2025 Royal Ascot Tuesday Preview & Tips – DS
2025 Royal Ascot Tuesday Preview & Tips
So here we go. This is the one. The Royal Meeting kicks off on Tuesday afternoon and it promises to be an absolutely thrilling week of racing. It looks like we’ll have proper fast ground and that is what you want for the biggest and best flat races. Dave Stevos is going to do his best to unearth some e/w value at big odds, his 2025 Royal Ascot Tuesday tips are below.
2.30 – Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1)
What a race to start off the week. Eleven horses have been declared for this 1m Group 1 and it is a stacked field. Rosallion (rated 122), Notable Speech (122), Lead Artist (120) and Dancing Gemini (119) are at the head of the market and if they all run to those lofty ratings, it will be some race.
However, I have already put Docklands up ante-post at odds of 25/1 (read why here) and I believe he is capable of running to 120 on this track so if one or two of those higher rated rivals don’t produce their best, I believe last year’s runner up is capable of hitting the frame.
To be honest, I am a bit miffed that connections have decided to fly Mark Zahra over from Australia to ride. However, in his defence he has a win and two seconds from five previous rides at Ascot so it could be worse. Hopefully he manages to avoid trouble in running and we get a decent run for our money.
2025 Royal Ascot Tuesday Tip: Docklands already advised e/w @ 25/1
3.05 – Coventry Stakes (Group 2)
We have also already backed a horse in this juvenile G2. Power Blue, who chased home the original 6/4 ante-post favourite for this race, Albert Einstein, at the Curragh last time out was also advised on my personal blog at 25/1.
Adrian Murray, who has already tasted success at this meeting, trains this son of Space Blues for Amo Racing and I am at a loss as to how he was chalked up at 25s after Albert Einstein was taken out of the race. Only 0.75l separated them three weeks ago so how there was such a big discrepancy in their odds was a headscratcher.
David Egan rides, he’s been drawn in stall 9 and he is now into as short as 16s and 14s with firms that are paying four places. We found Berkshire Shadow in this race a few years ago, hopefully Power Blue runs a similarly big race for us this year.
2025 Royal Ascot Tuesday Tip: Power Blue already advised e/w @ 25/1
3.40 – King Charles III Stakes (Group 1)
These big field sprints often throw up a surprise result and I think Jasour might provide it this year. Long time followers might remember me tipping him up to win the July Stakes in 2023. I was convinced he was a G1 sprinter in the making after that smooth success but it has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for the son of Havana Grey since then.
He failed to replicate that form in two subsequent starts as a 2yo but he reappeared at three with a G3 win at this venue over 6f before running a blinder in the Commonwealth Cup when third behind Inisherin.
Again, his form tailed off in the second half of the campaign but he underwent wind surgery in the off-season and I thought there were an awful lot of positives to take from his seasonal reappearance in the Listed Achilles Stakes over 5f at Haydock last month.
Jim Crowley tried to drop his mount out early but Jasour was having none of it. He was far too fresh and exuberant and after 2f he moved from the back to close to the front. He paid the price for that big mid-race move in the final furlong and eventually faded into sixth, 3l behind the winner Balmoral Lady.
That run will hopefully have knocked the freshness out of him and Clive Cox has also opted to stick a hood on him for the first time. The headgear combined with what will likely be a furiously run race over 5f may enable Jasour to settle better and if he does, he has the late turn of foot to get involved at the finish here. At odds of 33/1, Jasour is the e/w selection.
2025 Royal Ascot Tuesday Tip: Jasour e/w @ 33/1 (4 places) nb
4.20 – St James’ Palace Stakes (Group 1)
It’s such a pity that only seven 3yos run in this race because it is an absolute barnstormer of a race. The Irish, French and UK Guineas winners all lock horns with the impressive Curragh winner Field Of Gold odds on to follow up that success under Juddmonte’s recently appointed retained rider Colin Keane.
Ruling Court beat Field Of Gold in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket but the fact that Kieran Shoemark lost his job with the Gosdens not soon afterwards was telling. I wouldn’t go as far as to say the Godolphin horse was a lucky winner, but he was definitely a shade fortunate that the runner up didn’t time his challenge better.
