As the Royal Ascot week unfolds on the tracks of the Ascot Racecourse this summer, each race brings a combination of a fierce battle for the championship, outstanding runners, and spectacular wins. Taking place between Tuesday, 16 June and Saturday, 20 June, Royal Ascot 2026 once again brings together horse racing enthusiasts, bettors, and bookmakers. Prince of Wales’s Stakes will be conducted on the second day of the meeting. It also fills the role of the day’s headline race.
The Prince of Wales’s Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race that accepts both male and female horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 212 yards (2,004 metres). Initially inaugurated in 1862, it was named after King Edward VII, who was still Prince of Wales at the time. After World War II the race was discontinued, as there was no immediate Prince of Wales to the British throne. It returned in 1968, a year before Prince Charles (now King Charles III) was officially bestowed the title.
When the modern horse race classification system was introduced in Britain, Prince of Wales’s Stakes was classified as Group 2. It was later promoted to Group 1, while also changing the age limit from three to four years old as the lower limit.
In this article we will review the list of declared runners for this season’s race, present the race card for the entire second day, and take a more in-depth look at some of the market’s favourites or interesting participants announced to run this year.
Prince of Wales’s Stakes 2026 Racecard
The Royal Ascot 2026 will be conducted in the third week of June and last for five days. This horse racing fixture will include 35 races, evenly distributed across the entire course of the event. Prince of Wales’s Stakes will be run on the second day of the meeting as its headline race.
Day Two: Royal Ascot Wednesday (17 June)
- When: Wednesday, 17 June 2026
- Gate opening: 10:30 am
- Royal procession: 2:00 pm
- First race: 2:30 pm
- Headline race: 4:20 pm (Prince of Wales’s Stakes)
- Last race: 6:10 pm
- Post racing entertainment: 6:20 pm
The daily race card for the Royal Ascot Wednesday 2026 is as follows:
Going: Round Course Flat Turf: good (good to soft in places); Straight Course Flat Turf: good
| Time | Race | Distance | Conditions |
| 2:30 pm | THE QUEEN MARY STAKES (CLASS 1) (Group 2) (CL 1) | 5f | 2YO £175,000.00 |
| 3:05 pm | THE QUEEN’S VASE (CLASS 1) (Group 2) (CL 1) | 1m 6f 34y | 3YO £265,000.00 |
| 3:40 pm | THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE STAKES (CLASS 1) (Group 2) (CL 1) | 7f 213y | 4YO+ £250,000.00 |
| 4:20 pm | THE PRINCE OF WALES’S STAKES (CLASS 1) (Group 1) (CL 1) | 1m 1f 212y | 4YO+ £1,000,000.00 |
| 5:00 pm | THE ROYAL HUNT CUP (CLASS 2) (Heritage Handicap) (CL 2) | 1m | 3YO+ £175,000.00 |
| 5:35 pm | THE KENSINGTON PALACE STAKES (CLASS 2 FILLIES’ HANDICAP) (CL 2) | 1m | 4YO+ £120,000.00 Rating 0-105 |
| 6:10 pm | THE WINDSOR CASTLE STAKES (CLASS 1) (Listed Race) (CL 1) | 6f | 2YO £125,000.00 |
Prince of Wales’s Stakes 2026 Runners
With a hefty prize of £1,000,000 in addition to the honour of being called a Royal Ascot champion, the Prince of Wales’s Stakes attracts many excellent runners every year. As the race doesn’t impose an upper age limit on its participants, viewers are guaranteed a variety of runners, each with their strong sides and skills.
Currently, there are 17 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. Some of the jockeys for the race have already been announced, others are still awaiting confirmation.
The current full list of contenders, their jockeys and trainers runs as follows:
- Almaqam (age 5, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Ed Walker)
- Bay City Roller (age 4, jockey unconfirmed, trainer George Scott)
- Calandagan (age 5, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Francis Henri Graffard)
- Damysus (age 4, jockey unconfirmed, trainer John & Thady Gosden)
- Dancing Gemini (age 5, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Roger Teal)
- Daryz (age 4, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Francis Henri Graffard)
- Devil’s Advocate (age 4, jockey unconfirmed, trainer John & Thady Gosden)
- Expanded (age 4, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Adrian O’Brien)
- Lambourn (age 4, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Adrian O’Brien)
- Mississippi River (age 4, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Adrian O’Brien)
- Ombudsman (age 5, jockey unconfirmed, trainer John & Thady Gosden)
- Royal Rhyme (age 6, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Karl Burke)
- Saddadd (age 4, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Roger Varian)
- The Lion In Winter (age 4, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Adrian O’Brien)
- Kalpana (age 5, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Andrew Balding)
- Minnie Hauk (age 4, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Adrian O’Brien)
- See The Fire (age 5, jockey unconfirmed, trainer Adrian Balding)
Who to Look Out for at Prince of Wales’s Stakes 2026
As any Royal Ascot race, the Prince of Wales’s Stakes has welcomed talented runners year in year out, although only one from the annual list of participants would go on to take the winner’s crown. Since the race doesn’t restrict participation by the upper age limit, any horse has the chance to enter the race more than once to try and reach the top. Currently, there are three horses holding the record for more wins in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes than any other champion: Connaught (1969, 1970), Mtoto (1987, 1988), and Muhtarram (1994, 1995), each with two wins.
