The fields for the seven races on Friday’s prestigious Royal Ascot meeting are set, including the two main events on the day, the Commonwealth Cup (G1T) for 3-year-old sprinters and Coronation Stakes (G1T) for sophomore fillies going a mile. Post time for the first race is 9:30 a.m. ET and can be seen on FanDuel TV or NBC’s Peacock Network.
The six-furlong Commonwealth Cup used to be the only group 1 flat race in Britain for 3-year-olds that permitted geldings, they will not be allowed to participate this year and haven’t since 2019, and the race used to stand the first age-restricted group 1 race open to geldings in Europe overall.
The race was created for the 2015 Royal Ascot season to attract sprint horses based in Europe, a division many deemed previously underappreciated. This year a jam-packed field of 22 are expected to break from the gate in the race, which has been carded as the afternoon’s 2nd with a post time of 10:05 a.m. ET.
Trainer Charlie Appleby will send out Godolphin’s Homebred Shadow of Light, a son of Lope De Vega coming off a third-place finish in the Betfred 2000 Guineas (G1T) on May 3. The winner of the Middle Park Stakes (G1) and Dewhurst Stakes (G1) will have jockey William Buick in the irons.
Eleven fillies are set to head to the gate and race a mile in the Coronation Stakes (GIT) this year. The race was created in 1840 to celebrate the ascension to the throne of then Queen Victoria and has been a staple of the Royal Ascot meet, carrying the group 1 status since 1988. Listing notable previous winners could take all day, so it’s safe to say just about every winner for the past two decades has proven to be a standout racehorse.
Shadwell’s Pretty Polly Stakes winner Falakeyah is the early even-money favorite in what will be her third career start. Owen Burrows trains the New Bay filly and Jim Crowley will be aboard.
Post time for the Coronation Stakes, which is the third race on the day, will be at 10:45 a.m. ETxs.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
