Royal Ascot 2026: Previewing Top Horses, Races, and Odds for England's Five-Day Meet

The world's best turf horses. The King of England in attendance. Women dressed like Princess Diana; men like Willy Wonka.

The race meet at Royal Ascot in Berkshire, England, is an event unlike any other. And this year's meet, which begins on Tuesday, June 16, offers a delicious mix of turf superstars, must-see-rematches, big fields and juicy prices. From Tuesday through Saturday, Royal Ascot will feature 35 races, including eight Group 1s and four Breeders' Cup Win and You're In races, with purses totaling $13.5 million. Five horses ranked in the top eight in the world are set to compete, led by reigning Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe champion Daryz.

Smashing start

The meet, which is expected to draw up to 300,000 people over five days, is set for a rousing kickoff on Tuesday with the Queen Anne Stakes at 9:30 a.m. ET. The race is set to pit two horses ranked in the top eight in the world: reigning Breeders' Cup Mile winner Notable Speech (tied for fifth) and stablemate Opera Ballo (tied for eighth).

Notable Speech bounced back from a loss at Keeneland in his first start of the year with a victory in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury in his last outing. That race, like the Queen Anne, is a straight mile.

But Opera Ballo, who like Notable Speech is trained by Charles Appleby, has won three straight races, seven of nine career starts and has a better Timeform rating (132) than Notable Speech (130). Jockey William Buick, who is the regular rider on both horses, will hop aboard Notable Speech on Tuesday.

Notable Speech is the 2-1 favorite in early wagering with English bookmakers while Opera Ballo is the 7-2 second choice in the nine-horse field.

Scintillating showdown

The second day of Royal Ascot may have the race of the year in Europe in the Prince of Wales's Stakes. The eight-horse field features three horses ranked in the top 11 in the world: Daryz (tied for second), defending champion Ombudsman (tied for fifth) and Almaqam (tied for 11th). And that does not even include Minnie Hauk, a three-time Group 1 winner who finished second to Daryz in the Arc last year.

Since winning the Arc in October, Daryz has returned to win two more Group 1 starts, both at Longchamp in France. This Francis Henri Graffard trainee has lost just twice in nine career starts, but one of those came when he shipped to the United Kingdom for the Juddmonte International Stakes.

He finished last of six that day in a race won by Ombudsman, who beat a world class field by 3½ lengths. Ombudsman has won two of his three starts since then, including both this year, and enters the Prince of Wales's Stakes in solid form.

Meanwhile, Almaqam is coming off a smashing victory over the highly regarded Bay City Roller in a Group 1 race at the Curragh. Almaqam is 0-for-2 in his career at Ascot.

Because of his previous success in the race and his victory over Daryz last year, Ombudsman is the slight 11-8 favorite over Daryz (13-8) in odds from English bookmakers. Almaqam (7-1) and Minnie Hauk (9-1) round out the top four choices.

American invasion

Participation in the Royal Ascot meet by horses based in the United States has slowly increased since trainer Wesley Ward went overseas for the first time in 2009, winning two races. Ward has won 12 races at Royal Ascot over his career, and he brings another string of horses to the United Kingdom this year.

Ward's best chance to reach the winner's circle may be with 3-year-old Outfielder. A son of Speightstown out of a Medaglia d'Oro mare, Outfielder does not have a pedigree that screams grass but he has four wins in six career starts and has won both of his races this year, including the William Walker Stakes at Churchill Downs in his last outing. He is entered in the six-furlong Commonwealth Cup on Friday but is expected to be a big double-digit longshot.

Other U.S.-based horses at Royal Ascot include More Champagne (trained by Tom Morley) and Celtic Dispute (Patrick Biancone), who are both entered in the Queen Mary Stakes on Wednesday.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/royal-ascot-2026-top-horses-races-odds-preview-for-five-day-meet-in-england/)._