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The Hardwicke Stakes at 3.05pm includes both a Classic winner – Continuous – and a very live runner in the royal colours in Desert Hero, the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at 3.45pm and the Wokingham Handicap at 5.05pm are terrific betting heats, and the two-and-three-quarter mile Queen Alex at the end of the card is, well, as endearingly oddball as always.
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The only thing missing, in fact, is any real sense of drama or narrative about the races to be the top trainer and jockey at the meeting. Aidan O’Brien has had everything bar a pinkie finger on the trainers’ prize since the middle of day three, and could take the day off today and still finish comfortably clear thanks to this five winners already. No one else has managed more than two, and of those, only Karl Burke has runners in enough races to have even a million-to-one chance of making up the necessary ground.
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The jockeys’ prize also looks done and dusted, although James Doyle and Oisin Murphy, with three wins apiece, are within two of the current leader, Ryan Moore. They have seven and six rides apiece on today’s card – Grand Providence, Murphy’s booked ride in the last, has been scratched – but Moore has seven too, including several likely favourites, and is much more likely to extend his lead than he is to see it cut.
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The early going and weather report from Ascot on day five is very similar to the previous four: good-to-firm ground which was watered overnight, and a warm, dry forecast for the afternoon, albeit with the outside chance of a shower at some point. Tips for today’s seven races are here – back in deficit for the week sadly after a blank day yesterday, but only by a couple of quid – and the action is under way with the Chesham Stakes at 2.30pm.
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Important Events
Royal Procession (2 pm)
The runners will be taking to the track for the first event – which most spectators will be more fascinated by than the actual race – on Saturday, with the invincible Irish trainer Willie Mullins in the cab, as well as the man behind Qatar Racing. Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani.
List of carriages for the Royal Procession on Saturday, June 22nd, Fifth Day of the Nation #RoyalAscot 2024. pic.twitter.com/TzJHyOGJhq
— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 22, 2024
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Queen’s Hut Stakes (2pm) Preview
There’s always a lively market for betting on the colour of the monarch’s hat when the Queen attends a meeting, and Ladbrokes is taking bets on what colour hat Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will wear today. Our form guide is Best of Bets A bookmaker keeping a close eye on this novelty market said: “Away from the betting hall, bookmakers are continuing the tradition of betting on the colour of the Queen’s hat. Having worn three different shades of blue this week, bettors are confident that Queen Camilla will wear pink on the final day of the royal meeting.”
The Queen’s Hat – Ladbrokes Gambling Day 5
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Pink/Peach 4/1
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Green 4/1
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Yellow 5/1
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Orange 6/1
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Red 6/1
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White/cream 8/1
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Blue 8/1
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Purple 8/1
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Gold 12/1
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Silver 20/1
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Brown 20/1
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Black 25/1
Non-Runner Updates
In the final race, there will be an important absence as the strong contender Queenstown will not be running.
4.25
16 Take me to church (stabbed leg)
5.05
8 Apollo 1 (trip)
5.40
3 Arabian legend (go)
6.15
13 Queenstown (Veterinarian advice)
It’s almost time… The Royal procession will take to the course as usual at around 2pm, and who will be in the carriage will be revealed at noon. They will enjoy lunch hosted by Prince Andrew (yes, that’s right, Prince Andrew) at Windsor Castle, before departing in a carriage for the racecourse. As with every day at Royal Ascot, the carriage occupants are not revealed until noon.
ITV racing presenter Ed Chamberlain echoed my sentiments, writing: In today’s Daily Mail column“I’ll never forget, as part of the shoot, we had the opportunity to take a horse-drawn carriage ride from Windsor Castle down the Long Walk and arrive at Ascot’s Golden Gates – except we didn’t go through as the Royal Family did. As we were travelling, I started thinking about royal processions – it’s all part of the tradition of this gathering and such an iconic event at Ascot, but I couldn’t help but feel that a modern tweak was needed.
