While the Gold Cup on day three is the feature race at Royal Ascot, there are still plenty of other notable fixtures taking place over the five-day event that are worth keeping an eye on. One of those contests is the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes, which pits thoroughbreds four years and older against each other over one mile and a furlong.
Trainer Joseph O’Brien secured his maiden Price of Wales’s Stakes triumph in last year’s renewal, with his thoroughbred State of Rest besting the favourite Bay Bridge by a length to finish first past the post in a thriller.
This year’s renewal is shaping up to be another blockbuster, with a number of previous Group winners expected to line up on the second day of the meeting. With that in mind, read on as we take a look at the favourites for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at the time of writing.
Luxembourg
Garnering a price of 3/1 if you’re looking for a bet on Royal Ascot, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Luxembourg is coming off a strong performance in his most recent outing at the Curragh in May. After he and jockey Ryan Moore made their move three furlongs out, the pair quickened and kept on well over the final two furlongs to reign supreme in what was a much-needed victory for him this season.
It’s a vast improvement on his first run of the 2023 campaign, in which he finished more than three lengths behind the eventual winner and looked disappointing doing so. If he can build on his performance at the Curragh in which he bested last year’s Prince of Wales’s Stakes runner-up Bridge Bay – the Irish horse will be extremely tough to beat.
Bay Bridge
As mentioned earlier, the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Bay Bridge was the bridesmaid in 2022’s renewal, and his trainer will be hoping he can go one better this time around. The four-year-old’s form this season has been solid without being spectacular, securing back-to-back top three finishes at Longchamp and the Curragh.
However, you only have to go back to October of last year to see just how good a horse Bay Bridge is, with the then four-year-old beating a very strong field to reign supreme in the Champion Stakes at Ascot.
While he hasn’t been able to build on that triumph to begin this season, with course and distance form on his side, Bay Bridge could be tempting for those who bet at a price of 7/2.
Adayar
Irrespective of form, whenever there is a Godolphin and Charlie Appleby-trained horse in the line-up, you can expect that they will be there or thereabouts in the closing stages of the race. Thankfully for Appleby, third favourite Adayar is in great form, winning his only race to date this season by more than two lengths at Newmarket.
Additionally, Adayar had an impressive 2022 campaign, winning the Doncaster Condition Stakes by nearly four lengths before just being pipped by Bay Bridge in the Champion Stakes. For those who believe he can go one better at Ascot this time around, the five-year-old is paying 4/1 with most operators.
