Our form expert has four selections for the final day of Royal Ascot 2025 on Saturday featuring the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.
The Verdict: Saturday June 21
1pt win Topgear in 3.40 Royal Ascot at 8/1 (General)
0.5pts e.w Annaf in 3.40 Royal Ascot at 50/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4)
1pt win Purosangue in 5.00 Royal Ascot at 12/1 (bet365, BetVictor, Ladbrokes)
1pt win Sallaal in 5.35 Royal Ascot at 9/1 (General)
Purosangue to motor home
Andrew Balding has plundered two of the handicaps at Royal Ascot this week with Miss Information in the Kensington Palace and Never So Brave in the Buckingham Palace and he might well snaffle the Wokingham on Saturday as well with PUROSANGUE.
This horse has long looked like he has a big handicap sprint in him and he was sent off 9/2 for the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood last summer, only for him to have an off day after getting restless in the stalls.
However, several pieces of form put him in with a great chance here and with the stable flying and a stands’ side draw in 22 to break from, under the red-hot Oisin Murphy, everything could bounce his way.
On his form in Listed and Group 3 company at York and Sandown last summer he looks well treated off 103 and he’s got some good Ascot form to his name, his third in the Group 3 Commonwealth Cup Trial and six-and-three-quarter-length ninth in last year’s Group 1 King Charles III Stakes both worth revisiting with this handicap test in mind.
However, the key to him was been gelded in the winter as he’s relaxing in his races much better and that can allow Murphy to execute the sort of ride he pulled off on the same owner’s Khaadem on this day 12 months ago in the Jubilee.
His two runs since being gelded have been good, as he wasn’t beaten far at Southwell or Newmarket, but both looked building blocks towards a bigger day and the Wokingham is likely to have been a target for a long while.
I loved his Newmarket prep, as he finished on the heels of the leaders without being unduly punished, and he’s got an 8lb pull with the Wokingham favourite More Thunder for the two-length defeat.
The Verdict: Back PUROSANGUE in the 5.00 Royal Ascot at 12/1
Get into Topgear in Jubilee
The Group 1 feature on the final day is an internationally-flavoured Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Storm Boy show his true colours on his second start for Aidan O’Brien.
Both Haradasun and Starspangledbanner before him bounced back from defeats on their stable debuts after switching from Australia to win at Royal Ascot for O’Brien and the son of Justify very much looked the real deal Down Under.
The problem is he's been very strong in the market despite his Curragh flop and while plenty of punters will see that as a good sign – and I completely get that – he’s just on the wrong side of being a good price at 5/1 for me.
If he burns up the stands’ rail and wins so be it, but I do think the French-trained horses Lazzat and TOPGEAR will be key to this race, as they could be the pace angles down the middle, and I like Christopher Head’s horse dropping back in trip.
I’d love to see him get a tow into this off Lazzat as that could be perfect for him, as a similar scenario transpired in the Challenge Stakes when he was last seen on these shores last October - he bolted up at Newmarket that day.
That was one of the many occasions he has suggested he has the gears for six furlongs and while this is his first go over the distance since he was a two-year-old I don’t think he’ll have any bother with the speed test.
He has looked better than ever on his last two starts, comfortably getting the better of the in-form Sajir at Longchamp last month, while I can’t see any reason why he won’t go well on the fast ground.
At 8/1 he looks a fair bet given his talent but the one worry is he gets embroiled in a pace battle and in that scenario I want a closer on my side too.
At 50/1, ANNAF is big enough to have a two-pronged attack on the race and he will love it if they go quick. Mick Appleby’s horse has an excellent Ascot record, finishing third in Bradsell’s King’s Stand and first in a Group 3 Bengough Stakes, while he’s shaped well in two starts since coming back from Riyadh.
At Haydock he was unsuited by the ordinary pace in a seven-furlong Listed race won by Alyanaabi and then last time back over six in the Listed Cathedral Stakes at Salisbury he didn’t get the cleanest of passages through but still ran well in a half-length third.
First-time cheekpieces could spark improvement, too. His half-brother Motawaazy won in the p1 and Appleby is 10 from 61 at 16.39% (+£34.95 to a £1 level stake) when applying the sheepskin first time over sprint distances.
I think he might just relish this test on the fast ground and the 50s on offer underestimates him a little.
The Verdict: Back TOPGEAR and ANNAF in the 3.40 Royal Ascot
Sall or nothing in the Golden Gates
Finally, Roger Varian’s SALLAAL can go well in the Golden Gates Handicap over 10 furlongs at 5.35.
The son of Frankel is highly thought of and had Group 1 entries earlier in the season, while he was sent off a well-fancied 7/2 for the Listed Feilden Stakes at Newmarket earlier in the campaign where he raced inefficiently.
After that he got back on track in a little novice event at Hamilton, despite unseating Ray Dawson on the way to the start, behaving himself in the race at least where he outclassed his rivals with a comfortable three-length win.
Both the second and third have come out and won handicaps subsequently, so it wasn’t a bad race, and the likelihood is connections will still have Group-race aspirations for this colt.
Impeccably bred, being a half-brother to Benbatl and Elmalka, he’s worth chancing off a mark of 97 on his handicap bow even in a hot race like this.
The Verdict: Back SALLAAL in the 5.35 Royal Ascot
Preview posted at 1555 BST on 20/06/25
Click here for full Ben Linfoot tipping record
More from Sporting Life
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
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.
