Andy Newton

Andy Newton’s Royal Ascot Tips On Day One: Wednesday Best Bets Including NAP and NB Picks

by
Andy Newton
16 June 2026

See Andy Newton’s Royal Ascot tips on Wednesday as the big meeting rolls into day two, with another top-class card headed by the £1 million Prince Of Wales’s Stakes.

Royal Ascot Tips On Wednesday with Andy Newton

Andy Newton’s quickfire selections for the second day of Royal Ascot 2026, including his leading fancies in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes and Queen Mary Stakes.

There’s also a standout 14/1 NAP in the ultra-competitive Royal Hunt Cup at 5:00pm.

Don’t forget to check out the full ITV Racing schedule for Royal Ascot day two, and catch Andy Newton throughout the week on the Final Furlong Podcast with host Emmet Kennedy.

✅2:30pm Queen Mary Stakes – MORE CHAMPAGNE / RUIVA
✅3:05pm Queen’s Vase – GALIYAN
✅3:40pm Duke of Cambridge Stakes – FRIENDLY SOUL / CATALINA DELCARPIO
✅4:20pm Prince Of Wales’s Stakes – OMBUDSMAN (NB)
✅5:00pm Royal Hunt Cup Handicap – SHOUT / LINWOOD
✅5:35pm Kensington Palace Stakes Handicap – ZGHARTA / OOLONG POOBONG
✅6:10pm Windsor Castle Stakes – SERGEI DIAGHILEV

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Andy Newton’s Royal Ascot Tips on Wednesday: Day Two Best Bets Including a 14/1 NAP

2:30pm Queen Mary Stakes (Group 2, 5f) – ITV / Sky

A fascinating start to day two, with a host of promising juvenile fillies lining up in what looks a particularly competitive renewal.

Aidan O’Brien finally got off the mark in this race 12 months ago with True Love and now bids to follow up with the unbeaten Victorious.

However, the draw raises a slight concern. Ten of the last 11 winners emerged from stall 10 or higher.

Karl Burke, who has won two of the last four runnings, saddles Wild Blossom after her breathtaking 10-length debut success at Carlisle.

But she’s another drawn lower than ideal in stall seven.

Senorita Bonita also enters calculations after an impressive debut win at Nottingham and has the added benefit of William Buick in the saddle from stall 10.

The vote, however, goes to the American challengers.

MORE CHAMPAGNE and Wesley Ward’s RUIVA both arrive unbeaten, and while their form can be difficult to assess against European opposition, horses behind them have already come out and won since.

With favourable draws in stalls 14 and 16, both make plenty of appeal.

🥇 RUIVA
🥈 MORE CHAMPAGNE
🥉 Senorita Bonita

3:05pm Queen’s Vase (Group 2, 1m6f) – ITV / Sky

The Queen’s Vase provides the first real stamina test of the day and Aidan O’Brien, an eight-time winner of the race, is represented by Port Of Spain.

The question mark is whether he’ll fully see out this longer trip after racing mainly over 1m2f.

Limestone and Asakir finished first and second at Navan last time and there shouldn’t be much between them again, although the addition of cheekpieces could help Asakir find a little extra.

The one that catches the eye, though, is GALIYAN.

Andrew Balding’s team have an excellent record in this race and his recent Chester winner looks ready to take another step forward. The form has worked out well too, with third-placed Glory Of The Seas winning since.

Having already scored over 1m5f, stamina won’t be an issue, while Oisin Murphy is another major positive.

🥇 GALIYAN
🥈 Asakir
🥉 Limestone

3:40pm Duke of Cambridge Stakes (Group 2, 1m) – ITV / Sky

Blue Bolt narrowly got the better of Kon Tiki at Goodwood last time and there shouldn’t be much between them once again.

Cathedral has earned plenty of prize money throughout her career, but her recent strike-rate is a concern, arriving here without a win in her last nine starts.

The two that appeal most are FRIENDLY SOUL and CATALINA DELCARPIO.

Catalina Delcarpio finished third in last season’s Ribblesdale Stakes over 1m4f at this meeting, but the drop back to a mile on Ascot’s stiff track shouldn’t pose any problems.

She showed plenty of pace when scoring over this trip at Leopardstown last time.

