A round-up of the rest of the action from day one at Royal Ascot

Stars align for Wathnan

Top Australian jockey James McDonald added to his Royal Ascot tally with victory aboard Map Of Stars for big-spending owners Wathnan Racing in the Wolferton Stakes.

Dropped in class from a Group 3 event at Longchamp last month, the Francis Graffard-trained five-year-old was sent off a 13/2 chance from stall 10 and was buried away early on as Galen took the field through the early stages.

Joseph O'Brien's charge was still in front turning in but he started to look vulnerable two furlongs from the finish as Map Of Stars broke into clear sailing out wide.

McDonald, claiming a sixth winner at the principal British meeting, engaged overdrive in the final furlong and, although eventual runner-up Wimbledon Hawkeye (12/1) put up a brief fight, he came up half a length shy of the classy winner. Dividend was third at 33/1, with Galen (16/1) hanging tough for fourth.

Wathnan also ran King's Gambit and last year's victor Haatem in the race, the latter failing to get a clear run in the straight and finishing eased down with petrol still in the tank under the owners' number one rider James Doyle.

Graffard said: “He is a lovely horse. We have had frustrating days with him, but when he is like that he is really good. The jockey rode a perfect race and it was exactly how I wanted it.

“It worked out well so I’m very pleased for the connections. I’m not sure the cheekpieces made the difference. They didn’t upset him, but I don’t know if they helped him.

“He is just a horse that you need to let him do what he wants. I said to James that you need to ride him very cold and keep him happy. If you try and dictate to him what is happening he can get quite upset and he can’t accelerate.

“James came through the middle of the other horses, which was great, as that gave him a lot of confidence, and that was it. I hoped he could come back to form as he is a good horse. We gelded him quite late last autumn so he probably needed a bit of time to get over that.

“It is a good win today and I’m happy for the horse and the team at home as it is important to win here."

Dozen up for O'Brien in Coventry

Aidan O'Brien won the Group 2 Coventry Stakes for the twelfth time but not with the horse that many expected.

Confucious, the mount of Ryan Moore, was, understandably, sent off as favourite but it was the Wayne Lordan ridden Great Barrier Reef who obliged at 6/1.

The winner of the Group 3 Marble Hill Stakes was one of six to race towards the inside of the course from their low draws but that group gradually edged across to join the remainder with about two furlongs to run.

There was little to separate the majority of the 22 runners at that point as they fanned out across the course but Lordan's charge kept going forwards to deny Adaay Of Scarlett (40/1) and Royal Heritage (12/1) by half-a-length and a neck. Cut A Dash was fourth.

Paddy Power make Great Barrier Reef 14/1 (from 20s) for the 2000 Guineas.

O’Brien said: “Wayne gave him a great ride. He come into this off two very good runs. He was green his last day, but still won. We are over the moon.

“It was a tough decision for Ryan to make. The other horse was working a bit better. This horse is obviously not a home worker. Before he won the last day we were a little bit disappointed with his work as well, but obviously he is better on the track. We have always loved him.

“I did steer Ryan the other way. He was there with a very live chance as he was an unbeaten horse going into it.

“He has always been smart and we thought he was very good when he won first time out, and he won by five or six lengths that day. He was green the last day in a Group Three, but he still won.

“He handles all kinds of ground. He is a lovely straightforward horse that will get further than six furlongs as well.”

Hugo Palmer said of Adaay Of Scarlett: “It was a great performance. I have to apologise to everyone I had lunch with as I said I didn’t think he would be good enough, but that he would try his heart out, and he certainly did.

“Billy said he just flicked his ears when he hit the front and he just had a little bit of a look around. He is not remotely ungenuine. It is a real buzz. He has come here and run great. I said to Ed (Sackville) who bought the horse that we have won this and then suddenly Aidan’s loomed.

“I once sold what I thought was the smallest horse I had ever trained for five grand, who won the Lily Agnes, called Copper Knight, and he has won six hundred grand in prize money. I’m not going to start making assertions if he is a one season horse or not, but he is very much a two year old and we will campaign him aggressively.

“I’m not sure he is in the Robert-Papin or the Phoenix Stakes, but we will probably keep him on these shores. He has proved he is the best six furlong two year old in England. All being well we will go to the July Stakes and go to Goodwood. I would love to take him to a Breeders’ Cup as he has got five furlong boot and he will go on any ground.”

Hamad Al Jehani said of Royal Heritage: “He came here six days after Hamilton, but we were happy with that performance. It is great to be here in the Royal Ascot in a Coventry Stakes with him.

“Hopefully he will be back in the winner’s enclosure soon. It was very tough to come from the sale to Hamilton then six days after come here. I think it is a great achievement to be here. I think today we now know we have a nice horse. It was a really strong field, but I think we have a nice horse that we will win a stakes race with.”

