Royal Ascot Saturday Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes Day – Day Five 19th June 2027

Race 1 - Norfolk Stakes - 14:30

The Norfolk Stakes is an enthralling Group 2 horse race that kicks-off the final day of the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting. Despite being one of many Group 2 races of the week, the Norfolk Stakes brings a touch of class to the already esteemed gathering. With its inaugural running dating back to 1843, this race stands out as one of the oldest and most cherished contests on the Royal Ascot calendar. Exclusively for two-year-olds, the Norfolk Stakes welcomes both fillies and colts, presenting an exciting platform for emerging talent.

Covering a swift five furlongs on the straight track, the race demands agility and speed from its contenders. Weighing in at nine stone and three pound, fillies enjoy a slight advantage with a three-pound allowance. Originally named the New Stakes, the event underwent a rebranding in 1973 to honour the 16th Duke of Norfolk, who played a significant role in Ascot’s history as the monarch’s representative.

With such strong ties to royalty, the Norfolk Stakes adds an air of elegance and prestige to the racing spectacle. Lester Piggott’s extraordinary nine victories in the race as a jockey stand as a remarkable record, with other prominent jockeys like Frankie Dettori, Ryan Moore and Alan Munro achieving multiple wins as well.

This is a race that has not been dominated by any one jockey or trainer in recent years, for example, Aidan O'Brien has won it four times and is a joint-record holder but those wins have been spread from 2001 to 2025.  What we can say is the race is getting quicker.  Prior to 2013 no horse had run it in under a minute (apart from in 2005 but that edition was held in York) but since then seven out of twelve races came in at under one minute, in 2025 we saw a very quick 58.87 seconds.  Therefore, worth looking out for horses that can hit that kind of pace.

Expect this one to last a minute or thereabouts with a good sized field of 21 runners in 2026.

Race 2 - Hardwicke Stakes - 15:05

The Hardwicke Stakes welcomes horses aged four and above, providing the opportunity for repeat participation; a rarity among the races at this prestigious meeting. Tristan boasts three successive victories from 1882 to 1884, etching his name in the annals of racing history. As a key form guide, the Hardwicke Stakes often hints at what’s to come in the illustrious King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. The correlation is evident from previous examples, with Harbinger emerging victorious in both events in 2010. Legendary jockeys Lester Piggott and Pat Eddery share the limelight as they boast an impressive seven victories each between 1955 and 1985 and from 1975 to 1998, respectively.

The Hardwicke Stakes is a captivating Group 2 horse race that brings together the best of flat racing at Royal Ascot. What sets this race apart is its inclusion of horses aged four and over, offering a fascinating twist in a predominantly youth-focused racing week. The challenge is open to all genders, with a weight requirement of nine stone and three pounds, whilst fillies and mares enjoy a three-pound allowance.

Dating back to 1879, the Hardwicke Stakes is named after the esteemed Master of the Buckhounds, the fifth Earl of Hardwicke. Racing enthusiasts are treated to a thrilling contest over one mile, three furlongs and 211 yards, unfolding on Ascot’s right-handed course.

This is another of race with one of the smaller fields of the week, 12 running in 2026 from a potential 19.  The race will take 2:30 on good to firm ground.  The race has historically been won by mostly four-year-olds, although, since 2019 we've seen a five, two six and two seven-year-olds win so that may be changing.

Race 3 - Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes - 15:40

The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes is a Group 1 race with a long-standing heritage tracing back to 1868. It is open exclusively to horses aged four and above, excluding three-year-olds born in the southern hemisphere who are allowed to take part in the race. Spanning a distance of six furlongs, the race imposes a weight requirement of nine stone and five pounds, granting a three-pound allowance to fillies and mares. Throughout its illustrious past, the race has undergone multiple name changes, each commemorating the jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II.

Originally named the All-Aged Stakes, it later transformed into the Cork and Orrery Stakes. In subsequent years, it was rechristened as the Golden Jubilee Stakes in 2002, followed by the Diamond Jubilee Stakes in 2012 and eventually assumed its current title, the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, in 2023 after the passing of Elizabeth II. The race has borne witness to exceptional performances from remarkable runners such as Prince Charlie, who achieved a remarkable streak of consecutive victories, and Right Boy, the most recent back-to-back winner. Lester Piggott is the race’s most successful win, thanks to seven victories during his career.

In recent years the winners of this race have tended to be older.  Historically it has been mostly won by 3-5 year-old horses, although in 2015 the race was restricted to 4-year-olds and over, 3-year-olds from the Southern hemisphere can still race (Australian horse Merchant Navy won as a 3yo in 2018, for example). Since 2021 it has been won by three 4-year-olds, two 7-year-olds and one 8-year-old (that was Khaadem winning back-to-back as a 7 then 8yo). The race generally attracts a dozen or so less than its maximum field of 28, 18 started in 2026 for example.  The race is consistent on the timings usually coming in between 1:11 and 1:14.

