field of Group One sprinters will fairly fly down the straight six furlongs, but a major point of interest will be whether those towards the stands’ rail continue to fly just that little bit faster, as has been the case in races on the straight course all week. There is a difference of just 0.1 in the GoingStick readings on the near and far sides this morning, a significantly smaller gap than yesterday’s, but whether that will be enough to stop jockeys in low-numbered stalls veering left after the start remains to be seen.
The going at Ascot remains good-to-firm after 5mm of watering overnight, picks for the final seven races of Flat racing’s showpiece event are here, and the action is underway with the Norfolk Stakes – where Aidan O’Brien fields the likely favourite, Carry The Flag, at 2.30.
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