2026 Royal Ascot Ante-Post E/W Lucky 15 – DS
2026 Royal Ascot Ante-Post E/W Lucky 15
At last year’s Royal meeting Dave Stevos found Docklands at 25s and Cercene at 25s in his ante-post e/w lucky. Power Blue narrowly missed a place in fifth and Leovanni was a loser (non-runner). He is back with a 2026 Royal Ascot Ante-Post e/w lucky 15 (and four e/w singles), find out who he is backing below.
Day 1 – Coventry Stakes
Docklands is back for another go in the Queen Anne but unfortunately, he’s not 25s this year. So, my first selection is going to be in the Coventry and I am keeping the faith in Robson De Aguiar’s son of rookie sire Persian Force, Immortal Guard.
I put this horse up on debut for the spotlights in the Racing Post at the Curragh last month (6f, good) and he was heavily backed (14s into 7/2). The son of Persian Force didn’t let his supporters down, overcoming a tardy start to score by half a length.
The form of that race hasn’t really worked out but the fifth, Belle Of The Ball, won by 4l on her next start and Immortal Guard increased the distance between himself and the runner up from 0.5l to over 5l on their next start in the Group 3 Marble Hill at the Curragh, again over 6f on good.
Solid Form
In front of Immortal Guard that day were the Ballydoyle colts Great Barrier Reef (by 2.5l), who is around 3/1 here, and Carry The Flag (1.25l), who Immortal Guard was closing rapidly on at the finish.
I think that a strongly run race over a stiff 6f at Ascot, on what will hopefully be rattling quick ground, might enable Immortal Guard to finish much closer to Great Barrier Reef and if he does, he won’t be far away here. At odds of 40/1, Immortal Guard is the each way selection.
2026 Royal Ascot Ante-Post Tip: Immortal Guard e/w @ 40/1
Day 1 – King Charles III Stakes
I swore to myself after Ain’t Nobody’s dire effort at York last time out that I would never tip him again. Yet here we are. Yes, I am a sick man and maybe I am chasing a lost cause with this son of Sands Of Mali but I am willing to give him one last chance (I swear).
So why the hell are you backing this donkey again, I hear you ask. Well, it’s quite simple. Course form. In 2024, as a 2yo, he won the Windsor Castle Stakes (5f, gd-fm) here quite comfortably. Then came the run that really makes him of interest in this race, his Commonwealth Cup ninth, when he was beaten 5.5l behind Time For Sandals.
Superb Effort
Having watched that race back on a number of occasions, Ain’t Nobody ran far, far better than the bare result. Racing in a small group on the far side, when they hit the 2.5f pole very few horses, in either group, were travelling better. When Tom Eaves asked for maximum effort, he picked up very well (despite looking a tad unbalanced for a moment) and at the 1f pole, he was bang in contention.
Yes, in the final furlong his effort did peter out a bit but I thought it was a cracking run and he proved he could compete at this level at York later in the season when a 1.5l second to Asfoora at York in the Nunthorpe.
If the horse were mine, I’d be targeting either this race, or the Nunthorpe. Given that he has run crackers on all three occasions when encountering fast ground at Ascot, and won at this meeting in 2024, surely this race has been a long-term plan and if it has been, it is easier to overlook his two well below par efforts this term.
Draw An Unknown
We will be hostages to fortune regarding the draw here but at least he should get his favoured fast ground (if the weather forecast is correct). With odds of 100/1 on offer, Ain’t Nobody is the e/w selection.
Just on backing this horse, I would stick him in a small stakes e/w lucky now but as far as backing him in an e/w single goes, waiting until decs are done and extra places are available (and best odds guaranteed) makes sense. I doubt anyone else is insane enough to tip him so he probably won’t shorten too much.
2026 Royal Ascot Ante-Post Tip: Ain’t Nobody e/w @ 100/1
Day 4 – Commonwealth Cup
Venetian Sun, last year’s Albany winner, is short enough odds to follow in her stablemate Quiet Reflection’s hoofsteps and land this prize for Karl Burke. Her credentials are obvious but the bookies are well wise to her and odds of 7/4 are of no use to us.
The one that makes most appeal at a working man’s price is a filly we backed in the 1000 Guineas last month, Spicy Marg. She’s available to back at odds of 50/1 with multiple firms and in my opinion, that price is an insult.
