See Andy Newton’s Royal Ascot tips on Friday as the big meeting rolls into day four – with the Commonwealth Cup and
Andy has already had top Royal Ascot winners – Mission Central (14/1), Great Barrier Reef (6/1), Earth Shot (4/1), Scandinavia (11/8), Ombudsman (11/10) and Bow Echo (5/6).
2026 Royal Ascot Tips On Friday with Andy Newton
Andy Newton’s quickfire selections for the fourth day of Royal Ascot 2026, including his leading picks in the Commonwealth Cup and Coronation Stakes, plus a big fancy in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes.
Don’t forget to check out the full ITV Racing schedule for Royal Ascot day four, and catch Andy Newton throughout the week on the Final Furlong Podcast with host Emmet Kennedy.
Quickfire Royal Ascot Tips on Friday with Andy Newton
- 2:30pm Albany Stakes: SUN GODDESS
- 3:05pm Commonwealth Cup: VENETIAN SUN (NAP)
- 3:40pm Duke of Edinburgh Stakes Handicap: PLAGUE DE HAVRE / OPPORTUNITY
- 4:20pm Coronation Stakes Group 1: PRECISE
- 5:00pm Sandringham Stakes Handicap 1m: ROSA INGLESA / ZOOMING
- 5:35pm King Edward VII Stakes Group 2 1m 4f: CAUSEWAY
- 6:10pm Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes Handicap 5f: DICKENSIAN / MAY ANGEL
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Andy Newton’s Royal Ascot Tips – Day Four 2026: Friday Best Bets
2:30pm Albany Stakes (Group 3, 6f) – ITV / Sky
I was taken by Light Of Dawn’s debut success at Carlisle and she could be a smart filly in the making. The only slight concern is the quick 11-day turnaround, especially stepping into a much stronger contest.
That said, Karl Burke’s team know exactly what it takes to win this race, having landed it last year with the classy Venetian Sun.
The Royal representative King’s Prize also deserves a mention after scoring on debut at Nottingham, although that form hasn’t worked out particularly well since.
The vote, however, goes to Aidan O’Brien’s SUN GODDESS, who brings the strongest form into the race.
She powered five lengths clear of Green Empress at the Curragh last time on her first try over 6f. Before that, she was only narrowly denied by Carry The Flag at Naas, beaten just a head.
Of the others, Dark Issue made a favourable impression on debut for the Hannon yard, but Sun Goddess gets the nod to shine in Friday’s opener.
🥇 SUN GODDESS
🥈 Light Of Dawn
🥉 Dark Issue
3:05pm Commonwealth Cup (Group 1, 6f) – ITV / Sky
Aidan O’Brien has won this race only once before, with Caravaggio, and he’ll be looking to double that tally with Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin.
Both arrive with questions still to answer, unlike VENETIAN SUN, who looks set to be one of the strongest favourites of the day.
Last season’s Albany Stakes winner bounced back from failing to see out the mile in the 1000 Guineas when returning to 6f to win the Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock.
Her record at this trip is flawless at four-from-four, and with proven Ascot form already in the book, it’s difficult to find many negatives.
Karl Burke also has previous in this race, having won it in 2016 with Quiet Reflection.
Elsewhere, last season’s Windsor Castle winner Havana Hurricane looks a little overpriced after a solid comeback effort at Newbury.
While Division finished second behind Venetian Sun last time and could easily fill the same spot again for Wathnan Racing.
🥇 VENETIAN SUN
🥈 Division
🥉 Havana Hurricane
3:40pm Duke of Edinburgh Stakes (Handicap, 1m4f) – ITV / Sky
This looks a wide-open renewal.
Hopewell Rock has obvious claims after finishing third to Daiquiri Bay at Newmarket. That form received a timely boost when Daiquiri Bay went on to win Tuesday’s Copper Horse Handicap.
He’s James Doyle’s pick from the Wathnan pair, although OPPORTUNITY wouldn’t have been far behind in the decision-making process.
The William Haggas-trained runner caught the eye with a smooth success at Carlisle last time, while the form of his previous Ascot third has been repeatedly franked.
Haggas also won this race in 2022 with Candleford.
Emit, partnered by Ryan Moore, and the Royal runner Warrant Holder are others worthy of consideration, although the form of Warrant Holder’s latest victory hasn’t worked out particularly strongly.
The one that appeals most is PLAGUE DE HAVRE for Andrew Balding and Oisin Murphy.
He finished third at York last time, but that was his first turf run of the season and only his second start since last July, so further improvement looks likely.