Friendly Soul, meanwhile, represents a yard that has dominated this race, with the Gosdens responsible for four of the last six winners, including the previous two.

Her Haydock run is easy enough to forgive after a troubled passage following a lengthy absence.

Prior to that, she was a Group 1 winner in France and notably finished ahead of Running Lion, who went on to win this race in 2024.

🥇 FRIENDLY SOUL
🥈 CATALINA DELCARPIO
🥉 Blue Bolt

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4:20pm Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (Group 1, 1m2f) – ITV / Sky

One of the standout races of the entire week sees Arc winner Daryz travel from France to tackle defending champion OMBUDSMAN.

It’s a clash racing fans have been looking forward to, with both horses arriving unbeaten in two starts this season.

Daryz is clearly top-class, but there are still a couple of unknowns.

This will be his first run at Ascot, while his only previous outing outside France resulted in a sixth-place finish in last season’s Juddmonte International, albeit in a race that didn’t go entirely to plan.

Ombudsman gets the nod.

Last year’s winner returned with a smooth success in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown, the very same route he took before winning this race in 2025. He should strip fitter for that comeback and we already know Ascot suits him perfectly.

Interestingly, the last trainer to win ‘back-to-back’ Prince Of Wales’s Stakes renewals was John Gosden with Muhtarram in 1994 and 1995.

Almaqam is another worthy of respect after landing the Tattersalls Gold Cup, a piece of form that received a significant boost when Bay City Roller won the Coronation Cup at Epsom.

🥇 OMBUDSMAN (NB)
🥈 Almaqam
🥉 Daryz

5:00pm Royal Hunt Cup (Handicap, 1m) – ITV / Sky

Thirty runners and a straight mile at Ascot can make for one of the toughest betting races of the week.

Although favourites don’t have the strongest record, two recent winners have headed the market, while 21 of the last 24 winners were aged either four or five.

SHOUT looks particularly interesting.

He shaped well when third at York last time and that form has already worked out strongly, with Point Of Contact and Diego Ventura both winning since.

A disappointing run at Newbury can probably be overlooked and he’s beginning to look attractively treated.

I’ll take Shout to ‘scream home’.

LINWOOD is also worth including.

His recent Newbury win was full of promise and a 3lb rise may underestimate him. Carrying 9st 10lb isn’t ideal, but with Jamie Spencer aboard — a rider who excels in these Ascot straight-mile handicaps — he could easily continue progressing.

🥇 SHOUT
🥈 LINWOOD
🥉 Thunder Run

5:35pm Kensington Palace Stakes (Handicap, 1m) – ITV / Sky

Another fiercely competitive handicap and one where recent Ascot form could prove key.

Radiant Beauty beat Song N Dance and Alobayyah here last time, but it’s the sixth-placed ZGHARTA who makes most appeal.

Andrew Balding and Oisin Murphy teamed up to win this race last year and they look to hold strong claims again.

Zgharta is 7lb better off with Radiant Beauty from their previous meeting, carries just 8st 9lb and also has valuable course experience after contesting last season’s Sandringham Stakes.

OOLONG POOBONG is another to consider.

She finished fourth in the Sandringham last year and returns just 1lb higher. Her recent fifth at Thirsk should have put her spot-on, while Jamie Spencer’s booking catches the eye once more.

🥇 ZGHARTA
🥈 OOLONG POOBONG
🥉 Song N Dance

6:10pm Windsor Castle Stakes (Listed, 6f) – ITV4 / Sky

The final selection on day two comes in the Windsor Castle Stakes, a race Aidan O’Brien has won three times in the last 11 years.

His representative SERGEI DIAGHILEV looks capable of adding another victory to that tally.

The son of Wootton Bassett made a highly encouraging debut when scoring at the Curragh and the form has already received a boost, with both the second, Switching Side, and third, Folsom Blue, winning subsequently.

Ryan Moore takes the ride and there appears little reason to oppose him.

Controlla rates the main danger, particularly if stablemate Victorious performs well earlier in the Queen Mary, while One Number is another runner to note from the Joseph O’Brien team.

🥇 SERGEI DIAGHILEV
🥈 Controlla
🥉 One Number