Who was the one to take from the Wokingham Stakes?

Horses to follow: Royal Ascot handicappers

By Trackside

Horse Racing

Tue June 24, 2025 · 3w ago

The Trackside Live team look back on Royal Ascot and underline the handicappers they feel it'll be worth sticking with in the coming weeks.

Align The Stars (Charlie Johnston)

17 June – Royal Ascot, Ascot Stakes

After such a good season in 2024, Align The Stars has, unsurprisingly, found it hard to attain those heights in 2025 but there were some signs on Tuesday in the Ascot Stakes that all is not lost in 2025 just yet, and Goodwood is just around the corner.

Under the burden of 9st 10lb, and a little keen in first-time cheekpieces, he stuck on better than might have been expected to finish a close seventh, beaten under three lengths at the line. We saw last year he’s best when allowed to bowl along in front, his grind-it-out style never more in evidence than it was in the Coral Summer Handicap at Goodwood when he looked beat at least twice during the contest (as evidenced by the fact he went off 4.7 on Betfair, but traded three times that in the run) but just kept on galloping to record a neck win.

The handicapper is starting to cut him some slack now, and he might well go down another pound for this; all the same, as long as the headgear does the trick again, expect to see him slogging it out from the front back at Goodwood next month.

Greek Order (Michael Bell)

18 June – Royal Ascot, Royal Hunt Cup

Greek Order looked in great order, if you’ll pardon the wordplay, on his first run back for Michael Bell, still got that bit of class about him that the best handicappers have and whilst it didn’t really happen for him out in America for Bill Mott, it looks very much as if he’s back on track now he’s back in Blighty, and a decent handicap surely awaits him as he’s still on a workable mark, on this evidence.

I thought he might win when he hit the front a furlong out but the improving My Cloud came to claim him late, and a couple drawn very low also finished in front of him, but essentially finishing second in his group to the favourite rates an excellent effort.

He was second in a Cambridgeshire back in 2023 but he’s clearly not short of speed on this, and I wonder whether connections might consider a tilt at something like the Bunbury Cup? Whatever way they go, he one that needs keeping onside, as it’s worth remembering this was only his fourth handicap on these shores.

The Lost King (Andrew Balding)

19 June – Royal Ascot, Britannia Handicap

One of the paddock picks for the Britannia was The Lost King, getting the comment “good muscle definition over quarters, (has) improved from Sandown” and he got a positive thumbs-up from us at Trackside.

He bowled along, albeit too keenly, on the front end until the 2f pole where he found himself in a spot of trouble as he was closed in on both sides, but in truth he was already on the retreat. Not given a hard time after that, he’s still run a respectable race to finish midfield, beaten five lengths.

The key is going to be able to get him to settle and finish his race off. He’s bred to get a bit further, and to that end an entry in the early-closing 10-furlong bet365 Handicap at Newmarket next month is interesting; perhaps we’ll see him in a hood next, but once they get him to settle, he can start to go forward again. We like him physically, he looks better than a handicapper, and time might prove that to be the case.

Naqeeb (Julie Camacho)

20 June – Royal Ascot, Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap

The comment we at Trackside gave Naqeeb before the Duke Of Edinburgh on Friday says it all, really; “looks well, perhaps just needing this, appears to be building to something” and in finishing third, having looked a possible winner a furlong out before being a little outpaced by the front pair late, he’s done nothing but back up the impression there’s a big handicap in him again this season.

The Ebor looks a pretty obvious candidate at this stage, given it’s basically a race for older, and not necessarily well-handicapped, sorts, but you have to say Julie Camacho, in just three starts, has rekindled his love for racing that seemed to have gone for William Haggas. One of the most underrated trainers around, in our opinion.

Holkham Bay (William Knight)

21 June – Royal Ascot, Wokingham Handicap

There were four we liked on looks for the Wokingham and Holkham Bay was one of them, getting the comment “proper sprinting type, very fit for this, like” and again getting a thumbs-up from the pair of us, he looked bang on for this. And we can’t help but feel we’ve been slightly unlucky, with Holkham Bay coming a mile clear of everything else on the stands side, but not really having the pace to chase as those drawn up the middle did, the speedball that is Get It dragging them all along before hanging on for dear life in the last few strides.

Compensation surely awaits under similar circumstances, and given he had a sighter at Goodwood earlier in the year (again, unlucky in the run) the Stewards' Cup wouldn’t be the worst idea. Particularly as he’s seemingly impervious to the ground - quick conditions here, but having also won good handicaps on good to soft and soft already.

Royal Ascot winners from the column…

Merchant - Skybet Handicap - York, 15 May

“...he looked a cut above his opposition in the paddock beforehand, and the way he won this marked him out as one that, assuming he gets a decent draw, is the one to beat in the King George V Handicap at Royal Ascot.”

Docklands - Diomed Stakes - Epsom, 7 June

“Docklands… didn’t disappoint again on Saturday, striding into the paddock like he owned the place….(at Ascot) his full record of 113222 means he’s one to take seriously in a couple of weeks time for the Queen Anne….Get off to a good start by backing him each-way on the day.”

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