His Haydock victory from last summer is also working out well, with runner-up Paddy The Squire subsequently finishing second in the Copper Horse earlier this week.
🥇 PLAGUE DE HAVRE (NB)
🥈 OPPORTUNITY
🥉 Hopewell Rock
4:20pm Coronation Stakes (Group 1, 1m) – ITV / Sky
It’s PRECISE versus True Love for a third time this season, with the score currently tied at one win apiece.
True Love landed the English 1000 Guineas, while Precise struck back in the Irish equivalent.
Ryan Moore has chosen Precise on this occasion. He sided against her in both previous clashes, so he’ll be hoping to get the call right this time.
Precise showed a devastating turn of foot when winning at the Curragh and, although this will be her first appearance at Ascot, she looks the more likely of the pair to see out the mile on this stiffer track.
True Love does have Ascot form thanks to her Queen Mary victory, but that came over 5f. While she stayed the trip at Newmarket, this presents a sterner test.
Touleen and Balantina, with Oisin Murphy aboard the latter, can battle it out for minor honours.
🥇 PRECISE
🥈 True Love
🥉 Balantina
5:00pm Sandringham Stakes (Handicap, 1m) – ITV / Sky
Time to get the trusty Ascot pin out again, with a maximum field of 30 set to line up for the Sandringham.
The Gosden stable has won two of the last ten runnings and looks to hold a strong hand with the exciting Seet, who has Ryan Moore in the saddle. The market, however, has already picked up on her chances.
Glyfada has also impressed with recent victories at Naas and Killarney, and the form of her latest win has been boosted by runner-up What About Us scoring since.
Both Seet and Glyfada enter handicap company for the first time.
The two worth taking a chance on, though, are ROSA INGLESA and ZOOMING.
Rosa Inglesa represents Charlie Fellows, whose yard won this race in both 2019 and 2020.
She’s been raised 9lb for a convincing Nottingham success, but the form has worked out well, with both the fourth and sixth winning subsequently.
Zooming is an interesting contender for William Haggas. Stepping up in trip is a slight unknown, but she has been competing in Listed and Group company, and if she stays the distance, she could easily outrun her odds.
🥇 ROSA INGLESA
🥈 ZOOMING
🥉 Glyfada
5:35pm King Edward VII Stakes (Group 2, 1m4f) – ITV / Sky
After bypassing Epsom, Water To Wine is likely to be another short-priced favourite on the card.
The Gosden-trained colt arrives unbeaten in two starts, and the form of his Newbury success has received boosts, with both the third and fourth winning since.
He’s clearly an exciting prospect and could easily prove too good.
However, he’ll face a serious challenge from Aidan O’Brien’s CAUSEWAY, who brings greater experience to the table and arrives seeking a fifth straight victory.
Ryan Moore takes the ride and Ballydoyle has won two of the last six renewals.
Causeway’s latest success came in a Group 3 at the Curragh over 1m2f, where he prevailed by a head. He shapes like a horse with plenty more to offer now stepping up in distance.
Water To Wine could easily justify favouritism, but Causeway looks the better value option and has attracted support in the market, suggesting connections are confident of a big run.
🥇 CAUSEWAY
🥈 Water To Wine
🥉 Golden Story
6:10pm Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes (Handicap, 5f) – ITV4 / Sky
A tricky finale to Friday’s card and one that will generate plenty of differing Royal Ascot opinions.
There have only been six previous runnings, producing just one winning favourite.
Interestingly, all six winners carried 9st 1lb or less and emerged from stalls 11 to 25.
Three of the last five winners were drawn in either stall 24 or 25, which brings horses such as Moojeed and Cherry Baker into the conversation.
The one I’m siding with, though, is the consistent DICKENSIAN for Kevin Ryan.
He arrives on the back of a Listed success at York and now drops into handicap company for the first time from a mark of 104.
Top weight is never ideal, but he possesses valuable Ascot form after finishing a close second in last season’s Windsor Castle Stakes.
I also find MAY ANGEL fascinating now dropping back to 5f from 7f. The Gosden operation isn’t particularly associated with sprinters these days, but she’s shown enough natural speed to suggest this move could be worth exploring.
The tongue-tie is applied and Oisin Murphy is another obvious positive.
Elsewhere, the unbeaten Westport and the in-form Richard Spencer-trained Gold Digger both warrant respect.
🥇 DICKENSIAN
🥈 MAY ANGEL
🥉 Gold Digger
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