Race 4 - Jersey Stakes - 16:20

At Royal Ascot, the Jersey Stakes, a Group 3 race, presents an exciting display of young talent. Open to three-year-olds of any gender, this sprint spans seven furlongs, ensuring a rapid spectacle. With a rich history dating back to 1919, the race honours the fourth Earl of Jersey, who once held the esteemed title of Master of the Buckhounds. Legendary jockeys Lester Piggott and Sir Gordon Richards each boast six victories in the event. The race takes place on the final day of Royal Ascot, crowning an exhilarating week of flat racing action.

The race came into existence as a replacement for the second-leg of the Triennial Stakes, which was a series of races designed to test horses with each passing year. The race has specific weight conditions in place, which are nine stone and three pound, with fillies given a three pounds allowance. Previous winners of Group 1 and Group 2 races face a penalty of five pounds, whilst those that have won a Group 3 event take on a penalty of three pounds. The race’s most successful trainer is Sir Michael Stoute, who trained the winner on six separate occasions during his career, with his first win coming in 1977 and his last in 2018.

This race has moved around the days of Royal Ascot week a lot, currently it occupies the fourth spot on the card on the final day.  It carries a decent field, 16 running in the last edition from a possible 29.  Timings are quite consistent for this one usually between 1:25 and 1:29.

Race 5 - Wokingham Stakes - 17:00

If you would like a race in which a horse with relatively long odds is more likely to win than one starting the event as a favourite then the Wokingham Stakes will provide you with exactly that. Between 1980 and 2026, the race took place 47 times and the Starting Price favourite won on eight occasions, whilst horses priced at 20/1 or higher won 15 times. That might have something to do with this being a handicap event, asking the official handicapper to assign the weight that each horse will carry and sometimes getting their judgement wrong on that front, allowing for surprise winners.

It is one of the highlights of the handicap sprint events that are run during the flat racing season, sitting alongside the likes of the Ayr Gold Cup and the Stewards' Cup as being races to watch on that front. Run over six furlongs on the straight, it is open to horses aged three and over and it is fair to say that horses of all ages have managed to make it home the quickest over the years. Having begun life in 1813 as an event that was split into two or three separate classes, it has been run as the one single race since 1874 and as many as five horses have won it back-to-back since then.

You are looking at a big pack with this race, great for finding higher priced each-way opportunities.  Last year 27 left the stalls from a possible 28.  This race should also be around the 1:12 mark on decent ground.

Race 6 - Golden Gate Stakes - 17:35

When the members of the Royal Family are brought onto Ascot Racecourse for the start of each day of racing, their journey begins at the Golden Gate. That is enough of a tangential link to the Royals for a race at the Royal Ascot meeting to be named after it, with this particular event being open to horses aged three. In order to take part they will need to have an official rating of between 0 and 105, with the official handicapper using that along with the horse's form to decide what weight the horse should carry for the event. The better their rating, the more weight they'll have.

During the first 7 years of the Golden Gate Stakes taking place, the favourite has won three times. That is worth bearing in mind when you're weighing up your bets to place. Another thing that you can think about is the fact that the higher stalls offered more winners than the lower ones during those first seven races (16, 13, 13, 9, 17, 14, 14). Oisin Murphy and Andrew Balding are the only jockey and trainer to win twice so far during those initial years, whilst obviously no horse could on account of the fact that the can't take part in it once they turn four. Two of the first six winners were given odds of 20/1 by the bookmakers.

This race has a smaller maximum field of 16 but in most years it will hit that number or come close so still a good race for finding good outsiders to place.  Last year the race took 2:05 to complete.

Race 7 - Queen Alexandra Stakes - 18:10

The Queen Alexandra Stakes is for horses aged four and over, with the weight information that is at play depending on the age of the horse, their gender and any previous success that they've enjoyed. It is run over two miles, five furlongs and 143 yards, making it the longest flat handicap race in the United Kingdom. It was the longest in the world until it was overtaken by the Jericho Cup, which is run at Warrnambool in Australia. Its status as the final race of Royal Ascot means that some horses that ran in the Ascot Stakes on day one of the meeting have run in this in the same year.

The fact that it is such a long race means that it is not uncommon for the field to be extremely varied, with a lot of the entrants coming from the world of National Hunt racing. In fact, one of the event's most successful ever trainer is Willie Mullins, who is much better known as a jump racing trainer than a flat racing one. Ryan Moore won the race more time than any other jockey between its creation and the 2026 renewal, whilst Brown Jack holds the record for horse wins thanks to successive victories on six occasions between 1929 and 1934, cementing his place in the record books.

In 2026 there were 13 runners from a maximum twenty.  Being the longest race of the week it will take nearly five minutes to run this final race, not great if you want an early dart from the course but good if you want to prolong your Ascot excitement for as long as possible before it ends for another year.  Expect a couple to not finish this one given the length.