The opening day of Royal Ascot will commence with one of the meeting’s most prestigious contests when the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes is staged at Ascot Racecourse on Tuesday, 16 June. Scheduled for 2:30pm, the one-mile championship for horses aged four years and older will offer £800,000 in prize money and will feature a competitive field of nine runners. The historic contest will serve as the traditional curtain-raiser to Royal Ascot’s Group 1 programme and will bring together established performers and emerging contenders seeking top-level success.
Ascot Race Cards 16 June
A strong international flavour and proven domestic quality will combine in the straight-mile feature, with the field expected to produce a high-class tactical battle. The race will test both speed and stamina under elite championship conditions, with little margin for error over the straight mile at Ascot.
Among the declared runners, NOTABLE SPEECH will be partnered by William Buick, while Ryan Moore will take the ride aboard FIRST CONQUEST. James Doyle will be aboard DAMYSUS, and Mark Zahra will partner DOCKLANDS. Jason Watson will ride CICERO’S GIFT, Tom Marquand will be aboard MORE THUNDER, Billy Loughnane will partner OPERA BALLO, Kieran Shoemark will ride TEN BOB TONY, and Clifford Lee will be booked for ZEUS OLYMPIOS.
Elite Milers Prepare for Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes Test
NOTABLE SPEECH will be among the leading contenders in the line-up and will attempt to add another significant Group 1 success to its record. FIRST CONQUEST will also attract attention under Ryan Moore, while DOCKLANDS arrives with strong form credentials and will be expected to feature prominently.
DAMYSUS and OPERA BALLO represent progressive profiles capable of stepping forward at the highest level, while CICERO’S GIFT, MORE THUNDER, TEN BOB TONY, and ZEUS OLYMPIOS complete a well-balanced field that includes both established performers and improving types.
The one-mile straight course will place a strong emphasis on positioning, pace judgment, and finishing power. With a valuable prize fund and Group 1 status on the line, the Queen Anne Stakes is set to provide an early-season benchmark for the leading milers of the campaign.
The Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes will headline the opening day of Royal Ascot, and Ascot Race Cards 16 June will feature nine elite milers competing over one mile for £800,000 at Ascot Racecourse.
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