One of the great things about Royal Ascot day 2 in 2025, is there’s something for everyone. The card on Wednesday, 18 June starts and end with five-furlong sprints for two-year-old, but the action in the middle is really substantial.
Headlining the second day of this five-day fixture is the Group 1 Prince Of Wales Stakes of 2025 over a mile-and-a-quarter for older horses. It could boil down to a rerun of the Tattersalls Gold Cup from the Curragh in Ireland.
Aside from the opening Queen Mary Stakes, there are a couple more Group 2 contests on Wednesday at the Royal meeting. These are the Queen’s Vase for St Leger hopefuls and the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes of 2025, where older fillies and mare race on the Round Mile.
Following the Prince Of Wales, look out for a couple of big field handicaps in the Royal Hunt Cup and Kensington Palace Stakes. Both of these use the Straight Mile. Rounding off the card is the Windsor Castle, a Listed juvenile event.
That’s a lot to take in, so we call upon our experts to aid readers. Their analysis of the odds from horse racing bookies and form study leads to some suggestions. You can and should read those below.
Royal Ascot Day 2 2025 Preview for Wednesday, 18 June
2:30 – 5f Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes
The opening race is a two-year-old fillies only contest with many unknown quantities. We aren’t giving any picks or advice in juvenile action from the Royal meeting, but instead urge punters to sit back, watch and take notes for later in the season.
3:05 – 1m 6f Group 2 Queen’s Vase
Carmers makes it 2 out of 2 for the Paddy Twomey yard in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Yeats Stakes with Billy Lee doing the steering! ✅✅ pic.twitter.com/3lP2DyY8el
— Navan Racecourse (@NavanRacecourse) May 17, 2025
Besides Carmers, Scandinavia and Shackleton, Francis-Henri Graffard brings Asmarani over from France. He looks a stayer too, but conditions are an unknown. Of the others, Rahiebb also shaped liked he would get further when runner-up in a mile-and-a-half handicap during York’s Dante Festival last month.
Those in-behind The Derby winner and runner-up in the Chester Vase, Pinhole and Furthur, didn’t finish off that race on the Roodee well at all. It raises doubts about either getting the extra couple of furlongs. Devil’s Advocate relies totally on his dam for the requisite stamina, meanwhile, and the unbeaten Spinning Wheel must step up.
3:40 – 1m (Round) Group 2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes
She’s a class act 🌟
PORTA FORTUNA makes a winning return in the Group 2 Lanwades Stud Stakes at the @curraghrace 👏pic.twitter.com/4Zgf88M4N9
— Sporting Life Racing (@SportingLife) May 25, 2025
It’s hard to get a handle on last year’s winner Running Lion for John & Thady Gosden either. She hasn’t won since, but run her best subsequent races over a mile-and-a-quarter. Wathnan Racing duo Fallen Angel and Crimson Advocate have claims with the former expected to come on for her reappearance sixth in the Lockinge by Karl Burke.
The latter has a Royal Ascot win under her belt as a juvenile, but stayed a mile just fine round bends at Kempton and then Goodwood. Of the others, Soprano is another past winner at this meeting, so could also run well for George Boughey. We’re still waiting on Elmalka to reproduce that 1000 Guineas upset from last spring.
4:20 – 1m 2f Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes
A Tattersalls Gold Cup rematch on Royal Ascot day 2 between LOS ANGELES and Anmaat with preference for the former. He’s a tough horse that stays this trip very well. In Los Angeles, Aidan O’Brien has an Irish Derby winner who proved his effectiveness over this shorter trip in the spring.
Anmaat should come forward for run, meanwhile, and rates a big threat but, even as a lightly-raced seven-year-old, Owen Burrows’ charge is vulnerable to younger legs. It was hard not to be impressed with See The Fire as she routed fellow females at York the last day, meanwhile. Jeff Smith and Andrew Balding supplement their filly here, which may be a tip in itself.
A mile-and-a-quarter could stretch the stamina of French raider Facteur Cheval, meanwhile, even on this fast ground. Fellow cross-Channel runner Map Of Stars needs to step up form wise, and similar comments apply to Godolphin’s Ombudsman. Certain Lad, Ballydoyle pacemaker Continuous and Royal Champion can be discounted.
5:00 – 1m (Straight) Royal Hunt Cup Heritage Handicap
Lovely ride, Kaiya Fraser!
My Cloud – a half-brother to Palace Pier – is delivered perfectly from the back of the field, storming home for @varianstable at @Ascot… pic.twitter.com/JTmTgsQMDo
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 30, 2025
My Cloud is only one of two course and distance winners in the line-up, and up another 5lb for following-up on April’s success here at Newbury last time for Roger Varian. Good to firm ground is no problem and he’s unbeaten over a mile. The Liffey, meanwhile, has Ryan Moore booked and should appreciate stepping back up this trip after an eye-catching debut for Joseph O’Brien.
Elsewhere in a wide-open Royal Hunt Cup, Qirat runs in first-time blinkers that could enable him to go one better than when losing out in the Victoria Cup in a photo last month. Ralph Beckett has been a trainer to follow in this race in recent years too. King Power Racing’s Fox Legacy should be a strong stayer at this trip, meanwhile, with Balding having such a fine season.
Michael Bell newcomer Greek Order looks well-handicapped on his unlucky 2023 Cambridgeshire second. He returns from America and it looks as though connections have hatched a plan. Topweight Arabian Light and Thirsk Hunt Cup runner-up Hi Royal are both above the ratings band, but class horses for a handicap of this nature.
Their welter burdens may shackle them, but both could easily end up in the frame like so many before them in this race. Last but not least, Irish raider Tokenomics just got up over a straight 7f at Cork last time, but sneaks into the final field here.
5:35 – 1m (Straight) Kensington Palace Fillies’ Handicap
👑
It’s back-to-back wins in the Listed @Edinburgh_Gin Queen Of Scots British @BritishEBF Fillies’ Stakes for Jabaara!@varianstable pic.twitter.com/PX6owCEPLg
— Musselburgh Racecourse (@MusselburghRace) June 7, 2025
Another cavalry charge on Royal Ascot day 2, but for older females. Juddmonte’s AROLLA ran a blinder in defeat to a Group calibre filly in Listed company last time and now drops into a handicap. Harry Charlton’s four-year-old by Kingman how has the owners’ new retained rider Colin Keane taking over in the saddle too.
Arolla faces many dangers, however, with Royal runner Rainbows Edge framing the weights. The Gosdens’ charge is 2lb worse off with Yorkshire raider Arisaig from her course and distance victory, however, and there’s less than a length between them on that form. Gavin Cromwell brings a couple over from Ireland with 2023 Chesham heroine Snellen preferred to Amo Racing’s Aga Khan purchase Kayhana.
Also crossing from the Emerald Isle are old rivals Independent Expert and Serialise. The latter represents Jessica Harrington, who won this race in 2023. Miss Information and Queen Of Atlantis are fillies who have run well at Ascot before, yet might find this trip and the ground respectively as issues.
6:10 – Listed 5f Windsor Castle Stakes
As the other juvenile race on Royal Ascot day 2, we again advise punters to watch the race for the future. There’s so little data to go on with two-year-olds at this relatively early stage of the season.
