Buckle Up For Royal Ascot

Mark Smith - Monday June 14

The highly anticipated Royal Ascot meeting commences on Tuesday, and for the first time, there will be seven races on the card for each of the five days.

Two familiar faces that have played significant roles at the meeting over many years, Sheikh Hamden Al Maktoum and Khalid Abdullah, will be sadly missed. However, their legacy lives on.

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There are three Group 1s, The Queen Anne Stakes (1m), The King's Stand Stakes (5f) and The St James's Palace Stakes (1m), on the opening day.

Sheikh Hamden's outstanding sprinter Battaash (Dark Angel) will be out to defend his title in the King's Stand Stakes.

Look out for the Yulong silks on the consistent Lucky Vega (Lope De Vega) in the St James's Palace Stakes.

The meeting begins with the Queen Anne Stakes, where Kingman's outstanding son Palace Pier will be favoured after a dominant performance in the Lockinge Stakes.

There will be plenty of interest in the Coventry Stakes for two-year-olds with two acceptors, Golden War and The Acropolis, by Coolmore shuttler Churchill (IRE).

Darley Stud's shuttler Territories (IRE) will have one of the fancies in the  Donnacha O'Brien-trained Masseto while Ribchester (IRE) colt Gisburn comes to the race off a six and a half-length win at Newbury.

Churchill (IRE)

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