Royal Ascot 2023 guide: When is it, times, big races, top horses, trainers, jockeys and more
- Scott Allen
- 16 June 2023
Royal Ascot is the biggest Flat race meeting in the world, attracting the best horses, runners and of course, royalty. Planet Sport has all you need to know about the famous event.
Royal Ascot is a huge five-day festival of racing starting on Tuesday, June 20 and ending on Saturday June 24. It crams in eight Group 1 races across the week, and there's hardly time to take a breath.
Royal Ascot is as much a social occasion as it is a wonderful racing occasion and each day at 2pm, half an hour before the opening race, members of the royal party make their way down the racecourse to the strains of the national anthem, in horse-drawn carriages.
His Majesty King Charles III is expected to attend all five days of the 2023 meeting, although he is not as passionate a follower of racing as his late mother Queen Elizabeth II, who missed only a handful of Royal Ascots since ascending to the throne.
When was Royal Ascot first staged?
The roots of the Royal meeting were established in 1768, when the first four-day meeting was held at the track. Things progressed when, in 1807, the first Gold Cup was contested and Royal Ascot was born.
In those days, and up until 1939, Royal Ascot was the only meeting staged on the track each year.
In 2005, due to the redevelopment of the racecourse, Royal Ascot was run at York. That is the only time it has been staged at any other venue.
When is Ladies Day at Royal Ascot?
Ladies Day is day three, the Thursday of Royal Ascot, each year and when the centrepiece of the whole meeting, the Gold Cup takes place.
This is a day of high fashion and elegance, as well as the great Group 1 race, contested by the best stayers the world of Flat racing has to offer.
What is the going and weather forecast for Ascot 2023?
Ascot clerk of the course Chris Stickels is preparing for unsettled weather ahead of the start of the five-day meeting.
The track has been bereft of any significant rainfall for the last few weeks and although isolated thunderstorms have been forecast temperatures are set to remain high the week before the meeting.
Stickels is struggling to find much clarity from the metrological forecasts ahead of the meeting, which starts next Tuesday.
A week before the meeting Stickels said: "We are very happy with where we are. The track is in lovely condition. The grass coverage is lovely and thick and it is a nice racing surface.
"At the moment we are just maintaining it so we can apply more water if we need to closer to the event. The forecast is tricky because we may get thunderstorms later today, then drier weather, then maybe a slightly trickier week next week.
"There are varying scenarios at the moment. Different models are giving us different information, but it will not be a settled week next week.
"It makes things more complicated when the forecast isn't settled."
What are the big races at Royal Ascot?
Aside from the main feature Gold Cup, on Thursday June 22, there are seven other Group 1 races across the five days. Here are the details:
Tuesday, June 20:
15:40 King's Stand Stakes (5f)
16:20 St James's Palace Stakes (1m)
Wednesday, June 21:
16:20 Prince of Wales's Stakes (1m 2f)
Thursday, June 22:
Friday, June 23:
15:05 Commonwealth Cup (6f)
16:20 Coronation Stakes (1m)
Saturday, June 24:
Top horses at Royal Ascot
Here's a look at some of the leading contenders for Royal Ascot 2023:
Tuesday, June 20
Queen Anne Stakes (1430)
The first of three Group One races on the opening day - The Queen Anne Stakes (1430) - sees a potential clash between Breeders' Cup Mile and Lockinge hero
Modern Games, Coronation Stakes and Prix Jacques Le Marois heroine
Inspiral, and last season's Irish 2,000 Guineas winner
Native Trail.
Richard Hannon's
Chindit will renew rivalry with Modern Games after finishing best of the rest at Newbury.
David Simcock's pair of
Cash and Light Infantry and
Mutasaabeq from Charlie Hills' yard also feature among 13 confirmations.
King's Stand Stakes (1540)
The King's Stand Stakes went the way of Australia last year with Nature Strip and this year his compatriot
Coolangatta is towards the top of the betting markets.
John Quinn's mare
Highfield Princess heads the market.
The six-year-old enjoyed a fantastic campaign in 2023, completing a hat-trick of wins at the top level, and she can be expected to improve from her comeback second at York last month.
Karl Burke's
Dramatised and John Ryan's
Manaccan are other contenders for the home team, as is the Archie Watson-trained
Bradsell who has been supplemented for the race.
A strong international challenge includes a pair of Australian runners in
Coolangatta and
Cannonball.
James McDonald was one of the leading riders at Royal Ascot last year with three winners, headlined by Nature Strip's dominant display in the King's Stand, and the New Zealand-born rider is confident Coolangatta has what it takes to get him back in the famous winner's circle.
"She is a strong five-furlong horse and an extremely talented filly," he said.
Wesley Ward's American challenger Twilight Gleaming is also on the list of 20 still in contention.
St James's Palace Stakes (1620)
Mostabshir from John and Thady Gosden's yard is set for a Group One assignment on the opening day in what looks a red-hot renewal of the St James's Palace Stakes.
The impressive York novice winner will have to take on 2000 Guineas hero
Chaldean and Irish 2,000 Guineas winner
Paddington, but connections are happy to roll the dice.
Unbeaten in three starts,
Cicero's Gift has made rapid strides this spring and is a general 3/1 third favourite for the Group One mile contest.
An unfancied 22/1 chance on his debut in a Newbury novices' race in October, he ran on well to score with ease and returned in March to take a restricted novice over an extended mile on the all-weather at Wolverhampton.
It was his five-and-a-half-length win in a conditions race at Goodwood last time that propelled him into the reckoning for a mouthwatering clash with a pair of Classic winners.