Henri Matisse has been more workmanlike in his two races this year, but the son of Wootton Bassett has won them both. He’s the type of horse that only seems to just do enough to win and he could have plenty more in the tank.
Keep The Faith With Rashabar
However, we backed Rashabar in the Irish 2000 Guineas and while he could only finish fourth, it was a messy sort of race for Brian Meehan’s son of Holy Roman Emperor. Sean Levey kept him close to the inside rail throughout and he didn’t get the clearest of runs. I’m not saying that he’d have won with a smoother passage, but he certainly may have been able to finish closer.
The return to Ascot, where he won last year’s Coventry Stakes, and the rattling quick ground are two factors that could elicit an improved performance from Rashabar and on a line through Jonquil, he hasn’t got a huge amount to find with Henri Matisse. Even with just two places on offer, I am willing to give Rashabar one more chance. With odds of 28/1 available, I think it’s worth the risk.
2025 Royal Ascot Tuesday Tip: Rashabar e/w @ 28/1
5.00 – Ascot Stakes Handicap (Heritage)
This glorified bumper is one of the worst races of the week in my opinion. Last year Sir Mark Prescott won it but previous to that, the likes of Willie Mullins, Nicky Henderson, Jonjo O’Neill and Charles Byrnes have landed this near 2m4f handicap. Mullins and Tony Martin provide three of the four market leaders this year and that says it all really. This is a race I am going to leave well alone. No bet.
2025 Royal Ascot Tuesday Tip: No Bet
5.35 – Wolferton Stakes (Listed)
A tricky race. Roger Varian has a decent record in this contest and Enfjaar has been backed into the 4/1 favourite. He was below par on his return to action at Sandown 19 days ago but he should come on for that run and he’s likely been trained for this. However, he looks far from bulletproof and he might be worth taking on.
I would have been very interested in Meydaan for the Crisfords if there was a bit of an ease in the ground but I am not sure he’s at his best when the ground is quick. The most interesting outsider here has to be last year’s sixth, Checkandchallenge. Yes, he was beaten 8l by Israr but he came into that race on the back of a couple of poor runs at Sandown and Longchamp whereas this year, he has run blinders in three of his four runs.
Struck in to
On the opening day of the season he chased home the upwardly mobile Dancing Gemini at Doncaster (1m, gd-sft). You can put a line through his next run at Kempton as he was struck in to but he quickly got back on track when finishing third behind Sardinian Warrior and Docklands in the Queen Anne trial here over 1m (gd-fm), and he also had Meydaan 2l behind him in fifth.
Last time out Knight kept his charge to a mile in the G1 Lockinge at Newbury, again on good to firm, and he ran another excellent race in fifth. He was only 1.5l behind Rosallion and Notable Speech and the manner of his run suggested that he was well worth another go at this sort of trip. Given his strike rate, winning may be beyond him but if he can reproduce that Lockinge run, Checkandchallenge might be able to sneak a place at odds of 33/1.
2025 Royal Ascot Tuesday Tip: Checkandchalllenge e/w @ 33/1 (4 places)
6.10 – Copper Horse Stakes Handicap (Class 2)
This 1m6f handicap looks wide open and I am going to take a chance on Loughville for Alan King and Rossa Ryan. We backed this 5yo mare at Musselburgh on her seasonal return and it was a race she probably should have won. On her next start at Goodwood she ran with real credit in a listed heat at Goodwood (1m4f, good) and she finished a length behind the runner up Scenic, a G3 winner on her next start who is now rated 107.
Loughville was raised from 91 to 99 after that fine third and she subsequently struggled back in handicap company at Goodwood on her next start. However, I am not sure she appreciated the front running tactics that were employed that day as she is a far better mare when ridden more patiently and produced with a late run.
The daughter of Mastercraftsman has had three runs on proper quick ground, returning form figures of 313. She was a good third on her only previous run at Ascot, so we know she handles the track, and Rossa Ryan has form figures of 5131 when riding her. If she can repeat the form she showed in that Listed race at Goodwood, Loughville is more than capable of outrunning her odds of 33/1.
