Rosallion and Sean Levey (yellow) winning The St James’s Palace Stakes Royal Ascot. (Dan Abraham-focusonracing.com)
Winners of the Queen Anne Stakes and King Charles III Stakes to receive Automatic Berths into Oct. 31 – Nov. 1 World Championships at Del Mar
Breeders’ Cup Release
ASCOT, BERKSHIRE, Eng. – Britain’s prestigious Royal Ascot meeting commences next week and features the first European races of the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In. Beginning on Tuesday, June 17, this premier week of racing at Ascot Racecourse includes four group stakes that provide guaranteed starts for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 93 stakes races in 15 countries whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, scheduled to be held Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, California.
The opening day of the five-day meeting includes the Queen Anne Stakes (G1) over 1 mile for 4-year-olds and up, which serves as an automatic qualifier for the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1), and the King Charles III Stakes (G1) over 5 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up, offering a free entry into the $1 million Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1).
On Wednesday, an automatic starting position into the $5 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) will be on the line in the 1 1/4-mile Prince of Wales’s Stakes (G1), and on Thursday, the 5-furlong Norfolk Stakes (G2) will give the winner a free berth into the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1).
Rosallion Set for Lead Artist Rematch in The Queen Anne
Tuesday’s opening race, the Queen Anne Stakes (G1), looks set to be a rematch of the May 17 Lockinge Stakes (G1), run at Newbury in Britain. This is no surprise given 25 of the last 45 winners of the Queen Anne Stakes have run at Newbury en-route to the Royal Meeting a month later, and the betting indicates a reshuffle of the top four this year.
The headline act is Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum’s Rosallion (IRE). After winning the Irish 2000 Guineas (G1) and St James’s Palace Stakes (G1) last year, Richard Hannon’s colt was struck by a lung-infection that took him out of action for nearly a year. On his much-awaited return, he finished third in the Lockinge Stakes (G1), although following the race his trainer emphasized the impossibility of achieving race-fitness without racing.
Rosallion was beaten by Juddmonte’s Lead Artist (GB).The John and Thady Gosden-trained colt finished second in the Bahrain International Trophy (G2) last November. He was next seen finishing last in the bet 365 Mile (G2) at Sandown in April before a quick turn-around saw him at the other end of the field in the Lockinge Stakes (G1). He is currently third in the betting to replicate his Newbury heroics.
Fishdance Limited’s Dancing Gemini (IRE) finished second by just a neck to Lead Artist last time out despite starting as the favorite. Roger Teal’s 4-year-old won the Bet 365 Mile (G2) at Sandown earlier this year with ease but has yet been unable to capture the elusive G1.
Teal said: “He’s been working really nicely. He was only second by a neck in the Lockinge so we haven’t got that much ground to make up. I do think the ground was a bit quick for him that day [good to firm]. After Ascot we’ll go to the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, or Deauville, and we could go to America at the end of the season. The Breeders’ Cup is something we haven’t ruled out.”
Another top contender is last year’s 16-1 2000 Guineas winner, Godolphin’s Notable Speech (GB). The Dubawi colt was a beaten favorite in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) at Del Mar last year, finishing third behind More Than Looks. He was also a beaten favorite in last year’s St James’s Palace Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot, when finishing a disappointing seventh out of eight, 6 lengths behind the winner, Rosallion, but went on to win the Qatar Sussex Stakes (G1) at Goodwood three weeks later and a free berth into the Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Australia’s Asfoora Searching For A Double In King Charles III
Noor Elaine Farm Pty Limited’s Asfoora (AUS), who is trained in Australia, is bidding for a double in the 5-furlong King Charles III (G1) after her victory in the race under Oisin Murphy last year. Trained by Henry Dwyer, the 6-year-old mare finished seventh in her last start, the Robert Sangster Stakes (G1) in Morphettville, although the race was run over her less- favored distance of 6 furlongs.
Current favorite is the Mrs. Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derek Smith, and Resolute owned Believing (IRE),who was bought for 3 million guineas at the Tattersalls’ December Mares’ Sale in Newmarket. The 5-year-old finished fourth in last year’s race behind Asfoora. After hitting the Group 1 crossbar a frustrating number of times, she finally struck gold in the Al Quoz Sprint (G1) at Meydan on April 5 and is currently in foal to Frankel.
Future Champions Racing Regional’s Regional (GB) is another red-hot favorite, who finished second in the race last year. In 2023, the 7-year-old gave Ed Bethell and jockey Callum Rodriguez a first G1 win when scoring in the Betfair Sprint Cup Stakes (G1) at Haydock at 10-1.
Bethell, 32, said: “We’re really looking forward to running him. He seems in great form, but it’s a Royal Ascot Group 1, it’s seriously tough. He’s been working very nicely since he came back from Dubai and we’re very much looking forward to Tuesday. After the race we might go to the Prix Maurice de Gheest in France, or the Ebor festival at York is an option. I know the guys have thought about the Breeders’ Cup so we might even slide him into that sometime in the future.”
Qatari-backed Wathnan Racing have invested heavily in their Royal Ascot team this year, and Night Raider (IRE), formerly owned by Clipper Logistics, is now set to run in the blue, orange and red silks. The 4-year-old was last seen finishing third, 4 lengths behind top sprinter Inisherin (GB) in the 1895 Duke Of York Clipper Stakes (G2) earlier this season. He’s dropping back to 5 furlongs for the first time, and his trainer, Karl Burke, is confident it will play to his strengths.
Burke said: “He’s a lovely colt. We’re very excited that Wathnan have bought him and the drop back to five we think will suit. All the jockeys that have ridden him have said that he’s quick enough to run in a Group 1 over 5 furlongs so the stiff five at Ascot should hold no fear for him. He’s a winner over seven and six. I’m very much looking forward to seeing him run.”
Also in the mix is last year’s Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner, Mrs. Fitri Hay’s Starlust (GB). The Ralph Beckett trained 4-year-old has unfortunately been unable to repeat his Del Mar heroics, finishing 13 of 14 in last December’s Longines Hong Kong Sprint (G1) at Sha Tin and seventh in the May 25 Betfred Temple Stakes at Haydock.
As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders’ Cup will pay the entry fees for the Queen Anne Stakes winner to start in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) and the winner of the King Charles III Stakes to start in the Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1). Breeders’ Cup will also provide a travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships.