In the 1000 Guineas Michael Bell’s daughter of Starspangledbanner ran an excellent race, even if she did only finish eighth. She was only 5.25l behind the winner True Love and a neck behind Precise, who won the Irish 1000 Guineas on her next start.
Dropped In Trip
Spicy Marg’s effort petered out in the final furlong at Newmarket so Bell decided to drop her back in distance in the G2 Sandy Lane Stakes at Sandown. Venetian Sun bolted up by over 4l and Spicy Marg was 4.5l behind her in third but I’m not sure that race was run to suit Bell’s filly and a furiously run 6f at Ascot might enable her to get closer to Karl Burke’s charge.
When she won her Listed race at Newmarket last year (6f, good), Spicy Marg came from the back and ended up winning comfortably. When she ran in the Queen Mary at this venue last year she only finished tenth after racing prominently but if more patient tactics are deployed here, this daughter of Starspangledbanner is capable of running much better than her odds of 50/1.
2026 Royal Ascot Ante-Post Tip: Spicy Marg e/w @ 50/1
Day 5 – Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes
Last, but not least, the QEII Jubilee Stakes. Confirmations for this race are tomorrow so I probably should wait but the horse I fancy isn’t entered earlier in the week so hopefully, he will be let take his chance. If he is, I think Jasour could be ready to make his presence felt at the top table in the sprint division.
It feels like a long time ago now, but we actually backed this horse when he won the G2 July Stakes at Newmarket back in 2023 as a 2yo. He looked to have a very bright future after that win but he’s only won once since and a tendency to race keenly has held him back at times.
Last Season
Last season he ran twice at the Royal Meeting. He wasn’t beaten far at all in the King Charles III over 5f, finishing 4.25l behind the winner American Affair and just 2.75l behind Regional who finished in third. Four days later, he ran in this and finished sixth, staying on from the back to finish 5.5l behind Lazzat and 2l off a place behind Flora Of Bermuda in third (14s here).
Jasour’s other two runs at Ascot saw him win a Group 3 in May 2024 and he then went on to run an absolute cracker to finish third in the Commonwealth Cup later that season. He clearly likes the track and while he had no excuses when beaten here last year, he was still just a 4yo and these sprinters can often take a season or two to find their feet in these top level races.
Respectable Runs
Jasour has run respectably in all three starts this term. A 1l defeat on unsuitable ground at Doncaster on his return was followed by a 2.25l G3 defeat at Newbury and last time, he finished a 3.25l sixth behind Elmonjed in a G2 at York.
I fully believe this son of Havana Grey has a Group 1 in him, he just needs the stars to align and things to drop right and if it is ever going to happen, on rattling quick ground at Ascot is the most likely venue. With odds of 66/1 on offer, Jasour is our final e/w ante-post selection for Royal Ascot.
2026 Royal Ascot Ante-Post Tip: Jasour e/w @ 66/1
Day 2 – Queen Mary Stakes
Our other 2yo selection, Immortal Guard, wasn’t declared for the Coventry so I have had to come up with another one for our e/w lucky. In the end, I decided to take a chance on one at a monster price in the Queen Mary, the Lemos De Souza trained Lucky Vega filly, Kentucky Rain.
This filly made her debut at Goodwood (5f, good) just 26 days ago. Sent off at odds of 25/1, Cieren Fallon took the ride and in the early stages, his mount was a shade outpaced and was dropped out in rear. At around the 2f pole, the leaders made their moves for home, while Fallon was waiting to see a gap so he could come with his challenge.
Picked Up Well
In the end, between the 2f and 1f poles, a gap opened on the inside and once Fallon asked Kentucky Rain for an effort, she picked up very nicely to surge through for second, beaten around 1.25l for the win by Pershaada (who was having her third run) and finishing a couple of lengths clear of the third (who was beaten a short head by Senorita Bonita, the 5/1 fav here, in a Nottingham maiden on her next start).
Pershaada has also been declared for this race and she can be backed at 66s, while Kentucky Rain is available at 80s. Given that it was Kentucky Rain’s first ever run last time, I would expect her to improve past Pershaada.
As I mentioned earlier, she had Fast Track a couple of lengths behind at Goodwood and she was beaten a short head by Sentorita Bonita on her next start so the formline looks okay to me and on a literal reading of that form, there’s no way Kentucky Rain should be 66/1. Her half-brother Son Of Corballis won a listed race and I think this filly can nick some black type at some stage too. Hopefully it’s at Ascot on Wednesday.
