2026 Ascot King George Meeting Tips – DS
2026 Ascot King George Meeting Preview & Tips
Our woes continued unabated last weekend. However, I did manage to land a place with Fregada at Naas on Wednesday so maybe, just maybe, that is a sign that things are going to change. 2026 Ascot King George Meeting tips are below.
1.30 York – Jump Jockeys Nunthorpe Handicap (Class 4)
A bit of a novelty race. Looking back at past renewals, it usually is won by a horse that races prominently and Air Force One was always close to the pace when scoring under Danny McMenamin for Geoff Oldroyd last year.
They are back to try again with another prominent racer this year but unfortunately, Managing Director is too short for the blog at around 6/1. One that makes a bit of appeal at bigger odds is the Adrian Nicholls’ trained 4yo, Tees Aggregates.
This son of Earthlight has won four of his 24 starts, with all four victories coming over 5f on good to firm ground. His most recent success came on his penultimate start at Catterick, where he was never far away from the early leaders before running on strongly in the final furlong to score by 1.5l.
That win came off 68 and he was subsequently beaten 3.75l off his revised mark of 73 at Ripon. However, if you look back at that race, the way he was ridden suggested that he wasn’t there to win (broke okay, rider took a couple of pulls mid-race). The handicapper has eased him 1lb for that effort and with more prize money on offer here, I’m hoping he’s quick from the gates and that Brendan Powell lets him bowl along either in front, or close to the pace.
If he reproduces the form he showed when winning at Catterick in June, Tees Aggregates is capable of running into the money off this mark so at 25/1, he is the each way selection.
2026 Ascot King George Meeting tip: Tees Aggregates e/w @ 25/1 (5 places)
1.45 Ascot – Japan Cup Stakes (Group 3)
This looks a competitive race. There is lots of Royal Ascot form on offer here and the one that might represent a bit of value at around 14/1 is the Jane Chapple-Hyam trained daughter of Dubawi Legend, Harlequin Sky.
She’ll have the assistance of Christophe Soumillon in the plate and she was only 0.5l behind Moonrise in the Windsor Castle at Ascot. The Andrew Balding horse was near the front from the outset and more or less had the run of the race, whereas Harlequin Sky, who was drawn closest to the near side rail in stall 25, had a more complicated trip.
Stone last on the near side with around 3f to go, she was switched into the centre of the track before running on really well in the final furlong to finish a fine third. On that evidence, she should be able to reverse that form with Moonrise granted a smoother trip and while she remains a maiden after three runs, Harlequin Sky is still worth chancing each way at odds of 14/1.
2026 Ascot King George Meeting tip: Harlequin Sky e/w @ 14/1
2.00 York – Sky bet Dash Handicap (Heritage)
Off a mark of 94, I can’t leave old friend of the blog Commanche Falls go unbacked here. Yes, he’s now a 9yo and there is no doubt his very best days are behind him but as he showed in Bahrain earlier this year, he is still capable of smart form and I wouldn’t be too worried about his last run at Hamilton as it was probably needed after a few months off.
This lad hasn’t won since scoring in a C&D listed race in 2023. However, he ran a couple of crackers in defeat last season, including when a 2l second at Hamilton last June off 100 and when beaten a short head over C&D off 98 last August. As I mentioned earlier, he’s now running off 94 and he should be much sharper now with that Hamilton run under his belt.
Conor Beasley has been on board for every one of his 12 career wins and he returns to the plate this afternoon. Hopefully he can conjure up one more big performance from Commanche Falls at odds of 28/1.
2026 Ascot King George Meeting tip: Commanche Falls e/w @ 28/1 (5 places)
2.20 Ascot – Valiant Stakes (Group 3)
A tricky race. Bar Touleen, who looks a stakes winner in waiting, it looks pretty open, so I am going to take a punt on the Charlie Johnston trained Arisaig with Jamie Spencer in the saddle.
This mare is generally consistent and she has run with real credit in three of her four starts this season. Last time out she was beaten just under 2l when third in a Pontefract Listed heat, held up and running on late.
