John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on the third day of Royal Ascot.
Earth worth a Shot against Oaks runner-up
The Gosden stable, which has the ‘Hot Trainer’ flag, always needs respecting in the Ribblesdale Stakes (15:40), having won the Group 2 contest five times in all and three years running between 2019 and 2021. That’s very much the case this year as their representative Legacy Link is the clear pick on form thanks to her second in the Oaks where she ran a career best but came up against one of the best winners of the race this century, Thundering On. Having led briefly before the winner took her measure, Legacy Link stayed on to pull clear of the rest, recording a smart effort.
Clearly, a repeat of her Epsom form would make Legacy Link, who won the Musidora Stakes beforehand, very hard to beat but the worry is that this race comes less than a fortnight later and it remains to be seen if she can run to a similar level quite so soon. An alternative, therefore, is the other ‘Horse In Focus’ in the field, Earth Shot, who goes for another ‘Hot Trainer’ William Haggas.
Improving with each run, Earth Shot was a five-length winner of a maiden on her reappearance at Newmarket before going down by a head to Inis Mor in the listed Height of Fashion Stakes at Goodwood later in May. That form received a boost on Sunday when the winner finished third in the Prix de Diane. Purchased since by Wathnan Racing, no doubt with this race in mind, Earth Shot is open to further improvement stepping up in trip as her useful dam Precious Ramotswe stayed further still, winning the Bronte Cup over a mile and three quarters.
Scandinavia can make it ten Gold Cups for O’Brien
Since the retirement of the 2022 and 2024 Gold Cup (16:15) winner Kyprios, Trawlerman has been the dominant stayer and he enjoyed a fine campaign in 2025 when winning his last four starts. He galloped on relentlessly to beat Ballydoyle’s Illinois by seven lengths in last year’s Gold Cup before further victories in the Lonsdale Cup at York and the Long Distance Cup back at Ascot.
But an unusual eye condition has kept Trawlerman off the track since and he’s returning as an eight-year-old taking on up-and-coming rivals half his age. One of those is the Yorkshire Cup winner Rahiebb, third in the Queen’s Vase at this meeting last year and who warrants plenty of respect, but preference is for fellow four-year-old Scandinavia who bids to take Aidan O’Brien’s record number of Gold Cups to ten.
Scandinavia met with his only defeat last season when fifth in the Queen’s Vase, but he’s unbeaten since being fitted with cheekpieces and showed that stamina is his strong suit later last year, beating older rivals in the Goodwood Cup and then digging deep to hold off Rahiebb’s strong late challenge in the St Leger. He has followed ‘the Kyprios route’ in winning both his starts in Ireland this year, and while just workmanlike at Leopardstown last time, Scandinavia was always holding on and gives the impression the step up to his marathon trip won’t be a problem.
Maho Bay worth another chance in Hampton Court
Aidan O’Brien bids to win the Hampton Court Stakes (17:35) for the second year running after Trinity College’s success last year, with Ryan Moore opting for the front-running Embellished over Italy among the two Ballydoyle entries. Embellished has done all his racing at Leopardstown this year and was a cut above the opposition in a four-runner listed race there last time when stepped up to a mile and a half. However, his earlier form reads well, notably when going down by half a length to stablemate and future Derby winner Christmas Day in the Ballysax Stakes, which, like his win last time, came on soft ground.
Conditions will be much firmer here, though, and while Embellished will no doubt be ridden to draw the sting out of his rivals dropping back in trip, that could set things up nicely for Maho Bay whose trainer Charlie Appleby has hit form again and has the ‘Hot Trainer’ flag.
Maho Bay lost his unbeaten record when favourite for the Lingfield Derby Trial last time, finishing fourth to the subsequent Derby runner-up Maltese Cross, but can be forgiven that run as he didn’t look suited by the track. Before that, Maho Bay had made a very good impression, winning a maiden at Kempton late last year and impressive again in a novice at Newmarket’s Craven meeting when beating O’Brien’s Amadeus Mozart, also runner-up to Embellished last time. Maho Bay can resume winning ways back on a more suitable track.
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