Richard Hannon said of Cut A Dash: “He wasn’t beaten far. He came there beautifully, but he is a good horse and that is what we came here to see, and that is what we have seen.

“I’d say we will go to the July Stakes and he is in all those types of races. We swapped his trip around from his debut, but he seemed to see the six furlongs out.”

Kizlyar defiant in Ascot Stakes

Reaching High was all the rage to make amends for an unfortunate defeat in the Ascot Stakes but the hot favourite tailed off in the straight in a race in which few got involved from off the pace.

Defiantly kicked at the top of the straight but was soon collared by stablemate Kizlyar (25/1) and Joey Sheridan but the eventual second kept coming back for another bite of the cherry, and another and another.

The two Joseph O'Brien inmates served up a terrific tussle, finishing clear of the gambled on Tim Toe in third who appeared to be travelling oh so well turning in but just couldn't reel them in.

Barnso took fourth at 40/1, a short-head of another 40/1 chance in Annabel's Ghost while the first three were separated by a head and two and a half lengths.

O’Brien said: “Everybody in racing dreams of having a day like this and having a horse good enough to win here. What a dream and privilege it is to come here and win races.

“He came into it off the back of a good win last time. We didn’t get into the Fred Winter unfortunately, but this was the next target for him. I’m delighted to win a good race here. He didn’t run well in really soft ground the time before last, but he came into this off the back of a good win.

“I’m so delighted for Margaret (Heffernan, of the H O S Syndicate) and her family. They lost Dr Andrew Heffernan, Margaret’s husband a few months ago, and I feel like he gave him a little extra push in the last one hundred yards. It looked like Defiantly had maybe outbattled him at one stage, but he fought back inside the last half-a-furlong.

“We could potentially go travelling with him, but we will see what the handicapper does and go from there.”

Sheridan said: “I had actually ridden Defiantly on his last start so I knew he was a strong stayer and I knew he was coming into the race in top order. Of all the horses to be going into battle with from the furlong pole to home over that trip I was kind of having to say to myself you are going to have to try and out stay a stayer.

“My lad is very classy and he travelled through the race brilliantly and he picked up well. It was just a matter of keeping him going straightforward. Top of the ground really suits him as well.

“I won the Sagaro around here a couple of years ago and I finished second in the Gold Cup. I’ve been lucky that I’ve always been here, but not with too many that had chances. It is my first ride for Joseph around here and it just goes to show you when you are part of a team like that it makes your life a lot easier.

“Like Kevin Blake said yesterday if anyone of the horses were by themselves you would give them a favourite’s chance. It is a dream come true.

“It depends what he wants to do with him next, but he could be a horse for those races that he went for Sons And Lovers. Those races in Saudi Arabia and Dubai would really suit him.”

King rules at Royal meeting

Alan King enjoyed a Royal Ascot moment to remember as Daiquiri Bay (6/1) won the Copper Horse Stakes over a mile and three-quarters.

The four-year-old stayed on well down the outside to overhaul Gamrai (9/2) by a head, with a length and three-quarters further back to 22/1 chance Paddy The Squire in third. Aeronautic (12/1) was fourth and Sing Us A Song (6/1) fifth.

The winning trainer said: “Rossa is a master. He had a bad draw and we were much further back than we wanted to be in stall 12 going into that first bend. The horse has improved, but we were slightly worried that the ground was quicker than he wanted, but we have got away with it. He will be an even better horse on slower ground.

“He is not slow and you could easily drop back to a mile and a half with him. We came here today because of the forecast as we also had him entered on Friday. The ground is only going to get quicker and this is probably the best ground we will get this week which he wants.

“I think he will go jumping. If you think you have a really good flat horse I don’t like going jumping with them as a three year old. I like to give them another year on the flat. I think he could be quite exciting over hurdles, but that is for another day. He is not slow so he would be one for two miles over jumps.

“My old boss David Nicholson took me here back in 1986 and I’ve only missed one when it went to York. It is the best week of the year. My National Hunt friends won’t like this, but this blows Cheltenham out of the water. It is very special and I’m thrilled.”

Royal Ascot 2026

• Royal Ascot racecards, form and FREE video replays
• Royal Ascot going and weather forecast
• Royal Ascot odds with Sky Bet
• Royal Ascot free bets
• Andrew Balding: My Royal Ascot team
• Karl Burke: My Royal Ascot team
• George Scott: My Royal Ascot team
• Paddy Twomey: My Royal Ascot team
• George Boughey: My five to follow at Ascot
• Guineas hero Bow Echo primed for 'ultimate test'
• Outfielder and the Wesley Ward squad
• Two-Year-Old Guide including Wathnan Racing
• Alex Hammond: Royal Ascot blog
• Weighing up four stars in St James's Palace Stakes
• Three horses who could bounce back at Ascot
• Latest Royal Ascot tips and features

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org