Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (Group 1)

A race for older horses over 1m2f, the G1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes is the centrepiece of the second day of Royal Ascot.

Los Angeles at the Curragh in May for the Tattersalls Gold Cup

Ballydoyle’s Los Angeles under Ryan Moore heads the market for the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes. The Irish Derby winner of last year has made a fine start to this year’s campaign. He beat White Birch over 1m2f in the G2 Mooresbridge Stakes in April and put in a fine performance winning the G1 Tattersall’s Gold Cup last time out over a ½f longer, both at the Curragh. Continuous under Wayne Lordan, also travels, and will once again ensure the pace is even.

Los Angeles gets the better of Anmaat in the Tattersalls Gold Cup

Owen Burrows 6yo, Anmaat under Jim Crowley was a surprise ½L winner of the Champion Stakes over 1m2f at Ascot on soft ground last year. He swooped late, returned at a price of 40/1, he collared Calandagan, the 6/4 favourite. It wasn’t his first G1; that was the Prix d’Ispahan in 2023. This year, as he’s shown, that was no fluke when chasing home Los Angeles at the Curragh in his first run of the season, going down a ½L.

Anmaat at the Curragh in May for the Tattersalls Gold Cup

Andrew Balding has supplemented 4-year-old mare Sea The Fire, who ran fifth in the Champion Stakes, beaten only 3 lengths last year. This year she has made a fine start to the season, winning the G2 Middleton Fillies’ Stakes at York over 1m2½f by a whopping 12L. She was seriously good, on good to firm ground.

Map Of Stars travels from France. The 4 yo is trained by Francis-Henri Graffard and will be partnered by Wathnan retained rider, James Doyle. Lightly raced, he won his only start as a juvenile, and in three runs last year, he won twice at Listed level. This year he’s considerably stepped up on that, winning a G3 in March, a G2 in early April, and in late April in the G1 Prix Ganay over 1m2½f, he went down a neck to Sosie.

Facteur Cheval, a 6 yo is trained by Jérôme Reynier also travels from France. He’s been a very genuine horse, nearly always thereabouts, placing in eight G1 races between 2023 and 2025, including winning the Dubai Turf last year. He started the sequence with a head third to Anmaat in the Prix d’Ispahan in 2023. He’s never raced beyond 1m1½f. Flavien Prat travels from America to take the ride.

John and Thady Gosden have Ombudsman, the mount of William Buick. The 4 yo didn’t hit the racecourse until last year, where he reeled off four in a row, stepping up in class each time, finishing with a G3 over 1m2f. He began his season this year in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes over 1m2f, going down 1¾L to Almaqam.

Karl Burke’s 6 yo Royal Champion has Clifford Lee in the plate; he did a stint down under last year. Since returning, he took the G3 Winter Derby over 1m2f at Lingfield.

Jack Channon’s Certain Lad has been declared a non-runner.

Sum Up

In the last ten years 4 yo’s and 5 yo’s have won this with the stats favouring the 4 yo’s 60/40.

If your surname wasn’t O’Brien or Gosden, you didn’t lift this trophy in the last five years. Will the trend continue?

The 4 yo’s

Los Angeles fits the bill as a very solid older horse, one that can progress throughout the season. He’s made a very good start. Ombudsman fits the bill as a highly progressive older horse who’ll come into his prime this year. Map Of Stars ticks the very same box. Low mileage and highly progressive. The lone mare, Sea The Fire, gets a 5lbs sex allowance and was a very easy winner last time.

The 5 yo

Continuous is the only one, and here’s here to do a job, set the pace.

The Older Horses

Anmaat looks like he’s getting better; he’s proving that age is just a number. However, no horse older than 6 has ever captured this, and the ground could well be just too firm for him. Facteur Cheval’s three runs this year would indicate that age is catching up with him, and Royal Champion is unlikely to have a career best.

It is down to the 4 yo’s. The two who won last time out are more appealing than the two who were that were beaten. Map Of Stars and Ombundsman will put up a good show; however, the mare, Sea The Fire, has a 5lb pull with Los Angeles, she’ll put it up to him, but that’s what he wants, a fight; he loves a battle. It will be a brilliant race, slight preference for the colt over the mare.

Recommendation

Los Angeles 2/1 win