Royal Ascot Predictions: Day Two Preview, and Odds (June 21)

• Wednesday’s action at Royal Ascot features four graded stakes races
• Equine superstars collide in the G1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes

The action continues at Royal Ascot for day two of the meet on Wednesday, June 21. In total, there are seven races on the card, which includes an ultra-competitive Royal Hunt Cup and a star-studded G1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes. You can find our Royal Ascot predictions for the second day of the meeting here.

Schedule and How To Watch

• When: Wednesday, June 21, 2023, from 9:30 a.m. ET
• Where: Ascot Racecourse, London, England
• How To Watch: NBC

Duke of Cambridge Stakes

Odds

Latest odds taken from an offshore sportsbook.

Race Preview

The first of the graded races that we will look at on the Wednesday comes in the form of the G2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes. This race is run by fillies and mares aged four and over, and it promises to be an ultra-competitive affair. Joseph O’Brien saddles the favorite, Jumbly. She returned to action with a decent effort at Curragh, finishing second behind Just Beautiful. However, she has previous course and distance form, having landed the G3 Valiant Stakes.

Prosperous Voyage is another to keep on side in this race, as the Ralph Beckett four-year-old was excellent on her return in the G3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes. At a price, O’Brien’s Goldana could be worth a place bet, as she will be better suited to a quicker test around Ascot than most.

However, the preference is for Laurel for John & Thady Gosden. The four-year-old is back in calmer waters after finishing six lengths behind Modern Games in the G1 Lockinge, and she was excellent on her reappearance in April. The quicker ground will suit this runner, and she could give Frankie Dettori a winner on his Royal Ascot swansong.

Royal Ascot Predictions

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Prince of Wales’s Stakes

Odds

Latest odds taken from an offshore sportsbook.

Race Preview

The standout race on the second day at Royal Ascot is the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. This Group 1 is run over a distance of one mile and two furlongs, and it features no shortage of previous Classic contenders. Epsom Derby hero Adayar returned after a long layoff earlier this year with an impressive win, but the Charlie Appleby-trained runner still has questions to answer.

Luxembourg represents the Aidan O’Brien yard and was recently seen beating Bay Bridge on good ground in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup. That is a very encouraging piece of form, but this is his first start over this distance since finishing fifth on his seasonal reappearance, and he was back in third on his previous start in England. However, he represents a leading chance in this Group 1.

Instead, a chance will be taken on My Prospero from the William Haggas yard. He was fourth in the G1 Lockinge on his reappearance, but the step up in trip will certainly suit. He is still improving, and already holds solid form at Ascot after finishing third in both the G1 Champion Stakes and G1 St James’s Palace Stakes as a three-year-old. The conditions will suit the selection.

Royal Ascot Predictions

Royal Hunt Cup

Odds

Latest odds taken from an offshore sportsbook.

Race Preview

The most competitive betting race of the day comes in the form of the Royal Hunt Cup. The heritage handicap currently has over 80 entries before final declarations are made, and there are some old favorites set to take their shot. A total of one mile will be covered in the race, and there are a number of contenders that look intriguingly well-handicapped.

The first of those is Saga for The King & Queen. This runner looked back to somewhere near his best at Newmarket on his previous start when losing by a head to the well-handicapped King of Conquest. He is a regular runner at Ascot, having won over seven furlongs in September 2021, before finishing second at the Royal meet last year and eighth later in the season. Now on a fair mark, he could be challenging to overlook.

Awaal is another at a price that I like in the Royal Hunt Cup. He was disappointing on testing conditions last time, but his record on good ground is encouraging, as he finished second to Phantom Flight at Haydock last year. He is extremely lightly-raced, but he has the pace over this mile distance to play a role.

At an even bigger price, I’d be keen to give Great Max one more go. He is now on a career-low mark, and will be happy to be back in calmer waters. He was last seen finishing back in 17^th, but that was only his second start after being gelded. I’m hoping that he will be calmer in the prelims this time around, but I still think that there’s a big performance in this runner in handicap company.

Royal Ascot Predictions

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