Racing’s elite will gather in the South of England next week, as Ascot hosts its premier meeting of the 2025 season – Royal Ascot.
For five days in mid-June, the racing world will be captivated by the running of 35 races – including eight Group Ones – which will see top yards battle for supremacy.
The event is one of the most anticipated in the British sporting calendar; a tireless tradition with global names hoping to write themselves into history.
Crowds totalling around 300,000 are expected to attend Britain’s most valuable meeting (worth over £15 million), over the course of its five-day duration.
This year celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Royal Procession and – as always – Ascot tints the modern sport with a hint of heritage, and a look to the past.
From Royal attendance to the packed grandstands, from renowned racing stars to the hopes of outside chances, Royal Ascot is a flat-racing festival matched by none other on British soil.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2025 Royal Ascot Festival.
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When is Royal Ascot 2025?
Tuesday, June 17 is the date that kicks off the 2025 event.
The (Group One) Queen Anne Stakes will raise the curtain on five days of prestigious racing in the Berkshire countryside.
It is the most prestigious race on day one – worth £750,000 – and begins at 2:30pm.
Group One races The Kings Stand Stakes and The St James’s Palace Stakes – worth £650,000 each – run consecutively, also attributing to Day One’s card.
Day Two’s highlight is The Prince Of Wales Stakes, the joint-richest race at the meeting – worth a staggering one million pounds – whilst day three is Ladies Day, where the showpiece is the Ascot Gold Cup and punters can grab a free bet.
The penultimate day is all about The Commonwealth Cup and The Coronation Stakes before the meeting culminates with the running of day five’s feature race – The Platinum Jubilee Stakes – also worth one million pounds..
It is due off at 4:20pm on Saturday, June 21.
Trainers to watch
Where better to start than with leading-Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien, who enjoyed a fruitful Epsom Derby Festival that saw him leap to the top of the British trainer standings.
Jan Brueghel downed the well-backed Calandagan to claim victory in the Coronation Cup before Minnie Hawk headed an O’Brien 1-2 in the Oaks, adding to her Cheshire Oaks victory in May.
Previously undefeated and Godolphin-owned star Desert Flower was back in third.
The following day, Chester Vase winner Lambourn made almost every yard of the running to take the festival’s namesake and Britain’s most-valuable flat race, the Derby.
He was seen as the stable’s outsider of three, featuring well-fancied stablemates Delacroix and The Lion In Winter, the first of which was favourite – further showcasing the well-advertised depth in talent at Ballydoyle.
It was O’Brien’s first British Classic victory of the season and 11th Derby winner, adding to a campaign in which he has dominated on both sides of the Irish Sea.
Andrew Balding trails O’Brien in the standings and will hope to add another Royal Ascot feature race winner to his name after Alcohol Free took home the 2021 Coronation Stakes.
Godolphin-retained trainer Charlie Appelby trained the winners of the first two British Classics this season and boasts winning form at this meeting.
The iconic Blue Point took home the Kings Stand Stakes in 2018, before winning the same race and The Platinum Jubilee Stakes the following year.
Appleby claimed his second Platinum Jubilee Stakes in 2022 with Naval Crown and trained the winner of the The St James’s Palace Stakes, Coroebus, that same year.
John and Thady Gosden will hope to add to their Irish 2000 Guineas win, which saw them make up for their Newmarket misfortunes in the British equivalent.
They are fourth in the trainer standings at present.
Jockeys to watch
When there is an O’Brien-trained winner, there is usually Ryan Moore in the saddle.
The English jockey is the best of the best and has the pick of the Ballydoyle runners in his ever-present role as first-choice jockey for O’Brien.
Moore is currently the leading Royal Ascot jockey still riding with 85 wins and has been top jockey at Royal Ascot on 11 occasions including the last three years.
He has a plethora of prestigious race wins all over the world and though fifth in the Irish standings, he has collected nearly 300,000 euros more than table-topper Colin Keane – who has cemented himself as retained rider for renowned owners Juddmonte.
Keane replaced Kieron Shoemark in the saddle on-board Field Of Gold in the Irish 2000 Guineas, and won, after Shoemarks’ defeat – on the same horse – in the Newmarket equivalent came under scrutiny.
However, it is four-time Champion flat jockey Oisin Murphy who tops the British standings, as looks to retain the title for the second year running.
He has winning pedigree at this meeting – as recently as last season’s King Charles III stakes – whilst his highlight of this season was riding Lead Artist to victory in the Lockinge Stakes, at Newbury.
Another notable name to mention is Wiliam Buick, who continues to show why he rides those Appelby-trained, Godolphin-owned stars.
He is third in the British standings, having been Champion Jockey twice, but has a better strike-rate this season than the aforementioned jockeys.
Other notable names include husband and wife, Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle – the most successful female jockey – whilst Rossa Ryan sits second in the standings.
How to watch Royal Ascot on TV?
ITV will broadcast the action live and for free, on terrestrial TV, via their ITV Racing Programme.
Each day their live coverage will be preceded by The Opening Show, in which panelists will look ahead to the day’s racing.
Sky Sports Racing (channel 415) will show the action for Sky Sports subscribers too.
By Callum Close
READ MORE: Epsom Derby – Lambourn leads them all a merry dance in the Derby
