Royal Ascot simply wouldn’t be the same without The Queen, and although Her Majesty might not be there in person on the opening day (14 June), her colours will be in action as she has her first runner of the royal meeting in the Group One King’s Stand Stakes. And it doesn’t stop there, so we’re bringing you the low down on which of The Queen’s horses will be running at Royal Ascot this year. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if Her Majesty secured a winner at the prestigious meeting during her Platinum Jubilee year?
The Queen’s horses at Royal Ascot: day-by-day guide
The winner of last month’s Group Two Temple Stakes at Haydock is seeking a maiden win at the top level. The five-year-old by Cable Bay is trained by Andrew Balding and will be ridden by David Probert.
Wednesday 15 June
3.05pm: Perfect Alibi in the Queen’s Vase (Group Two)
A relatively inexperienced three-year-old with just three runs under her belt. The daughter of Le Havre is trained by William Haggas and will be ridden by Tom Marquand.
Thursday 16 June
5pm: Saga in the Britannia Stakes (Handicap)
This grey three-year-old colt by Invincible Spirit has one victory to his name from five runs so far. He is trained by John and Thady Gosden and will be ridden by Frankie Dettori.
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5.35pm: Reach For The Moon in the Hampton Court Stakes (Group Three)
By Sea The Stars, this is another Royal Ascot contender that is trained by John and Thady Gosden and will be ridden by Frankie Dettori. He has never been out of the top two in all six of his starts so far.
6pm: Tactical in the Buckingham Palace Stakes (Handicap)
This four-year-old by Toronado has run 13 times so far and has won three of those races. He is trained by Andrew Balding and will be ridden by Ryan Moore.
Friday 17 June
3.40pm: Just Fine in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes (Handicap)
Another by By Sea The Stars, this four-year-old, trained by Sir Michael Stoute has won two of his nine starts.
5pm: Discretion in the Sandringham Stakes (Handicap)
This three-year-old filly by Dubai has a 50% strike rate so far, winning two of her four races to-date. She has won her latest two starts and is trained by Harry and Roger Charlton.
6.10pm: Spring Is Sprung in the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes (Handicap)
This three-year-old by Oasis Dream has been gelded since his last start when he finished third of six starters in February. Trained by Michael Bell, he has won two of his five starts so far.
Don’t miss the full report from Royal Ascot 2021 in the 23 June issue of Horse & Hound magazine, plus we will be bringing you all of the top stories from the meeting as and when they happen on horseandhound.co.uk
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Former web features editor, point-to-point editor and digital racing editor
Gemma is an experienced journalist, who was a member of H&H staff from 2014 to September 2025. She is passionate about all equestrian sports, including racing and point-to-pointing. She has enjoyed riding out for top trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took part in a charity Flat race at Epsom in August 2018. Gemma’s has reported from numerous five-star events around Britain and Europe, as well as European championships.
