Currently scheduled as the fifth race on the opening day of Royal Ascot, the Ascot Stakes is a handicap, run over the marathon distance of two-and-a-half miles and open to horses aged four years and upwards. With an emphasis on stamina, it is not altogether surprising that the race tends to attract high-class entries from the National Hunt sphere.
Indeed, two decades after his retirement, 15-time British National Hunt champion trainer Martin Pipe remains the leading trainer in the history of the Ascot Stakes, having been responsible for Right Regent (1983), Balasani (1993), Sweet Glow (1994), Riyadh (2002) and Sindapour (2003). That said, at the time of writing, 19-time Irish National Hunt trainer Willie Mullins is just one behind, having saddled Simenon (2012), Clondaw Warrior (2015), Thomas Hobson (2017) and Lagostovegas (2018) so far.
Of course, high-class Flat horses also have their say. The 2022 winner, Coltrane, trained by Andrew Balding, went on to win the Doncaster Cup later that season and the 2024 winner, Pledgeofallegiance, trained by Sir Mark Prescott, was ante-post favourite for the Cesarewitch at Newmarket before being ruled out by injury. Horses entered in the Ascot Stakes often go on to contest other major staying handicaps, such as the Cesarewitch and, before that, the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle and the Ebor at York. It is also not unknown for horses to contest both the Ascot Stakes and the Queen Alexandra Stakes, run over two-and-three-quarter miles at Ascot four days later. The last horse to win both races was the aforementioned Simenon, in 2012.
Trends-wise, just one favourite has won the Ascot Stakes in the last 10 runnings and, with winners as 66/1, 20/1 (twice) and four more at double-figure prices in that period, it appears that punters need not be afraid to look beyond the market leaders.