Prince Of Wales's Stakes Runners: Former Derby winners to lock horns at Royal Ascot
A star-studded field could line up for the Group 1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot in a couple of weeks as former Derby winners Desert Crown and Adayar could do battle in the 1m 2f showpiece, which takes place on Wednesday 21st June. We take a look at some of those leading contenders for what should be a mouth-watering renewal...
#AD 18+ New customers only. Opt in and bet £10 on Horse Racing (odds 2/1+) within 3 days of registration. No cash out. Get 2x£10 and 1x£5 Free Bets for Horse racing set markets and a £5 Slot Bonus for Big Bass Day at the Races, 30x wagering to redeem max £125. Bonuses expire in 14 days. Click for T&Cs. GambleAware.org. Please gamble responsibly
2022 Derby winner Desert Crown may have suffered defeat to the classy Hukum in his first run for nearly a year in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown Park a few weeks ago, but the Sir Michael Stoute-trained four-year-old is fancied to kick on from that effort and has launched to outright favourite for the Prince Of Wales's Stakes. Gallant in defeat at Sandown, Desert Crown has reportedly done a scorching piece of work at Newmarket which has forced punters to get stuck into him in the ante-post betting and he's sure to prove popular with punters that are compiling their Royal Ascot Tips for the Flat showpiece.
A proven class act, Desert Crown should relish the 1m 2f trip - despite winning the Derby over further - and he sets the standard, but another Derby winner in the shape of 2021 Epsom Classic winner Adayar is also set to take his chance in here and is another sitting prominently in the betting for Charlie Appleby. The five-year-old Godolphin charge was last seen outclassing his rivals in the rescheduled Gordon Richards Stakes at Newmarket, and while he will need to improve stepping back into Group 1 company he has shown he can deliver at the highest level and adds huge intrigue to the race.
Aidan O'Brien has trained the winner of this race on four occasions and the Ballydoyle maestro should unleash another strong team at the 2023 renewal and his stable spearhead is likely to be Luxembourg, who was last seen beating Bay Bridge in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh. That pair are set to do battle again here and Bay Bridge, who finished second in this race 12 months ago, will be a second shot fired by the Stoute gun and both horses are available at single-figured odds, at the time of writing, and are two classy middle distance performers that have to be respected.
#AD New UK/IE customers only. Sign up and place your first sports bet at odds of Evens (2.0) or greater and if it loses, get a free bet equivalent to 50% of your first bet stake (min £10), to a maximum value of £25, plus 25 free spins on Gold Horsey Winner. Full T&Cs apply. 18+ | GambleAware.org
Last seen finishing fourth in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury a few weeks ago, My Prospero has some smart form at Ascot as he was a fine third behind the aforementioned pair of Bay Bridge and Adayar in last season's Champion Stakes on British Champions Day and he's another of interest. Unable to land a blow over a mile at Newbury in the Lockinge, the William Haggas-trained star features prominently here and could enjoy a return to the Berkshire track.
Emily Upjohn was a sensational winner of the Coronation Cup at Epsom Downs at the Derby festival, but the John & Thady Gosden-trained starlet could avoid this event and is a shorter price for the Hardwicke Stakes later in the week, while Dubai Honour is another available at double-figured odds for this race and could be another Haggas runner in the line-up, but was beaten last time out at Sha Tin.
The betting for the Prince Of Wales's Stakes should settle down over the coming days as trainers begin to indicate where they will unleash their top class middle-distance performers, but if some of the fancied runners take their chance in the Wednesday feature then we are set for a pulsating contest that could be one of the highlights of the entire week.
#AD 18+ Applies to New UK/IE customers who sign up via approved partner sites with promo code AKLUCKY100. If your first bet is a Lucky 15 on Horse Racing AK Bets will boost the return of that initial bet by 25% in the form of a free bet. GambleAware.org, T&Cs apply.