Joliestar can secure victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (3.30pm) at Royal Ascot 2026 on Saturday afternoon. The Chris Waller-trained five-year-old can be the latest Aussie raider to plunder the Group One sprint feature on the final day of the Royal meeting.
Joliestar has been superb Down Under, winning five Group Ones, including over a mile at Caulfield in November 2023. Since then most of her victories have been around the six-furlong trip including two of Australia’s premier sprints – the Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm last June and on her most recent start in the TJ Smith Stakes at Royal Randwick in Sydney in April. That was the third victory of the season for Joliestar, all at Randwick, including the Group Two Asahi Super Dry Expressway Stakes In February and the Group One Super Seth @ Coolmore Canterbury Stakes the following month.
She is said to have been working very well since coming to Britain to acclimatise and the five-year-old can follow in the hoofprints of compatriots Takeover Target, Miss Andretti, Scenic Blast and Black Caviar, who all won the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington prior to Royal Ascot success – a race Joliestar took in March last year, which was the first of six victories in her last 10 starts. She looks like the one they all have to beat and Waller will be hoping she can give him a second victory at the meeting, having saddled Nature Strip to win the five-furlong Group One King Charles III Stakes in 2022.
In what looks a wide-open renewal of the Group One sprint for the home team Willie Haggas’ recent impressive Haydock Park Listed winner Lake Forest looks sure to go well; while course and distance scorer Kind Of Blue – from the James Fanshawe stable, who was second to Elmonjed in the Group Two Minster Stakes at York last month – should be in the firing line; along with the Donnacha O’Brien-trained Comanche Brave and last year’s runner-up Satano Reve, from Japan.
Double Rush for Wokingham Stakes
Double Rush can bring up a hat-trick of victories this season with success in the always-competitive Wokingham Stakes (Heritage Handicap) (5pm). Formerly trained by Charlie Hills, the four-year-old son has impressed since switching to the Andrew Balding stable and has won both starts so far this term. Both of those were over this six-furlong trip on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket. He has been raised 10lb in the handicap for his most recent impressive two-and-a-quarter-length success at Headquarters last month. But Double Rush looks a horse on the up who could be pitched into Group company soon. That type of improving sprinter has taken this competitive contest in the past and Double Rush can bring up the treble.
There are always plenty of other options of success in a race of this nature and Liverpool FC fan Karl Burke’s Leovanni – who won here as a two-year-old and is drawn on one side in stall six; and the Kevin Ryan-trained Hammer The Hammer – drawn on the other side in stall 31 – are two who could go well at biggish odds.
Jan Brueghel for Hardwicke Stakes
Jan Brueghel can give trainer Aidan O’Brien another Royal Ascot winner in the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes (3.05pm). The five-year-old son of Galileo, was only second well behind Bay City Roller in the defence of his Coronation Cup crown at Epsom earlier this month. But he is a smart performer, who won the St Leger in 2024 and returned to action this season with a comfortable success in the Ormonde Stakes at Chester’s May meeting. Jan Brueghel has won six of his nine career starts and he can land a seventh success ahead of chiefly Andrew Balding’s course and distance winner Kalpana to provide his Ballydoyle handler with a fifth win in the 1m4f Group Two contest.
Carry The Flag for Norfolk Stakes
O’Brien’s Carry The Flag can win the opener, the Group Two Norfolk Stakes (2.30pm). The No Nay Never colt has won once and been second twice in his three starts so far. Defeat on his debut at Curragh was followed by a maiden win over five furlongs at Naas. He had no answer to stable-mate Great Barrier Reef – who won the Coventry Stakes earlier in the week at Royal Ascot – in the Group Three Marble Hill Stakes over six furlongs at the Curragh last time. But the form of that run is clearly strong and stepping back to the minimum distance can see Carry The Flag land a second victory and first at Group Two level.
Morris Dancer for Jersey Stakes
The Group Three Jersey Stakes (4.20pm) looks another wide-open contest and a chance is taken on the John and Thady Gosden-trained Morris Dancer. He won a Novice Stakes contest at Haydock Park over this seven furlongs last season and also impressed when landing the Listed Stonehenge Stakes over a mile on his most recent start last August. The Palace Pier colt remains open to improvement and can make a winning return to action.
Princling for Golden Gates Stakes
Haggas’ Princling, a winner at Wetherby in April and fourth on his latest start at Carlisle, can take the Golden Gates Stakes (5.35pm).
A Piece Of Heaven for Queen Alexandra Stakes
Joseph O’Brien has had a superb Royal Ascot with several winners and he can cap it off with another success in the finale and longest race of the meeting, the Queen Alexandra Stakes (GBBPlus Race) (6.10pm) with Chester Cup hero A Piece Of Heaven. O’Brien, who has been banging in the winners on the big stages over Jumps and on the Flat this season, bids for a third win in the past four years in the 2m5½f contest having scored with Dawn Rising (2023) and Uxmal (2024). A Piece Of Heaven gave him a first success in the May Festival feature on the Roodee last month and this step up in trip should bring out even more improvement in the eight-year-old gelding. He can triumph ahead of O’Brien’s father’s Illinois and the Willie Mullins-trained Destrier.
Other Selections
Away from Ascot James Tate’s unbeaten Rose Of Honour can make it four wins from four starts in the Listed Unite George Ramsay Celebration EBF Land O’Burns Fillies’ Stakes (4.08pm) at Ayr. Others who can triumph in Scotland are the Jim Goldie-trained duo of Letsbefrank and Approaching Dawn in the Unite Natalie Egan Celebration Handicap (GBBPlus Race) (2.53pm) and the Dalcon Civil Engineering Classified Stakes (3.28pm) respectively; and recent Newcastle winner Auntie Jo – from the Katie Scott stable – in the Unite John Gillespie Memorial Handicap (2.18pm).
At Newmarket the Gosdens’ Cockade can win the JCB Fastrac EBF Novice Stakes (GBB Race) (2.36pm); Zoustar Dreams – from the Ed Dunlop stable – can take the JCB Hydradig Fillies’ Handicap (4.27pm); and the Michael Herrington-trained course and distance scorer Good Earth can triumph again in the finale, the JCB Tele-Handler Handicap (5.07pm).
At Redcar Grant Tuer’s course and distance winner Schrodinger's Cat can go in again in the Watch Racing TV Free For 31 Days Handicap (3.22pm); and the Kevin Frost-trained Tazaman can go one better than when runner-up at Nottingham last month to land the Market Cross Jewellers Handicap (2.47pm).
