Following the conclusion of the 2026 American Triple Crown horse racing series, global attention in equestrian sports moves from Saratoga Race Course to Europe for a highly esteemed yearly event. The five-day Royal Ascot gathering is scheduled to commence on Tuesday, June 16, at the stunning Ascot Racecourse located in Berkshire, England. This regal competition will gather numerous elite equines from both the United Kingdom and Ireland, alongside a select group from the United States, to participate in 35 races, competing for a total purse of £10,050,000 (approximately $13.4 million U.S.).
Royal Ascot shares characteristics with prominent American spectacles like the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup World Championships, transcending mere equestrian competition. The five-day affair is rich with displays of haute couture, sightings of notable personalities, and a time-honored tradition of elaborate ceremony linked to the British royal family (Queen Anne established Ascot Racecourse in 1711).
The 2026 Royal Ascot gathering marks the fourth such occasion under the reign of King Charles III; his predecessor, Queen Elizabeth II, a prominent supporter of global horse racing, held the monarchy for seven decades before her passing on September 8, 2022. The traditional Royal Procession, where members of the monarchy are presented in carriages to enthusiastic attendees, commemorates its 201st year in 2026.
Although the full Royal Ascot spectacle draws immense crowds of Britons keen to partake in a prime event of the summer social season directly, for the majority of Americans, the primary interests lie in the equine athletes, broadcast coverage, and wagering opportunities. This guide from ABR offers insight into the 2026 Royal Ascot event.
When It Happens:
The Royal Ascot event is scheduled to take place from Tuesday, June 16, to Saturday, June 20. Each day features seven scheduled races, with the initial start time set for 9:30 a.m. ET (corresponding to 2:30 p.m. local time). The final race daily is slated for 1:10 p.m. ET (or 6:10 p.m. local time).
Major Races:
Among the 35 competitions at Royal Ascot, eight are classified as Group 1 stakes, signifying the most elite global classification. On the inaugural day, June 16, three of these top-tier races will occur: the Queen Anne Stakes, designated for horses aged 4 and above; the King Charles III Stakes, open to horses aged 3 and up; and the St. James’ Palace Stakes, exclusively for 3-year-old male horses.
For Wednesday, June 17, horses aged four and above are set to compete in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, while Thursday, June 18, will see horses of the same age bracket engage in the Gold Cup, a rigorous 2 ½-mile endurance challenge.
Friday, June 19, features an additional pair of Group 1 stakes: the Commonwealth Cup, intended for 3-year-old male and female horses (excluding geldings), and the Coronation Stakes, exclusively for 3-year-old fillies. The concluding day, Saturday, June 20, will showcase horses aged 4 and older competing in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes. The King Charles III Stakes on Tuesday is a rapid five-furlong race, whereas the QE II Jubilee on the final day spans six furlongs; it is not uncommon for equines to participate in both events within the same week.
A quartet of events within the meet serve as Win and You’re In Challenge Series pathways to the 2026 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, scheduled for October 30-31 at Kentucky’s Keeneland Race Course. Victors of these four stakes will secure assured, all-expenses-paid entries into specific Breeders’ Cup races. The previously mentioned Queen Anne Stakes and King Charles III Stakes, both occurring on Tuesday, function as Win and You’re In qualifiers for the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile Presented by PDJF and the Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, in that order. The Prince of Wales’s Stakes on Wednesday qualifies participants for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf. The Group 2 Norfolk Stakes, a brisk five-furlong sprint inaugurating Royal Ascot’s card on Thursday, June 18, grants a Win and You’re In spot for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.
Where to Watch:
NBC Sports is slated to broadcast the Royal Ascot races, making all competitions from Tuesday to Saturday accessible via its Peacock streaming platform. Live streaming on Peacock will commence from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET, running from Tuesday through Friday.