“This week there was applause when the carriage arrived in front of the auditorium. It’s a different story if the Princess of Wales is there because there’s usually a fuss when she’s there, but I’d love to see more different guests invited – how fantastic it would be if Sir Alan Bates, who exposed the Post Office scandal, was in the carriage, or NHS heroes who have supported us through some of the most difficult times of our lives.”
I genuinely think this is the kind of thing that would happen if Prince Charles were to ascend to the throne, but it would be interesting if he made the move first.
Today’s sports line-up is courtesy of a classy Ascot tweet, er, X. Ah, you know what I mean.
Last chapter #RoyalAscot Today marks the fifth day of 2024, and Saturday’s lineup is a fitting climax to a week of unparalleled racing greatness. pic.twitter.com/CJSbWIaxoD
— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 22, 2024
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Market movers
We bring you the final of our daily market trend updates. Courtesy of the Oddschecker folksHorses supported throughout the night were:
4:25pm – Pearls and Rubies 50/1 -> 11/1
5:40pm – Whiskey Pete 25/1 -> 9/1
From 6:15 pm Aiming for an Oscar 11/2 -> 11/4
The following horses will not be racing today and should be left off the race card:
2:30pm Chesham Stakes
3 A cool breeze (Self-certified – boring)
6 Harvey (Self-reported – not eaten up)
12 Seaplane (Veterinary Certificate – Anomaly Scope)
3:45pm Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes
Four Kinross (Self-reported – Go)
5:05pm Wokingham Stakes
twenty three Alleys Dancer (go)
twenty five Gorak (Self-reported – not eaten up)
5:40pm Golden Gates Handicap
3 Arabian legend ((go)
Five Balmacara (Self-reported – Go)
7 Primo Lara (Self-signed Certificate – Boxed)
6:15pm Queen Alexandra Stakes
1 Trussian (Self-reported – Go)
12 Dawi (Self-reported – Go)
14 Grand Providence (Self-reported – Go)
As Greg mentioned in his introduction, the plan for the final day was, once again, to… Good to solidThis is good as it means spectators aren’t thrown off by the sudden changes in the race surface. As has been the case all week, there doesn’t seem to be a huge advantage on either side of the straights.
8AM GoingStick readings:
Stand sideIt’s 8.6
center: 8.8
the other side: 8.5
preamble
Greg Wood
Good morning from Ascot on the fifth and final day of the Royal Meeting. What is expected to be the biggest crowd of the week is starting to pack in with something for everyone to enjoy on this card.
The Hardwick Stakes at 3:05 p.m. features the classic winner and continuous – and a very vibrant runner in royal colors Hero of the Desert, of Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes 3:45 p.m. and Wokingham Handicap There will also be a great stakes race at 5:05pm, as well as a 2.45 mile race. Queen Alex The final piece of the card is, well, endearingly quirky as always.
In fact, the only thing missing is any real drama or storytelling about the race to become the top trainer and jockey at the meeting. Aidan O’Brien Since the middle of the third day, he has won everything except the pinky for the trainer’s award, and today, even though he was rested, he was able to finish in first place with ease thanks to his five wins. No other horse had more than two wins, and of those, Carl Berk There are enough runners in the race that there is a one in a million chance of closing the gap needed.
It seems the Jockey Award is over now, James Doyle and Oisin MurphyEach has three wins and is now just two wins behind the current leader. Ryan MooreThey have seven and six horses respectively scheduled for today’s race – Grand Providence, which Murphy was scheduled to ride last time, was cancelled – but Moore also has seven horses scheduled, including several likely winners, so he’s much more likely to extend his lead than shorten it.
The early conditions and weather forecast for Ascot on the fifth day are very similar to the previous four races. Good to firm ground that was watered the night before, warm and dry weather forecast for the afternoon, but there is still a chance of rain showers here and there. Here are some hints for today’s seven races. Unfortunately, after a free day yesterday, we are back in the red this week, but only by a few pounds. And the racing is on. Chesham Stakes 2:30 pm.
