Barely one month after this year’s iteration of Royal Ascot’s premier horse racing event was concluded, fans are already looking ahead to another bumper week of action between 14th and 18th June in 2022!
This five-day event features 36 races that millions of viewers across the globe tune in to enjoy, including a selection of Group I events that remain staples of the flat racing season in the UK. You can find out more in this Royal Ascot guide by Betinireland, of course, which provided a fascinating insight into this year’s most prestigious races.
In this post, we’ll cast our eyes back over this year’s Royal Ascot, while looking ahead to Group 1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes this weekend!
A Look Back at Royal Ascot 2021
This year’s main event took place between Tuesday 15th and Saturday 19th June, with Thursday 17th playing host to the prestigious, Group 1 Gold Cup race.
First run in 1834, there was a great deal of speculation ahead of the showpiece event, particularly with the pre-race favourite Stradivarius competing for a record-equalling fourth successive Gold Cup win.
This would also have delivered trainer John Godsen his fourth straight triumph at the Gold Cup, while the legendary jockey Frankie Dettori would have claimed his eighth win overall at the event (his first coming with Drum Taps all the way back in 1992).
However, it simply wasn’t to be this time around, as Stradivarius trailed in fourth place following a thrilling race that eventually saw the 13/2 shot Subjectivist romp home by five clear lengths.
Completing the two-mile, three-furlong course in a rapid time of 4:20:28, Subjectivist also delivered a first ever Gold Cup win for jockey Joe Fanning, while also ensuring that the respected trainer Mark Johnston was able to claim his fourth such triumph.
Outsider Princess Zoe claimed second-place at odds of 28/1, just ahead of Spanish Mission that started the race with an average price of 7/1.
Another standout event was the exceptional, Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes, which is established as one of the world’s greater international sprints.
Also open to runners aged four and over (in addition to three-year olds foaled in the Southern Hemisphere), this year’s event went largely according to plan, with the 3/1 starting favourite Dream of Dreams from Ireland edging the 7/1 shot Glen Shiel by a single length over the six-furlong course.
This was jockey Ryan Moore’s second triumph at the prestigious Jubilee Stakes, while the Ireland-based trainer Michael Stout claimed his first such win and added to his previous successes at the 2,000 Guineas (5), the Epsom Oaks (2) and the Epsom Derby (2).
A Look Ahead to the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes
Of course, there are plenty of other races scheduled to take place at Royal Ascot this year, including this weekend’s coveted King George VI & Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes.
Along with The Grand National, this race is one of the most watched and enjoyed across the globe, while the 2021 iteration promises to be a particularly tantalising edition of the flat season’s midsummer highlight.
Scheduled for Saturday, July 24th, the race will see Aidan O’Brien’s ‘Love’ start as the narrow ante-post favourite. Having won each of her last three outings (including a superb nine-length demolition in the Oaks at Epsom Downs), Love also prevailed at the G1 Price of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 16th.
Fillies certainly have an excellent record at this race in recent history, with Enable, Taghrooda and Danedream having all blazed a trail for others to follow.
Adayar (trained by Charlie Appleby) will also start as a much-fancied runner, especially following his recent triumph at The Derby. However, no horse has completed this double since Galileo in 2001, with the three runners to have tried yielding a best finish of third in the interim period (Kris Kin in 2003).
Lone Eagle and the four-year old Mishriff both appear to offer good value at 13/2, with the former only narrowly denied by Adayar’s stablemate Hurricane Lane in the G1 Irish Derby at the Curragh at the end of June.
As for Mishriff, this will be his first start since he recorded a memorable big-race double at the Saudi Cup and the Dubai Sheema Classic earlier in the year, so he’s definitely a contender to watch this time around!