Furthermore, the Royal Ascot competitions will be aired on NBCSN from Tuesday to Friday. On Saturday, the live Royal Ascot action will be televised directly on NBC from 9 a.m. to noon ET, with a corresponding stream available on Peacock from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Every day of the Royal Ascot gathering will additionally be broadcast live on FanDuel TV.
How to Bet:
Wagering on equestrian events in the United Kingdom operates differently than in the United States; participants typically establish fixed odds with an odds provider like Ladbrokes or William Hill. American horse bettors, however, will have access to pari-mutuel pools through advance deposit wagering (ADW) platforms, including NYRA Bets, 1/ST BET, TwinSpires.com, TVG.com, among others.
It is important to remember the discrepancy in time zones. The majority of the events during Royal Ascot week will occur in the morning for individuals on the East Coast and in the extremely early hours for those placing wagers from the Pacific Time Zone.
Top U.S.-Based Horses:
Undoubtedly, the American trainer boasting the most impressive record at Royal Ascot is Wesley Ward, having accumulated 12 victories there, commencing with two wins during his initial attendance in 2009. The previous year, Ward intended to bring his promising 2-year-old Outfielder to Royal Ascot, but the plan was aborted due to a slight injury sustained by the colt. Currently, Outfielder is once more in training for Royal Ascot, positioned as the primary contender among as many as seven Ward-conditioned horses potentially participating in the gathering.
Outfielder, a 3-year-old who competed in France late last summer, securing a fourth-place finish in a Group 1 turf sprint, holds a perfect 2-for-2 record this year, with decisive stakes victories on an all-weather surface at Turfway Park and on turf in the William Walker Stakes at Churchill Downs just last month. He is slated to contend in the six-furlong, Group 1 Commonwealth Cup on Friday at Royal Ascot.
Another 3-year-old under Ward’s training aimed at the meet is Bacio, a colt by Maclean’s Music, who achieved a two-length victory in his 2026 inaugural race at Keeneland. Bacio is being prepared for the five-furlong Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes, also scheduled for Friday.
The remaining potential Royal Ascot participants from Ward’s stable are 2-year-olds, with four of them possibly entering the five-furlong, Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes, designed for juvenile fillies, which commences Wednesday’s program. These fillies include Fanshell Beach, Ruiva, Shining Moment, and Through the Years. Another 2-year-old filly from Ward, Ez Tina, is enrolled in the five-furlong, Group 2 Norfolk Stakes on Thursday, an event open to all 2-year-old horses. She is progeny of Golden Pal, a two-time Breeders’ Cup champion under Ward’s guidance, who placed second by a narrow margin in the 2020 Norfolk.
An additional pair of American-based juvenile horses are slated for the Queen Mary on Tuesday: More Champagne, conditioned by Tom Morley; and Celtic Dispute, under the training of Patrick Biancone. More Champagne, partially owned by StarLadies Racing, achieved a dominant 6 ½-furlong victory over Shining Moment in her initial Keeneland appearance in April, whereas Celtic Dispute secured a win in the Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes at Gulfstream Park in May, thereby earning an automatic entry into the Queen Mary.
International Stars:
American equestrian enthusiasts will recognize a well-known contender in the inaugural Royal Ascot race on Tuesday, the Queen Anne Stakes, as Notable Speech, the current champion of the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile Presented by PDJF, is slated to compete representing Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby. This Dubawi progeny secured fourth place in the previous year’s Queen Anne.
Conceivably the pinnacle race of the entire Royal Ascot gathering will be the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, contested on Wednesday over 1 ¼ miles. The roster of announced participants includes Daryz, a horse bred and based in France, who claimed victory in the esteemed Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe last year and maintains a flawless 2-for-2 record this year as a 4-year-old; the acclaimed filly Minnie Hauk, who was a narrow runner-up to Daryz in the Arc; and Godolphin’s Ombudsman, who triumphed in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes by two lengths last year and, similar to Daryz, has started his 4-year-old campaign with two wins from two starts.
