Royal Ascot 2026 Picks: More Thunder and Tuesday's Opening Day Stakes

Ed Meyer here. I love the Ascot races. If you have a keen eye and watch the live racing and the replays, you just might find some of these runners coming back to the states during Breeders' Cup time. Worst case, you get to see some of the best connections in the world enjoying a race meeting that's been running since 1711, when Queen Anne founded the course. Royal Ascot has been the highlight of the British summer social calendar ever since, attracting tens of thousands of spectators each year and featuring eight Group 1 races over five days, including the Gold Cup, the Prince of Wales's Stakes, and the Diamond Jubilee.

Race #1 - The Gr1 Queen Anne Stakes - 1 mile straightaway on the turf - 9:30am ET

#5 - More Thunder (4-1) = Hails from the William Haggas yard with Tom Marquand in the saddle. This is his 2nd start of the year and just finished a game second in the Gr1 BoyleSports going a 1 mile straightaway. This son of Night of Thunder (IRE) is 1/1 ITM over the course and sports good tracking speed going 6f and 7f straight. He should relish going a mile and should be a major player. - Use with #6 - Notable Speech and #3 - Docklands.

Race #2 - The Gr2 Coventry Stakes - 6f on the turf straightaway - 10:05am ET

#10 - Great Barrier Reef (9-2) = Two-year-old son of No Nay Never going a perfect 2/2 winning 6f straights. Wayne Lordan is in the irons for Aidan O'Brien with a field-best 85 Timeform Rating. Use with #6 - Cut A Dash and #9 - God Given Talent.

Race #3 - The Gr1 King Charles III Stakes - 5f on the turf straightaway - 10:40am ET

#2 - American Affair (7-1) = Gelded son of Washington DC (IRE) making his third start of 2026 with P. Mulrennan in the saddle for James Goldie. He is 1/1 at Ascot winning last year's Gr1 King Charles Stakes. - He should give a good stalking effort poised to pounce when the real running begins.

Race #4 - The Gr1 St. James's Palace Stakes - 1-mile round-course turf run - 11:20am ET

#6 - Talk of New York (4-1) = Hails from the Charlie Appleby yard with William Buick aboard. The son of Wootton Bassett (GB) is 4/4 ITM lifetime and should be mid-pack making a strong move off the turn. Use with #5 - Puerto Rico and undefeated #1 - Bow Echo.

The boutique meet runs through 6/20, and you can expect to see incredible racing and the future stars of tomorrow. Be sure to have your coat and tails pressed and don't miss out on the highlight of the British racing calendar.

Best of luck and see you in the winner's circle! - Ed.