The latest winner in 2025 was a 4 year old bay colt Ombudsman. This was the first of his two wins during the season, the other one taking place in the Juddmonte International Stakes at the York Racecourse in August 2025. He also returned to the Ascot Racecourse the same year for the Qipco Champion Stakes (October 2025), but came to the finish line second behind Calandagan. The current season started for him with two wins: Dubai Turf Sponsored By DP World (Meydan Racecourse, UAE, March 2026) and Star Sports Brigadier Gerard Stakes (Sandown Park, May 2026). Ombudsman has already been announced to take part in this year’s Prince of Wales’s Stakes. Ombudsman was trained by John & Thady Gosden and led on the track by jockey William Buick in last year’s race.
Daryz
- Age: 4 years old
- Sex and colour: bay colt
- Trainer: Francis Henri Graffard
- Major achievements: 7 out of 9 wins, including Prix Aga Khan IV (May 2026) and Prix Ganay World Pool By PMU Stakes (April 2026)
Daryz has spent most of his career so far racing on French racecourses. The only time he raced on a British racecourse ended in him coming to the finish line in sixth place (Juddmonte International Stakes, York Racecourse, August 2025, winner Ombundsman). This was one of his only two defeats, the other one being Prix du Prince d’Orange (Longchamp Racecourse, September 2025, winner Croix Du Nord).
This detail notwithstanding, Francis Henri Graffard’s charge has firmly placed himself among the market favourites after he started the current season with two very impressive wins at the Longchamp Racecourse (Prix Aga Khan IV, May 2026 and Prix Ganay World Pool By PMU Stakes, April 2026).
Ombudsman
- Age: 5 years old
- Sex and colour: bay colt
- Trainer: John & Thady Gosden
- Major achievements: 8 out of 11 wins, including Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (June 2025) and Star Sports Brigadier Gerard Stakes (May 2026)
The defending champion returning to the tracks never goes unnoticed, and the fact that Ombudsman started this year with two outstanding performances, both resulting in wins, adds strongly to the attention he is getting from the market experts, bookmakers, and bettors.
John and Thady Gosden’s charge has proved himself to be a consistent performer throughout his racing career. In his debut season of 2024, he won all four races he participated in. 2025 was marked by two wins out of five races, which included the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at the Royal Ascot 2025. Then in 2026 he returned with two spectacular wins: Dubai Turf Sponsored By DP World at the Meydan Racecourse (Dubai, UAE, March 2026) and Star Sports Brigadier Gerard Stakes (Sandown Park, May 2026).
Almaqam
- Age: 5 years old
- Sex and colour: bay horse
- Trainer: Ed Walker
- Major achievements: 4 out of 12 wins, including Tattersalls Gold Cup (May 2026) and Star Sports Brigadier Gerard Stakes (May 2025)
Almaqam may not be a frequent winner but his latest win in the Tattersalls Gold Cup during the Irish Guineas Weekend at the Curragh Racecourse in May 2026 immediately moved him towards the top of the favourites list.
It won’t be the first time Almaqam sets foot on the Ascot Racecourse tracks. Ed Walker’s charge ran in the St James’s Palace Stakes in June 2024 where he came to the finish line sixth after the winner Rosallion. His second experience was during the Qipco Champion Stakes in October 2025. Almaqam finished third, allowing his two rivals for this year’s race, Calandagan and Ombudsman, take first and second places respectively.
Minnie Hauk
- Age: 4 years old
- Sex and colour: bay filly
- Trainer: Adrian O’Brien
- Major achievements: 6 out of 10 wins, including Clem Murphy Memorial Irish European Breeders Fund Mooresbridge Stakes (May 2026) and Betfred Oaks (June 2025)
While this will be her first Ascot Racecourse run, Minnie Hauk has already earned a reputation of a fascinating runner. In her second of year of horse racing, she belted four confident wins, including both the Betfred Oaks (Epsom Downs, June 2025) and the Juddmonte Irish Oaks (Curragh Racecourse, July 2025).
Adrian O’Brien’s charge has had a stable start of the 2026 season leading up to the Royal Ascot week. She came fifth in the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Curragh Racecourse, May 2026, winner Almaqam) but won the Clem Murphy Memorial Irish European Breeders Fund Mooresbridge Stakes at the same racecourse in May 2026.
Calandagan
- Age: 5 years old
- Sex and colour: bay gelding
- Trainer: Francis Henri Graffard
- Major achievements: 9 out of 16 wins, including Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (March 2026) and Qipco Champion Stakes (October 2025)
Another one of Francis Henri Graffard’s charges in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes gets into the limelight with horse racing experts. Calandagan can be considered a frequent runner at the Ascot Racecourse, having previously participated in four races in two years. He went on to win three of them: King Edward VII Stakes (June 2024), King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (July 2025), and Qipco Champion Stakes (October 2025) where he defeated his two current rivals, Ombudsman and Almaqam, who came second and third respectively.
Calandagan has already participated in two races this season in preparation for the Royal Ascot week. He came fourth in the Coolmore Coronation Cup (Epsom Downs, June 2026, winner Bay City Roller) but won the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (Meydan Racecourse, Dubai, UAE, March 2026).
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