Matt Rennie

Trainer Charlie Appleby had to wait until the final day of the meeting last year to end his Royal Ascot dry spell, but he holds the aces in this year's meet opener, the Queen Anne Stakes (G1), as he bids to get straight on the scoreboard in 2026. The trainer is a 16-time winner at the royal meeting, but Rebel's Romance 's success in the Hardwicke Stakes (G2) 12 months ago was the trainer first at the meet in three years.

Ombudsman  warmed up for Royal Ascot next month in winning fashion in the May 28 Brigadier Gerard Stakes (G3), but was forced to pull out all the stops to hold off Gethin  in a thrilling finish. The John and Thady Gosden-trained star was a brilliant winner of the Dubai Turf (G1T) in March and made a winning return Thursday evening at Sandown Park in Britain. Sent off as the 2-5 favorite, he battled hard to fend off Gethin by a neck and defy a 7-pound penalty.

Bow Echo  will face 14 rivals when he goes for classic glory May 2 in the Two Thousand Guineas (G1) at Newmarket Racecourse. The George Boughey-trained 3-year-old has been a leading candidate for the opening classic of the year following a fine juvenile campaign in 2025, which culminated with a win in the Royal Lodge Stakes (G2) over the Guineas course and distance. He bids to give jockey Billy Loughnane a first classic success, but faces a stern test on the Rowley Mile.