That is how Spencer has ridden her on her last few starts but she did race close to the pace when winning her novice races back in 2023 and with no front runner in this field, I am hoping that connections might try something similar here and ride her more aggressively.
Spencer has few equals when it comes to riding front runners. Yes, he is best known for swooping late but when it comes to judging fractions from the front, he is mustard. If Arisaig is held up for a late run here, she probably has a place chance at best but if she is sent to the front early, she might be able to nick it.
Now, I have no idea what connections will decide to do tactically here, so this is a speculative selection but with odds of 28/1 on offer, I’ll take my chances on Arisaig. Hopefully Charlie Johnston reads this blog!
2026 Ascot King George Meeting tip: Arisaig e/w @ 28/1
2.55 Ascot – Moet & Chandon International Handicap (Heritage)
I tipped up Two Tribes to win this last season. Those were the days. He is back to try to defend his crown but he’s 12lb higher now and the son of Rajasinghe might just be in the handicapper’s grip at the moment.
The horse I eventually came down on here is the Ed Walker trained son of Decorated Knight, Ata Rangi. Formerly trained in Ireland by Henry De Bromhead, for whom he won a Roscommon maiden on soft ground, he has won three of his seven starts for Walker.
When he first joined this yard, I’d imagine the general consensus was that they had a horse that wanted cut in the ground. Indeed, his stable debut was aborted due to good ground at Doncaster in March 2025 but it turns out, he seems to be at his best on that type of a surface.
After winning on the AW at Kempton last April, his first turf run for Walker came on good ground at York (1m) and he was narrowly denied off 80. Next time, over 7f at Haydock, again on good ground, he made no mistake and won off 83. His final three starts of 2025 came on good to soft and heavy and he failed to trouble the judge.
Back To Winning Ways
On his return to action this term, over 7f at Haydock (good), he regained the winning thread off a mark of 85 under this rider. Last time, under Kieran Shoemark, he was beaten just under 5l off his revised mark of 89 at Newbury but again, that was on good to soft ground.
He got a pound back for that run, Ashley Lewis takes off a further 5lb and more importantly, there’ll be no soft in the ground description at Ascot this afternoon. Good to firm ground is admittedly an unknown for Ata Rangi but his form figures on good read 211 and the defeat came over 1m.
This will be the best race he has contested so far but he’s unexposed over 7f on fast ground and there could be more to come from him off this mark. So, at odds of 40/1, Ata Rangi is the e/w selection.
2026 Ascot King George Meeting tip: Ata Rangi e/w @ 40/1 (5 places) NB
3.35 Ascot – King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Group 1)
The main event. I napped Goliath when he won this in 2024 and he is back to try to regain his crown. This race has an extremely similar look to it. In that 2024 renewal, Aidan O’Brien ran a couple of no hopers to set the pace for Auguste Rodin but that played into Goliath’s hands and he won with Christophe Soumillon blowing kisses to the crowd. What a day!
This year, O’Brien’s main hopes are the Irish Derby winner Benevenuto Cellini and Minnie Hauk, a 4l runner up behind Ombudsman at Ascot last time. However, the favourite is Goliath’s stablemate Calandagan, who bounced back from a poor run on easy ground at Epsom to win the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud last time.
Below Best
However, he only won that race by a neck and it wasn’t anywhere near the peak form he showed last year when winning the Champion Stakes at Ascot and the Japan Cup at Tokyo. In fact, even though he is 2/3 this term, I don’t think he’s quite as good as he was as a 4yo so I’m taking him on and it has to be with Goliath.
He has now drifted to a very backable price of 11/1 and he loves it here. Last time in the Hardwicke Stakes Christophe Soumillon lost his irons at an inopportune moment and that probably cost him the win. It was still a fine run though and his form figures at this venue now read 213.
The key to this horse is having a strong early pace, which enables him to settle, and if they go quick from the outset, which looks likely, he should be travelling sweetly when they turn for home. Bar a blip in the Breeders’ Cup, this son of Alderflug rarely runs a bad race and back at his beloved Ascot, Goliath is worth backing again at odds of 11/1.
