Ed Quigley's 2026 Royal Ascot Preview

Written By Ed Quigley | Published at June 12, 2026

Ascot, UK - June 16 2015: Horse race at Ascot Racecourse on a day 1 of Royal Ascot

Ed Quigley is buzzing for the 2026 Royal Ascot meeting, and is back to share some horses which could offer a spot of value ahead of all the action which gets underway on June 16...

Coventry Stakes (Tuesday) - Night In Vegas e/w

The Coventry Stakes often throws up a classy individual, but simultaneously he can often provide a big shock as we saw in 2020 when we had a 150/1 winner. Night In Vegas is a fascinating contender here for the Eve Johnson Houghton team. The 2-year-old is unbeaten in two starts, having looked smart when winning over Course and Distance on debut despite looking green in the early stages, and then followed up in good style in a minor event at Goodwood. He gives the impression that there is so much more under the bonnet and I really like his untapped potential coming into this. He looks as though he is learning on the job, and there is a lot of raw ability involved. I can see the set-up of this race being perfect for him, and given that he already has winning form at the track, he shouldn't be underestimated.

St James's Palace Stakes (Tuesday) - Gstaad

We have the rematch that we have all been looking forward to, as Bow Echo and Gstaad lock horns once again. Bow Echo got the better of Gstaad in convincing fashion in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, but I think that the Ballydoyle camp will be confident they can turn the form around heading into this encounter. Bow Echo was excellent, there is no denying that, but the vibes in the aftermath were that perhaps Gstaad just needed the run a little bit, and he went one better next time out in the Irish 2000 Guineas when powering clear, albeit in weaker company. Gstaad should be absolutely spot on for this assignment, and you have to bring the Ascot factor into play; Gstaad was an empathic winner of the Coventry Stakes at last year's Royal Meeting, so he has already proven that he can handle the track and the occasion. With the prospect of the ground looking to be on the quick side, that is another positive for the Aidan O'Brien runner who can really serve it up to the English Classic winner here. All being well, Ryan Moore will be in the saddle, and this combination looks to have a cracking chance of adding yet more Group 1 glory to the extensive haul from the record breaking Ballydoyle outfit.

Prince Of Wales's Stakes (Wednesday) - Ombudsman

Ombudsman is a class act, and we have the potential of a classic dust-up here, as he is set to take on Arc hero Daryz in what looks like one of the clashes of the meeting. Daryz is likely to be warm order for this, but he will definitely know he is in a race, and will the prospect of quick underfoot conditions play to his strengths? The John and Thady Gosden trained Ombudsman was superb in this race 12 months ago and I can envisage a similar performance here. He has serious gears, and I think that he will be brought to the boil for this after having had the perfect prep run at Sandown recently where connections warned he was 'far from tuned-up'. Despite that, he dug in to win, and I think he will be a serious candidate to make it back to back wins in this race.

Ascot Gold Cup (Thursday) - Carmers e/w

On paper this race revolves around Scandinavia who will be warm order for this, and will be looking to make it six wins on the bounce. In truth he should take a lot of beating. Something has to hit the frame and follow him home, and there is always a chance of an upset in any case, so I will be keeping on Carmers who looks more than capable of running a big race at massive odds. Paddy Twomey is a shrewd operator and he has earmarked this race for sometime, and he comes here as a lively each-way player. Although Scandinavia has had the upperhand in recent clashes, let's not forget that Carmers got the better of the Ballydoyle representative in the Queen's Vase at last year's Royal Meeting. Connections popped a visor on Carmers for a Listed race at Down Royal last time out, and he showed much more of the old speak and ran out a very comfortable winner. He has to prove he stays, but has winning Royal Ascot form on the CV and it would be far from a shock if he were to get involved at the business end of proceedings in a race which could easily cut up to a small field on the day.