Royal Ascot Friday Coronation Stakes Day – Day Four 21st June 2024

Race 1 - Albany Stakes - 14:30

Run over six furlongs on the straight, the Albany Stakes is limited to two-year-old fillies. Usually run on the fourth day of Royal Ascot, it was originally named after the Racing Manager of Queen Elizabeth II, the 7th Earl of Carnarvon, but took on its current moniker a year after its first running in 2002. That makes it one of the youngest races of the meeting, given that many of the others are hundreds of years old. When it comes to repeated success, Jamie Spencer is the most successful jockey at the time of writing, having won four times, three of which came with Mick Channon as the trainer.

Channon is the joint-most successful trainer, having notched up three wins, which is level with Richard Hannon Senior. In terms of the winners, don't always assume that the favourite is going to fulfil their promise. In the ten races between 2014 and 2023, the favourite only won twice, which the is the same number of wins racked up by a horse with odds of 16/1. The Irish dominated during that period with five wins, but there were also winners from the States and France. Timing wise, the race's fastest running at Ascot came about in 2015 when Illuminate won it in 1:13.20.

Race 2 - Commonwealth Cup - 15:05

The Commonwealth Cup is a prestigious Group 1 horse race held annually during the Royal Ascot meeting. Introduced in 2015, the race was created to improve the sprint Pattern races in Europe and provide enhanced opportunities for high-class sprinters. Restricted to three-year-old colts and fillies, the Commonwealth Cup covers a distance of six furlongs on the straight track at Ascot. Originally open to geldings as well as colts and fillies, the race underwent changes in 2019 to exclude geldings after only three had run in it in the preceding years.

The race carries a weight of nine stone and two pounds, with fillies receiving a three-pound allowance and horses from the southern hemisphere granted an allowance of ten-pound. The Commonwealth Cup is one of the standout races during Royal Ascot, attracting top-class three-year-old sprinters from around the world. Frankie Dettori holds the record for the most victories in the race as a jockey, with two wins before his retirement. The Commonwealth Cup became one of the eight Group 1 events at the meeting and one of the three dedicated to sprinters. As anyone who knows the history of the UK will know, its name ties it to the Royal Family.

Race 3 - Duke of Edinburgh Stakes - 15:40

The Duke of Edinburgh Stakes began life in 1914 as the Bessborough Stakes, named in honour of the 5th Earl of Bessborough. It was a race for two-year-olds that was run over five furlongs, then in 1999 it was re-named as the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes in honour of Prince Philip. The current race is for horses aged three and over and is run over one mile, three furlongs and 211 yards, so there is an argument that the two races bear no real resemblance to one another. Regardless, it is usually held during the week of Royal Ascot and is one of the meeting's handicap events.

Run right-handed, the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes was won by Ryan Moore more times than any other jockey between 1982 and 2023. Some of his wins came for Sir Michael Stoute, which helped to propel him to the position of most successful trainer in the same time period. Horse that have won this race have sometimes gone on to do well in Group events, with Blueprint winning the Jockey Club Stakes, Young Mick seeing success in the Cumberland Lodge Stakes and Fox Hunt enjoying a victory in the Deutsches St Leger, if you want to know what can happen after it.

Race 4 - Coronation Stakes - 16:20

The Friday of the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting showcases two distinctive Group 1 races, with the Commonwealth Cup and the Coronation Stakes both offering decent races for people to enjoy. Introduced in 2015, the Commonwealth Cup is a high-speed competition for three-year-old colts and fillies, whilst the Coronation Stakes has been a staple of Royal Ascot since 1840. It is run over a distance of seven furlongs and 213 yards and was a Group 2 race when the grading system was implemented in 1971, not earning its Group 1 status until 1988.

The allure of the Coronation Stakes often attracts fillies who have previously participated in notable races like the 1,000 Guineas. In 2023, Tahiyra accomplished the remarkable feat of winning both the Irish 1,000 Guineas and the Coronation Stakes in the same season.

The Coronation Stakes holds historical significance as a race created to honour Queen Victoria’s coronation, which took place two years before the race was first run. It occupies a prominent position in the Fillies and Mares category of the esteemed British Champions Series. The race’s scheduling allows for intriguing comparisons between the performances of fillies in the 1,000 Guineas and the Irish 1,000 Guineas leading up to the highly anticipated Royal Ascot event.

Race 5 - Sandringham Stakes - 17:00

In one sense, there isn't a huge amount to tell you about the Sandringham Handicap. It is, as the name shows, a handicap race that is run during the week of Royal Ascot. It was originally known as the Fern Hill Rated Stakes, inaugurated in 1834, but is now named after the Sandringham estate of the Royals. It was part of the Ascot Heath meeting that was held after the end of the Royal meeting, but was added to it when an extra day was added to proceedings. Having previously been a Listed handicap, the British Horseracing Authority downgraded it in 2018 because of new rules being introduced.

Well-known and respected horses like Timepiece, Red Evie and Persuasive have all enjoyed success in the event before going on to win Group 1 events, whilst no jockey has managed to match the seven wins that Frankie Dettorri notched up over the years. A race for three-year-old fillies, it is run over one mile on the straight. The fact that it's a handicap means that the weight carried by each horse is decided by the official handicapper. The winners have carried a range of weights over the years, as you would expect if the handicapper is doing their job successfully.

Race 6 - King Edward VII Stakes - 17:35

The King Edward VII Stakes is a Group 2 horse race at Royal Ascot and is named in honour of King Edward VII, who reigned as the King of the United Kingdom from 1901 to 1910. The King Edward VII Stakes is similar to the Ribblesdale Stakes, being exclusively for colts and geldings, whilst the Ribblesdale Stakes is reserved for fillies. Both events feature a one-mile, three-furlong and 211-yard course, with a weight requirement of nine stone and zero pounds, as well as a three-pound penalty for previous Group 1 race winners. The event was stablished in 1834 as the Ascot Derby, being re-named in 1926.

The King Edward VII Stakes serves as a crucial event for assessing horses that missed out on other prestigious derbies or need more experience before pursuing higher challenges. The race boasts an illustrious history of exceptional jockeys and trainers who have triumphed in the past. Morny Cannon, a lesser-known jockey, holds the record with seven wins between 1891 and 1904. Meanwhile, esteemed trainers like Sir Michael Stoute and Henry Cecil have left their indelible mark on the event. The King Edward VII Stakes captures the essence of regality, combining the splendor of the Royal Family with world-class racing.

Race 7 - Palace Of Holyrood House Stakes - 18:10

This race is named in honour of Holyrood Palace, which is a Royal residence located in Scotland. The palace itself is located on the opposite end of the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle, but other than its Royal heritage, there isn't really anything to link it to the world of horse racing. Not that there needs to be a link based on other Royal Ascot races, with this one being for horses aged three that boast an official handicap of between 0 and 105. It is run over five furlongs, with the weight that the horses need to carry being assigned to them by the official handicapper.

The winners tend to make it to the finish line after about a minute. The race was added to the race card for Royal Ascot in 2020, with the initial idea being that it was just a temporary addition in order to give horses and jockeys an added run-out after the global health crisis of the time. It has remained as part of the roster since, however, with its relative youth meaning that there isn't loads about it that we can tell you. The first four outings of the race were run by an even split of favourites and non-favourites, if you count the second-favourite in the former pile.