Royal Ascot

Ben Morgan’s Royal Ascot Day 2 tips – Galiyan certainly can in the Queens Vase

Racing Ahead’s resident tipster Ben Morgan selects his best bets for the action across day two of Royal Ascot 2026.

by
Ben Morgan
17 June 2026

Racing Ahead’s resident tipster Ben Morgan selects his best bets for the action across day two of Royal Ascot 2026.

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2.30 – Queen Mary Stakes – Dismiss Hannon filly at your peril in Queen Mary

I was pleasantly surprised to see PERSHAADA priced up at 40/1 plus when the odds came out for this race as I thought her Goodwood performance last time out gave her a leading chance.

That was her third run and by far and away her best run which suggests she is improving with experience which is usual for Richard Hannon two year olds.

We saw Cut A Dash run a great race on Tuesday in the Coventry and previous comments suggest the two may work closely together so it must bode well for her chances on Wednesday. She is seemingly drawn the right side and if able to replicate her Goodwood run, I think she will outrun her odds.

3.05 – Queens Vase – Galiyan certainly can in the Queens Vase

A hard race to get a handle on as so many of these are unexposed, especially over these staying trips. Limestone impressed me last time out as he looked to have plenty of stamina and has at least won over the trip but I feel he might just not possess the levels of improvement as GALIYAN. Andrew Balding’s charge improved no end for his debut experience at Newmarket where he was as green as his silks, when powering home at Chester last time out, seemingly getting better the further he went. That was a tight track that would have been chosen to deliberately have bought him on mentally in readiness for this test. Balding and Oisin Murphy have a good record in this race and I think they can enhance that record here.

3.40 – Duke Of Cambridge Stakes – Twomey mare looks set to shine back over a mile

CATALINA DELCARPIO was one of my bets of the meeting last season when she was lining up in the Ribblesdale but having clearly not stayed the trip that day, connections have decided to remould her as a miler. She certainly has the pace to travel over a mile as she showed last time out but I would have slight concerns around the bend here as they can stack up turning in. If she can hold her position in that key part of the race, I don’t think many will be finishing more powerfully than her and at her current price of 8/1 I think she is good each way value.

4.20 – Prince of Wales Stakes – Minnie Hauk to prove a major player in red hot Prince of Wales Stakes

The top two are going to draw most of the market attention here given their record coming into the race and rightly so. Both are world class operators and if they do engage in battle in the final furlong it will be very interesting to see who comes out on top. However, I am pretty confident that this is not a two horse race and I do think horses such as MINNIE HAUK have been massively overlooked in the market. She did blow out last time out but there were genuine excuses that day and I am happy to forgive her for that given she was so progressive prior to that. The boys have to give her weight today and if this race is manufactured into a stamina test I can see her going very close here.

5.00 – Royal Hunt Cup – Gosden improver could have mileage left in mark

A tough handicap to pick apart and I would confess to not being too keen on any of them but I have mustered up a couple of selections hoping I can find a place at least. My main hope if FIFTH COLUMN who represents John Gosden and Godolphin here. An improver as a three year old last year he ran a good race at this meeting 12 months ago and although he probably didn’t progress as connections had hoped in 2025, he has reappeared this year and shown himself capable in these top level handicaps. Second in the listed Suffolk Stakes at Newmarket last time out, he seemed to appreciate the stiff nature of that test and with that in mind this stiff mile should suit. At a bigger price I would mention CERULEAN BAY who is a standing dish in these top mile handicaps. He perhaps hasn’t always shown his best here at Ascot but he has a good draw and looks to be primed for today’s effort.

5.35 – Kensington Palace Stakes – Fanshawe filly looks tailor made for this test

MISS NIGHTFALL looks tailor made for this stiff mile at Ascot and she has shown a preference for this mile at the meeting last year, which was her arguably best run last season. She hasn’t quite fulfilled the promise that that run suggested she had but I think a return to a mile here might just sweeten her up again. David Egan is a positive jockey booking and I’m sure she will run a big race here.

6.10 – Windsor Castle Stakes – O’Brien runner could be the One in Day 2 finale

The make up of this race has changed slightly this year with the race now being run over 6f instead of 5f so previous stats would be hard to trust. I always like to trust my eye and one horse that cuaght my eye last time out was ONE NUMBER who was definitely learning on the job at the Curragh. He, in no uncertain terms, flew home in the final 2f finishing a good second to a smart winner who reopposes here but the improvement that could be set to come from One Number might just see him reverse that form which should be good enough to go close here.