Royal Ascot 2026 Day One: Gstaad to win the St James's Palace Stakes
Aidan O'Brien's three-year-old can land the Group One feature on the opening day of Royal Ascot while Zeus Olympios, Night Raider, Galileo Dame, Confucius, Haatem and Daiquiri Bay can also score.
Gstaad Set for St James's Palace Glory
GSTAAD can come out on top in a cracking renewal of the St James's Palace Stakes on the opening day of Royal Ascot 2026. Aidan O'Brien's three-year-old can win the battle of the 2,000 Guineas winners ahead of Newmarket hero Bow Echo, while the improving Godolphin star Talk Of New York could be in the mix as well.
Gstaad didn't finish out of the first two on all his six outings as a juvenile, winning the Group Two Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot on this day last June. He then moved up to the top level and lost nothing in three defeats: first when a short-neck behind Venetian Sun, beaten a head by Zavateri when stepped up to seven furlongs for the first time in the Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes at the Curragh, and again second behind the ill-fated Gewan in the Dewhurst Stakes over seven furlongs on the Rowley Mile.
Gstaad finally grabbed a first win at the top level when taking the Grade One Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf on his first attempt at a mile, beating Stark Contrast by three-quarters-of-a-length at Del Mar in November. He had no answer to the reopposing George Boughey-trained Bow Echo when second, beaten two-and-three-quarters-of-a-length, in the Betfred 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket last month, but connections always expected him to come on for his first start of the season. He grabbed his own piece of Classic glory when impressively landing the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas by three lengths from Distant Storm at the Curragh last month. He should get much closer to Bow Echo this time, and with Boughey's son of Night Of Thunder a short-priced favourite, at the odds it could pay to side with Gstaad on the round course at Ascot.
Zeus Olympios and Night Raider Eye Group One Wins
ZEUS OLYMPIOS can land the opening Group One Queen Anne Stakes. Liverpool FC fan Karl Burke's four-year-old can score at the top level for the first time and reverse form with Godolphin's Notable Speech from last month's Lockinge Stakes at Newbury. The Night Of Thunder colt won all four starts last year, culminating in a fine success in the Group Two Joel Stakes at Newmarket in September where he beat another Godolphin rival Opera Ballo by two-and-a-quarter lengths. He was behind the Charlie Appleby-trained Opera Ballo when third on his seasonal return in the Group Two bet365 Mile at Sandown in April. Zeus Olympios was again third in the Lockinge on his first crack at a Group One behind Queen Anne favourite Notable Speech. That rival, though, has lost on his two other trips to Ascot, and Zeus Olympios has been threatening to land a big prize. Conditions look ideal for him to do just that.
Burke stable-mate NIGHT RAIDER may be able to bring up a hat-trick of sprint successes this season in the Group One King Charles III Stakes. The five-year-old son of Night Of Thunder has been a revelation this season since being gelded and dropped back to five furlongs. Having contested the 2,000 Guineas over a mile two years ago, he has finally started building on that promise dropped back to sprinting distances. He ran well in some top contests without winning last season, but is two from two so far this campaign. He won the Group Three Palace House Stakes at Newmarket from the front but was even more impressive when, having missed the break slightly, he came from behind to grab a smooth success in the Group Two Temple Stakes at Haydock Park last month. This is clearly an even hotter contest, but he's in form and is enjoying himself and can become the first horse since Profitable in 2016 to progress from Group Three to Group One and win the same three races at Newmarket, Haydock and now Ascot. Mick Appleby's Big Mojo – who won the Sprint Cup at Haydock over six furlongs in September – and the in-form George Boughey-trained Rosy Affair are two at big prices who could make the frame.
Confucius and Others to Shine
CONFUCIUS can give Ballydoyle maestro O'Brien a record-extending 12th victory in the Group Two Coventry Stakes. O'Brien won the six-furlong contest with subsequent Irish 2,000 Guineas hero Gstaad 12 months ago, and stable-mate and No Nay Never colt can follow in his hoofprints. Confucius got off the mark at the second attempt when impressively winning a six-furlong maiden at Naas last month. The two-year-old colt can build on that and, stepped up to Group Two company, can get the better of his unbeaten stable-mate Great Barrier Reef to triumph.
Joseph O'Brien has been winning some top contests over the past few months over the jumps at the Cheltenham Festival and the Randox Grand National Festival as well as the Chester Cup on the Roodee and the Betfred Oaks with Thundering On at Epsom last week. He holds the key to Royal Ascot glory with six runners in the Ascot Stakes, and GALILEO DAME, fourth in the Chester Cup last time, may beat stable-mate Puturhandstogether.
Richard Hannon's HAATEM can win the Listed Wolferton Stakes for a second successive season and land a third victory at the Royal meeting. The Alan King-trained DAIQUIRI BAY – a winner at Newmarket over 1m4f last month – can take the step up in trip to an extended 1m6f in his stride to triumph again in the finale on the opening day, the Copper Horse Stakes.
