Royal Ascot 2025 updates: news, previews and more on day two
Date: 2025-06-18T10:00:46.000Z
Title: Preamble
Content: Good morning from Ascot on day two of the 2025 Royal meeting on what promises to be another scorcher of a day, both on and off the track.
There is only one Group One event on the card – the Prince of Wales's Stakes in the traditional primetime slot at 4.20pm (all times BST) – but it is an ultra-competitive renewal with no fewer than five of the runners priced up between 9-4 and 11-2 or shorter.
A trio of Group Twos take us up to the feature, ranging from two-year-old fillies blitzing down the straight course in the Queen Mary Stakes (2.30pm) to three-year-old stayers and St Leger candidates in the Queen's Vase. And the late afternoon action includes the Royal Hunt Cup, one of the most competitive handicaps of the year, and the added bonus of a royal runner with a big chance as Rainbows Edge goes to post in the purple and scarlet silks for the Kensington Palace Stakes at 5.35pm.
Five millimetres of water on both the straight and round courses overnight has maintained the going as good to firm, good in places, although it is sure to be getting faster as the day unfolds.
In the jockey and trainer standings, Ryan Moore remains odds-on to be the week's leading rider at around 4-7 but James Doyle, who rode the last two winners on the opening day, is now down to 15-8 (from an opening 5-1) with William Buick, who remains winnerless, is out to around 10-1. Fallen Angel, in the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes, and Map Of Stars, in the Prince of Wales's Stakes, are Doyle's major hopes today, while all four of Moore's rides on the card – True Love (2.30pm), Shackleton (3.05pm), Los Angeles (4.20pm) and The Liffey (5pm) – are currently either favourite or second-favourite for their races.
A report on yesterday's action with a quick stroll through today's card is here, more detailed previews of today's seven races are on the way, and all the latest news, betting moves, results, quotes and more will be here on the live blog throughout the day.
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