French Guineas runner-up
Isaac Shelby (Brian Meehan) adds further intrigue, as does the presence of
Al Riffa (Joseph O'Brien), not seen since winning last season's National Stakes.
Wednesday, June 21
Prince of Wales's Stakes (1620)
The absence of last year's Derby winner, Desert Crown, leaves the Charlie Appleby-trained
Adayar and Aidan O'Brien's
Luxembourg in a battle for Prince of Wales's favouritism.
The latter landed the Tattersalls Gold Cup from Bay Bridge last month, and his Ballydoyle handler reported him on course for Ascot.
Meanwhile, Charlie Appleby's Adayar comfortably beat subsequent Group One winner Anmaat in the Gordon Richards Stakes on his comeback this season and was partnered by William Buick in a gentle piece of work.
Second in the Champion Stakes last season, Appleby hopes the decision to keep the 2021 Derby winner in training at the age of five is rewarded.
O'Brien's apparent second string
Bolshoi Ballet, the William Haggas-trained pair of
Dubai Honour and
My Prospero, John and Thady Gosden's
Mostahdaf and Kenny McPeek's American raider
Classic Causeway complete the potential field.
Thursday, June 22
Gold Cup (1620)
Leading contender for the Gold Cup, Haskoy, was recently retired after straining a tendon, leaving the Sagaro winner,
Coltrane, and
Eldar Eldarov battling it out at the top of the market.
Roger Varian's Eldar Eldarov was a nose winner of the Queen's Vase at the Royal meeting last season and went on to claim Classic glory in the St Leger at Doncaster in September.
He had to concede weight all round on his four-year-old debut in the Group Two Yorkshire Cup and powered home to be beaten just half a length in second place by St Leger third Giavellotto.
Coltraine's trainer Andrew Balding also has
Nate The Great among the contenders, while Aidan O'Brien has the choice of
Emily Dickinson,
Broome and
Changingoftheguard, with last year's victor Kyprios sidelined by injury.
John and Thady Gosden, trainers of three-time race winner Stradivarius, have lightly-raced Goodwood scorer
Courage Mon Ami in contention this time.
Subjectivist, winner of the race in 2021, the Charlie Appleby-trained Yibir and Willie Mullins'
Echoes In Rain are other key names, with Sagaro second
Wise Eagle,
Trueshan Tashkhan,
Lone Eagle and French raider
Big Call also in the mix.
Friday, June 23
Commonwealth Cup (1505)
Winner of three of his four juvenile starts last season,
Shaquille picked up where he left off with an impressive comeback victory in handicap company at Newmarket's Guineas Festival.
The Charm Spirit colt successfully stepped up to Listed class for the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury last month and is now being readied for a tilt at Group One glory in the Commonwealth Cup.
Aidan O'Brien's
Little Big Bear heads the market after winning the Sandy Lane at Haydock when last seen, with
Shouldvebeenaring, who is also set to compete, giving him a run for his money a length and a quarter back in second.
Varian's
Sakheer finished seventh in the 2000 Guineas, after making promising progress at one stage, the testing conditions at Newmarket ultimately seemed to take a toll in the closing stages as he finished seven lengths adrift of Chaldean.
Coronation Stakes (1620)
A mouth-watering rematch between
Tahiyra and
Mawj is on the cards in the Coronation Stakes.
The pair were involved in one of the best races of the Flat season to date when duelling in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.
On that occasion Mawj came out on top, but Tahiyra has since won the Irish equivalent and the bookmakers make her favourite to turn the tables on June 23.
Aidan O'Brien still has Breeders' Cup winner Meditate in contention, after she finished sixth at Newmarket and immediately behind Tahiyra at the Curragh.
Jackie Oh is another for Ballydoyle, with Mammas Girl (Richard Hannon), Queen For You (John and Thady Gosden), Remarquee (Ralph Beckett), Sounds Of Heaven (Jessica Harrington) and Comhra (Jim Bolger) also in the mix.
Saturday, June 24
The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (1620)
Australian raider
Artorius currently heads the field in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, having finished third in the Platinum Jubilee last year.
Art Power won the Weatherbys Ireland Greenlands Stakes in clear-cut fashion at the Curragh last time out under Oisin Murphy and is expected to challenge.
(Please be aware horses and jockeys are subject to change)
Frankie Dettori's booked rides at his final Royal Ascot
Tuesday, June 20
Inspiral - Queen Anne Stakes (1430)
Givemethebeatboys - Coventry Stakes (1505)
Manaccan - King's Stand Stakes (1540)
Chaldean - St James's Stand Stakes (1620)
Saga - Wolferton Stakes (1735)
Wednesday, June 21
Tamarama - Kensington Palace Fillies Handicap (1505)
Laurel - Duke of Cambridge Stakes (1540)
Gregory - Queen's Vase (1735)
Thursday, June 22:
Courage Mon Ami - Gold Cup (1620)
Epictetus - Hampton Court Stakes (1735)
Others to follow when declarations are made...
Top trainers at Royal Ascot
Current trainer total Royal Ascot winners:
Sir Michael Stoute - 82 winners
Aidan O'Brien - 81
John Gosden - 60
Saeed bin Suroor - 38
Paul Cole - 22
Dermot Weld - 17
Charlie Appleby - 15
William Haggas - 14
Wesley Ward - 12
Andrew Balding - 11
Roger Charlton - 11
Richard Fahey - 10
James Fanshawe - 10
Top jockeys at Royal Ascot
Current rider total Royal Ascot winners:
Frankie Dettori - 77 winners
Ryan Moore - 73
William Buick - 33
Jamie Spencer - 26
James Doyle - 18
Olivier Peslier - 16
Jim Crowley - 14
Adam Kirby - 10
Oisin Murphy - 10
